The CDC has updated its guidelines once again and finally acknowledged that COVID-19 can spread to aerosolized particles in the air. These particles can linger in a room and spread beyond 6 feet. While the CDC has said it can spread this way, they say it isn’t the main way the virus spreads. This all means that it is important to have proper ventilation inside and also wear a mask. Caitlin McCabe, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how these tiny air particles can spread the virus. Learn more abo...
Oct 08, 2020•7 min
More good news on treatments for COVID-19. Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, has requested the emergency use authorization of its antibody- based treatment for people with mild to moderate symptoms of coronavirus. This treatment is similar to the one that President Trump received and they could have 100,000 doses ready this month and one million by the end of the year. Peter Loftus, health care reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastn...
Oct 08, 2020•6 min
The FDA has put out guidelines on the protocols to follow before a vaccine can get emergency use authorization. They want an expert panel to review any vaccine and also want two months of safety data. This will definitely put any vaccine out of reach before the election. The White House has also agreed to these guidelines. Angelica LaVito, health reporter at Bloomberg News joins us for how a vaccine will be properly vetted. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com...
Oct 07, 2020•7 min
How did the coronavirus infiltrate the White House? Many experts say that the reliance on coronavirus rapid response tests without other mitigation strategies like wearing masks and social distancing might have been the problem. The White House was using Abbott Laboratories’ ID Now tests like metal detectors, despite them delivering false negatives 9% of the time. Sarah Toy, health and science reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastne...
Oct 07, 2020•6 min
The economic recovery of the U.S. has been uneven as some workers and companies are showing signs of coming out fine, while others face an uncertain path. The pandemic has been kind to those that can work from home and the businesses that cater to them, but lower wage workers and those tied to tourism and public gatherings have suffered. Theo Francis, business reporter at the WSJ, joins us for the K-shaped recovery. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omn...
Oct 06, 2020•7 min
As some college campuses have been exploding with COVID-19 cases, Colby College in Maine has been keeping the numbers down with mandatory mask wearing, students willing to follow the rules, and one of the nation’s most rigorous testing programs. The college has poured $10 million into its response plan and tests students twice a week. Chris Quintana, national education reporter for USA Today, joins us for how they are keeping the numbers low. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihear...
Oct 06, 2020•7 min
President Trump has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and is being treated at Walter Reed Military Hospital. Trump's doctors say that he is improving and could be discharged soon, but there have been conflicting messages. The course of treatment he is receiving does not point to mild symptoms of coronavirus. Also, while we do not know the exact point at which the president contracted the virus, it seems that last week's Rose Garden ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett could be the superspreading even...
Oct 05, 2020•8 min
Some coronavirus vaccine trial participants have spoken out about their experience so far and are reporting fever, body aches, and exhaustion, but say that the side effects did not last more than a day and in the end were worth it. Participants in Moderna and Pfizer’s trials said that they felt getting more side effects after the second dose. Berkley Lovelace, health care reporter at CNBC joins us for how participants felts after getting their shots. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://w...
Oct 02, 2020•7 min
The NFL has had its first COVID-19 team outbreak as ten members of the Tennessee Titans have had positive tests after their last game with the Minnesota Vikings. In response to this the NFL has postponed the upcoming Week 4 game against the Steelers. The Titans coach has said that some of the people infected are experiencing flu-like symptoms. Matt Bonesteel, sports reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for how the NFL will respond to this outbreak. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:...
Oct 01, 2020•7 min
A look into how YouTube is fighting misinformation and conspiracy theories. Crucial to its success and also a major source of misinformation spread was its recommendation system. Early on, if you watched a video about the earth being flat, you would then be recommended tons of similar videos. To stop these sort of videos from getting more exposure, they began to tweak the algorithms and teach AI how to identify and down-rank conspiracy videos. Still, as we saw with conspiracy videos about the co...
Sep 30, 2020•14 min
The CDC, one of the most admired public health agencies in the country, has seen its credibility erode over the course of the pandemic. There were some stumbles early on in the roll out of test kits to the changing guidance on aerosols and how the coronavirus spreads, the agency has also had to deal with political interference. Lena Sun, health reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for how 2020 has been a disaster for the CDC. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetw...
Sep 29, 2020•8 min
New documents obtained by STAT News show just how involved the military is in Operation Warp Speed, the effort to fast-track a COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutics. The $10 billion initiative is going to pose a huge logistical undertaking once a vaccine is approved and that is one of the benefits of having so many in the military involved, they are good at complex logistical issues. Nicholas Florko, Washington correspondent at STAT News, joins us for more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:...
Sep 29, 2020•8 min
Months into the pandemic and the country is still facing a shortage of N95 respirator masks. While hospitals have increased their supplies and stockpiles continue to be replenished, many nurses and frontline healthcare workers find themselves still reusing masks that were meant to be used only once. Mask production has increased, but without long-term guarantees, manufacturers are hesitant to invest more and they are protecting their intellectual property and not sharing exactly how the masks ar...
Sep 28, 2020•13 min
Music festivals and the live events industry are trying to create their own ‘bubbles’ to get people out again. One strategy that is being explored is two-stage Covid testing. Get a test a few days before the event, and then another quick test before you can get in. While there are some limitations, this could be a model to get live events going again. Michelle Lhooq, independent counter culture journalist at Bloomberg News, joins us for more. You can also catch more of Michelle’s counter culture...
Sep 25, 2020•7 min
Essential workers in the U.S. are reporting high levels of burnout. Because of the pandemic, essential workers are having to deal with increased workloads, understaffing, and stress from fear of getting sick and enforcing safety protocols. Michael Sainato, reporter at The Guardian, joins us for how 58% of U.S. workers are burned out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 25, 2020•7 min
A look back at the early days of the pandemic and the first nursing home outbreak at the Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington. Forty-six people died there, but did those deaths have to happen? The way that COVID-19 tore through the facility is a cautionary tale for the way we operate nursing homes in the U.S. There were failures at many steps during the way, all while residents and workers saw some of their friends get sick and die. Katie Engelhart, contributor to California Sunday Magazin...
Sep 24, 2020•14 min
A coronavirus vaccine may be on its way soon, but that doesn’t mean that people are ready to take it. According to an Axios-Ipsos poll, 60% of people say they don’t want to take a first-generation vaccine, in part because of how it has been politicized. Margaret Talev, politics and White House editor at Axios, joins us for how resistance to taking a Covid vaccine is growing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...
Sep 23, 2020•8 min
Thousands of U.S. troops will be taking part in a COVID-19 early detection study with the aim of understanding what it means to be asymptomatic and also catching illnesses before they get worse. Soldiers will wear bio-measuring devices that monitor small changes in blood oxygen levels, heartbeat, or respiratory patterns. Nancy Youssef, national security correspondent at the WSJ, joins us for more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listene...
Sep 23, 2020•8 min
If you’ve noticed that your trash has expanded, along with your waistline during this COVID19 sheltering in place, you’re not alone. Tom Sietsema, food critic for The Washington Post will have tips on minimizing the trash pileup from takeout containers. As for your waistline, you might be on your own. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 22, 2020•6 min
One team from Massachusetts General Hospital considered whether Google searches for GI issues might be a way to spot COVID-19 hotspots early. Claire Maldarelli, Associate Editor for Popular Science lays out how your computer key strokes may serve as a stroke of genius in weathering the pandemic in future months. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 21, 2020•8 min
Hawaii is to begin allowing travelers who test negative for COVID to bypass quarantine starting Oct. 15. David Oliver, social media editor for the Travel section at USAToday will tell us how we’ll need to pack. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 18, 2020•5 min
The Maine super-spreader wedding has now been linked to more than 170 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 7 deaths. And get this, most diagnosed weren’t even at the wedding and those numbers may not be the final tally either. We’ll get a sense of both the medical community response and larger general civic reaction from NBC breaking news reporter Minyvonne Burke. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 17, 2020•5 min
Nurses across the country have been dying from COVID-19 due to their profession’s inherent dangers. We’ll discuss the strain this has put on hospitals and the protections put in place to guard hospital staff at all levels with Christina Jewett, senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 17, 2020•6 min
As the AstraZeneca trials for a COVID-19 vaccine hit a snag, the debate resumes as to whether the guard rails and safety protocols worked as intended or proof that we’re moving too fast in quest to return to normalcy prior to the pandemic. Liz Szabo, senior correspondent at Kaiser Health News will update us on the status of the trials and what any setback may mean. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 16, 2020•7 min
As the U.S. approaches 200k deaths and millions more hospitalized in the fight against COVID19, the bill is coming due, much to the surprise of many under the belief that COVID-19 treatment would be paid for by the federal government. Robbie Whelan, correspondent for the Wall Street Journal will break down who is responsible for which costs and to what degree. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 15, 2020•7 min
We had a setback this week in vaccine development as AstraZeneca and Oxford University put a hold on stage three clinical trials of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine. One participant in the U.K. came down with an unexplained illness forcing the trial to shut down while an investigation is done. Rebecca Robbins, reporter at STAT News, joins us for what this pause means. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 10, 2020•6 min
As universities begin to see outbreaks of coronavirus on their campuses, some are sending students home to quarantine, and that is causing another concern that they could be spreading it back home. Some public health experts are suggesting that it might be better to have them quarantine on-campus or nearby to avoid more community spread. Melissa Korn, higher education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how colleges are handling outbreaks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodc...
Sep 10, 2020•7 min
The CEOs of nine drug companies that are developing coronavirus vaccines have all signed on to a pledge to not seek regulatory approval until the shots have been shown to work in late stage clinical trials. This is an attempt to calm fears that a vaccine may be approved too soon for political reasons. Many Americans are skeptical about taking a vaccine if it seems like the development and authorizations are rushed. Christopher Rowland, business of healthcare reporter at the Washington Post, join...
Sep 09, 2020•7 min
While the economy has suffered greatly because of the coronavirus and millions are claiming unemployment benefits, there are still some that are getting hired for new jobs. With that, there are some new rules for landing a job during the pandemic. You still have to work your networks, as many jobs are found through referrals. You also need to be flexible and realistic about location. There are many companies with "work from home" policies right now, but that is constantly changing. You must also...
Sep 08, 2020•8 min
One of the main keys to preventing COVID-19 indoors is proper ventilation. Health scientists have started to issue recommendations to schools and businesses that want to reopen on how often indoor air needs to be replaced, as well as fans, filters, and other equipment that also needs to be replaced. For schools, think open windows with fans, air purifiers, and upgraded HVAC systems. Cailtin McCabe, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for how good ventilation can help keep coronavirus particles at bay...
Sep 07, 2020•8 min
