Science

A New CDC Tool Aims To Close The COVID-19 Knowledge Gap

1:21pm April 05, 2020

by Rob Stein

COVIDView, modeled on a tool used to track seasonal flu, pulls data from an array of sources to provide a better picture of the virus' spread. But some say it still falls far short of what's needed.

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Ambulances line the street outside Elmhurst Hospital Center on Saturday in the Queens borough of New York.

Confirmed Cases In The U.S. Top 300,000 As New Hot Spots Emerge

1:10pm April 05, 2020

by Kat Lonsdorf

White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Saturday that New York, Louisiana and Detroit remain the main hot spots but emerging are Colorado, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

In the U.K., fires at multiple cellphone towers are raising concerns about the spread of conspiracy theories linking 5G networks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.K. Cellphone Towers Ablaze As Conspiracy Theories Link 5G Networks To COVID-19

4:46pm April 04, 2020

by Jason Slotkin

Unsubstantiated claims drawing links between the pandemic and the communications technology are troubling British telecom authorities. At least three fires have been reported amid these rumors.

CDC Changes Course, Says Everyone Should Cover Their Face In Public

8:45am April 04, 2020

by Allison Aubrey

U.S. officials say high-quality masks should still be saved for health care workers, but are encouraging people to use something to cover their mouth and nose when they're out in public.

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Commercial planes provide weather forecasters with vital data, so widespread flight cancellations could hurt local weather reports.

Science

One More Coronavirus Problem: Accurate Weather Forecasts

5:23pm April 03, 2020

by Lauren Sommer

Weather forecast models rely on commercial airplanes for massive amounts of real-time data. With widespread flight cancellations, meteorologists are concerned.

Coronavirus Updates: Jobs Report, Mask Science

4:28pm April 03, 2020

A dismal jobs report, on top of millions of unemployment claims, paints a dire picture of the economic carnage of the coronavirus. NPR correspondents examine that — and take a look at mask science.

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Image for story on coronavirus transmission.

Scientists Probe How Coronavirus Might Travel Through The Air

4:07pm April 03, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Simply talking could produce tiny particles of mucus and saliva that might carry the coronavirus, experts say. How much these airborne particles matter for the spread of this disease is controversial.

Together Inc. food bank workers distribute food at a drive-through location in Omaha, Neb., last week. Disruptions in the agricultural supply chain caused by the coronavirus pandemic are making it difficult for food banks.

Food Shortages? Nope, Too Much Food In The Wrong Places

3:31pm April 03, 2020

by Dan Charles

Some Americans, fearing food shortages from COVID-19, have cleaned out supermarket shelves. Yet there's too much food in some places. Farmers are dumping milk and vegetables that they can't sell.

A ventilator and other hospital equipment is seen in an emergency field hospital to aid in the coronavirus pandemic in Central Park in New York City on Tuesday.

Ventilator Shortages Loom As States Ponder Rules For Rationing

1:02pm April 03, 2020

Many states are projected to have excessive demand for ventilator machines in the coming weeks, but no state government has formally asked hospitals to prepare for difficult and complex crisis triage.

College Labs Become Coronavirus Testing Facilities, Courtesy Of Student Volunteers

4:50pm April 02, 2020

by Lauren Sommer

With the present need for coronavirus tests, university research labs are rapidly switching to patient testing. Many are calling on graduate student volunteers to make it happen.

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