Your Health

World Health Organization Antimicrobial Expert Explains Transmission Of Coronavirus

4:43pm March 30, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Dr. Hanan Balkhy, assistant director-general for antimicrobial resistance at the World Health Organization, about the transmissibility of the coronavirus.

A photograph from 1940, taken for infectious research purposes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, shows respiratory droplets released through sneezing.

Health & Safety

WHO Reviews 'Available' Evidence On Coronavirus Transmission Through Air

7:53pm March 28, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A scientific brief from the World Health Organization says "current evidence" points to infectious respiratory droplets passed in "close contact" situations, but some say it's too soon to be sure

After an initial verbal screening, one driver at a time gets a COVID-19 nasal swab test from a garbed health worker at a drive-up station in Daly City, Calif.

Health & Safety

Why It Takes So Long To Get Most COVID-19 Test Results

4:32pm March 28, 2020

by Julie Appleby

Even many symptomatic patients and exposed health workers who are able to get a COVID-19 test must wait nearly a week to get results. Others get results in hours. Here's why it varies so much.

Health & Safety

'Call Your Friends': The Importance Of Maintaining Friendships During The Pandemic

4:45pm March 27, 2020

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with science journalist Lydia Denworth about the biological effects of friendship — and why friends are so important to well-being, especially during the pandemic.

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Coffins of deceased people stored in a warehouse near Bergamo — a city at the heart of Italy's coronavirus crisis — before being transported to another region for cremation.

Why 'Death Rates' From Coronavirus Can Be Deceiving

11:35am March 27, 2020

by Jon Hamilton

"Case fatality rates have been very confusing," says Dr. Steven Lawrence, an infectious disease expert. Here's why.

Health & Safety

Public Health Professor Answers Listener Questions About The Coronavirus

9:39pm March 26, 2020

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Dr. Ashish Jha, faculty director of the Global Health Institute at Harvard University, to answer listener questions about the coronavirus.

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Many Navajo haul non-potable water from windmills like this one for their sheep and to do the washing. Other sources range from water stations to natural springs. Now they must balance an order to shelter in place with the need to bring water back for the

Coronavirus Cases Spike In Navajo Nation, Where Water Service Is Often Scarce

3:17pm March 26, 2020

by Bill Chappell

Navajo Nation is under stay-at-home orders — but thousands of people are forced to leave their houses for necessities such as water.

Professor Robert Kelly, his wife, Kim Jung-A, and their children Marion and James spoke to the BBC about the challenge of balancing work and family life during the coronavirus crisis.

Viral 'BBC Dad' Returns To Discuss Working From Home: 'Just Really, Really Tough'

12:33pm March 26, 2020

by Bill Chappell

"It's just really, really tough" for parents to get work done with small children in the house, says professor Robert Kelly, also known as "BBC Dad."

Health & Safety

Infectious Disease Specialist Answers Listener Questions About The Coronavirus

10:03pm March 25, 2020

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with infectious disease specialist Dr. Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to answer listener questions about the coronavirus.

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Health & Safety

Michael Pollan Explains Caffeine Cravings (And Why You Don't Have To Quit)

1:43pm March 25, 2020

by Terry Gross

When Pollan decided to write about caffeine, he gave it up — cold turkey. "I just couldn't focus," he says. "I was irritable. I lost confidence." Originally published Feb. 10, 2020.

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