Short of a vaccine, testing is the first line of defense in helping limit the spread of COVID-19. But what will it look like when everyone returns to work? Some employers are finding out that testing employees is more trouble than it's worth. Issues with cost, access, and employee privacy are some of the reasons why testing isn't part of back-to-work plans. Instead, employers are in favor of lower cost options like masks, hand sanitizer, temperature checks, and symptom screening. Emma Court, hea...
Jul 13, 2020•9 min
Antibody tests were also hailed as one of the main ways to get people back to work. Test positive for antibodies and it means you've had the coronavirus and aren't in danger of catching it or infecting someone else. But these tests have had problems with accuracy. The reporter we speak to next had to take five antibody tests before she could trust the results. And the big question, does testing for antibodies give you a free pass? We still don't know how much immunity is bestowed on a person or ...
Jul 13, 2020•13 min
Some marriages are starting to buckle under quarantine and strict lockdowns. In some households, months of monotony and spending too much time together is exposing bad behavior and exacerbating underlying problems most likely there before the pandemic began. Marisa Kashino, senior editor at Washingtonian, joins us for more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 10, 2020•7 min
President Trump is pushing hard for schools to fully reopen in the fall. He has slammed the CDC guidelines on reopening and also threatened to cut funding from schools that don’t open. While children are only half as likely as adults to get infected with COVID-19, there is still a lot of concern over how to reopen. Laura Meckler, national education reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for the fight to reopen schools. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com S...
Jul 10, 2020•5 min
Who is getting all the money? The Small Business Association and the Treasury Department have released the names of more than 660,000 businesses that received money from the Paycheck Protection Program. The program has given payouts to lawmaker-connected businesses including car dealerships, casinos, construction companies and restaurants. Nicholas Wu, politics reporter at USA Today, joins us for more on the PPP. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnyst...
Jul 09, 2020•7 min
There is an ongoing discussion about how COVID-19 spreads through the air. We know that it can spread from respiratory droplets when someone coughs or sneezes, but there is a growing body of evidence showing that is can spread through even smaller aerosolized droplets that can linger in poorly ventilated areas. Kat Eschner, contributing editor at PopSci, for why COVID’s airborne transmission may deserve more attention. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See ...
Jul 09, 2020•7 min
The hunt is on for vaccine test subjects and coronavirus researchers are having to compete to recruit tens of thousands of healthy people for phase 3 trials. While drugmakers usually recruit patients through advertising on social media or at doctor’s offices, they are now looking at pharmacies, enlisting churches in the search and even requesting that their own employees and families ask around. Jared Hopkins, Pharma reporter at the WSJ, joins us for the search for vaccine trial participants. Le...
Jul 08, 2020•7 min
A world leader in pandemic preparedness at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security has said that we might have to deal with wearing masks for several years as it will take time for a vaccine to hit the masses. He also suggests that there will be no summer time lull in cases leading us to a another big wave in the fall. Claire Reilly, host of “Hacking the Apocalypse” and senior editor at CNET, joins us for this and how technology is being leveraged to help the fight against COVID-19. Learn m...
Jul 08, 2020•14 min
As the coronavirus continues its spread throughout the country, some hospitals are also struggling to contain the spread inside its walls. While it's only a small number of overall cases, U.S. medical centers have reported over 5,000 cases of patients catching coronavirus after being admitted for other conditions and that number does not include cases of medical staff that have caught the virus at work. Melanie Evans, hospital reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more on how hospitals try to protec...
Jul 07, 2020•7 min
We continue to monitor how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the economy, and for the retail sector, it looks like it will be a tough rebound. Retail lost about 1.2 million jobs between March and June and many store closure that were supposed to be temporary might end up being permanent. Online shopping will continue to grow and brick and mortar stores will have to continue to adjust their models to buy online and pick up in-store as shopping in person continues to face difficulties. Jennife...
Jul 07, 2020•7 min
As the school year approaches in the fall, it might not be the best course of action to treat schools like COVID hot zones. Thankfully, children are, by and large, spared most of the effects of the virus. They are only half as likely to get infected as adults and while they can transmit the disease, they seldom cause outbreaks. In the meantime, as schools in other countries have already opened, we can look to them to see what has worked and what has not. Some of the most appropriate safety measu...
Jul 06, 2020•11 min
The 4th of July will not be the same this year as various states are closing down beaches, bars and restaurants, and shutting down fireworks displays in response to rising COVID-19 cases. Officials are targeting places that younger people tend to congregate as the rise in cases are affecting more people in their 20s and 30s. Rachel Adams-Heard, reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for how more young Americans are getting the coronavirus. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodc...
Jul 03, 2020•8 min
Moderna is currently the front-runner in developing a coronavirus vaccine. They will be entering the third phase of clinical trials this month with about 30,000 people participating. While there is a lot of hope riding on Moderna to come through, the company has no track record in developing an approved drug and is also using an unproven approach to making the vaccine. Still, the company is worth $24 billion because of its current work. Peter Loftus, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more on vac...
Jul 02, 2020•12 min
Several Texas bar owners have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbot over his order to shut down bars for a second time since the pandemic began. Bar owners feel like they are being unfairly targeted when restaurants that serve alcohol can remain open and other businesses can continue to operate. Bars are especially vulnerable because people tend to gather in close quarters for extended periods of time, there is poor air ventilation, and virus particles can spread with people speaking loudly. S...
Jul 02, 2020•8 min
Despite promises that people should not have to pay for getting sick with COVID-19, doctors are discovering costly long term health effects ranging from kidney failure to heart and lung damage and the question is whether health care providers and insurers will pay for the long term effects. In the meantime, many are being saddled with huge hospital bills. Susannah Luthi, healthcare reporter at Politico, joins us for the costs of treating COVID-19. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www....
Jul 01, 2020•7 min
The Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University has become the gold standard for tracking COVID-19 cases and deaths. They help provide near real-time data on how coronavirus is spreading across the world in an environment where case counts are consistently inconsistent. Kyle Swenson, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 01, 2020•8 min
It’s happening again. As we moved to reopen the country, cases are starting to surge and the demand for testing is increasing. But testing shortfalls are causing long lines in hard hit states such as Florida and Texas. Without a vaccine, testing has become the first line of defense and delays complicate everything. Emma Court, healthcare reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for how testing is hitting a snag again. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnys...
Jul 01, 2020•8 min
The drug maker Gilead has set the price for remdesivir, its anti-viral drug which has been shown to be an effective treatment for COVID-19. For people on private insurance, it will cost $3,120 for a five day treatment. Gilead says that it could save hospitals about $12,000 per patient. Zachary Brennan, reporter at Politico, joins us for more on the costs of treating COVID-19. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...
Jun 30, 2020•6 min
Businesses that have been able to reduce the friction in their business models are those that have succeeded throughout the pandemic and will continue to grow as we come out of it. Think of Amazon and how they saved us so much time during the pandemic. No need to go shopping, order it online and it will be delivered, saving time and helping you reduce risks to your health. Same for the workplace, working from home has reduced the friction of commuting. Christiane Lemieux, contributor to Wired an...
Jun 29, 2020•12 min
While we are still in the middle of the pandemic, we are starting to see the long-term effects of lost schooling and shutting down travel and business. The GAO is estimating that over the next decade we will see almost $8 trillion in lost economic growth. We are seeing those losses in education, jobs, tourism, and restaurants. Fadel Allasan, reporter for Axios, joins us for more on the pandemic’s lost years. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio....
Jun 29, 2020•8 min
Everything that makes a dive bar great, makes them especially vulnerable to COVID-19. Dark interiors and busy atmospheres might lend itself to a good time, but it makes it hard to social distance and keep the air clean. The big questions is… are patrons ready to go back? Nick Mancall-Bitel, reporter at Eater, joins us for more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 26, 2020•8 min
The country is experiencing a coronavirus surge and it is everywhere. This past week the U.S. hit its highest single day of new coronavirus cases since April. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot also announced that due to a rise in cases, the state will pause any further phases to reopen. Furthermore, the increase in cases are skewing younger. Sam Baker, healthcare editor at Axios, joins us for the rise in cases. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/liste...
Jun 26, 2020•7 min
Florida’s party and tourism fueled economy is contributing to a rise in coronavirus cases and it has all the makings of possibly being the next large epicenter. The demographics are also changing, more people in their 20s and 30s are contracting the virus and things could also get complicated when President Trump takes the convention there in August. Francisco Alvarado, contributor to the Daily Beast, joins us for the rising numbers in Florida. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihe...
Jun 25, 2020•8 min
White House officials are discussing a plan to launch and in-depth review of the CDC and its missteps in handling the coronavirus pandemic, including an early failure to deploy working test kits. Part of the examination would also look into the state-by-state death toll to tally those that died of coronavirus rather than other causes. Adam Cancryn, healthcare reporter at Politico, joins us for why there might be more scrutiny on the CDC. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodc...
Jun 24, 2020•9 min
What is it like going to a restaurant now? As the country continues to reopen and people are trying to get back to normal, there is a new way of dining out. Employees are required to wears masks and have their temperatures taken and there’s almost nothing on the table, except for hand sanitizer. Sarah Needleman, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for changes to restaurant dining. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...
Jun 24, 2020•7 min
One of the unfortunate effects of shutting down the economy for months to limit the spread of coronavirus, was that there was no revenue going back into local governments. As a result, budgets have been upended and now, over 700 cash strapped cities have to stop plans to repair roads, water systems, and other investments. Tony Romm, business reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...
Jun 24, 2020•7 min
Arizona is reopening, coronavirus cases are rising, and masks continue to cause a divide. After pressure from public health officials, Gov. Doug Ducey is allowing local authorities to mandate the use of masks, a call they previously could not make and many have chosen to do so. But now there is a debate whether Arizonans will comply with the orders. Alicia Caldwell, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for the continued fight over wearing facemasks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihear...
Jun 23, 2020•9 min
There have been over 50,000 coronavirus deaths in U.S. nursing homes. In New York, one of the hardest hit areas in the country, things got very complicated when Gov. Andrew Cuomo in March issued an order stating that if a hospital determined a patient who needed nursing home care was medically stable, the home had to accept them even if they had been treated for COVID-19. The reasoning behind the order was that it would open up crucial beds when they thought hospitals would be overwhelmed by cor...
Jun 22, 2020•12 min
Going through the coronavirus pandemic has been a learning process for both people and governments in how the virus infects someone, but there is finally a growing consensus on how you catch COVID-19. Getting sick from touching surfaces or quick encounters is less of a worry than close-up, person to person interactions for extended periods of time. It's crucial to understand how the virus is transmitted because it informs governments on the proper ways to reopen economies. We should still be wor...
Jun 22, 2020•11 min
Despite what your local rules around facemasks are, you’ll want to make sure you have one if you are going to be flying. Air travel is starting to pick up and most airlines require that you wear a mask, but if you want to be difficult, it could land you on an airline no-fly list. Scott McCartney, Middle Seat columnist at the WSJ, joins us for flying in the pandemic. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 19, 2020•7 min
