Health & Safety

An Eli Lilly researcher tests possible COVID-19 antibodies in a company laboratory in Indianapolis.

Health & Safety

Trump Touts Antibody Treatments For COVID-19, But Evidence Is Incomplete

11:04pm October 08, 2020

by Richard Harris

Medical researchers have high hopes that the kind of treatment the president received could end up being an important element in the fight against the pandemic. But clinical trials continue.

Dexamethasone is a low-cost, anti-inflammatory drug that has been shown to reduce the risk of death in patients with COVID-19.

Trump Was Treated With Steroids: How These Drugs Are Used For COVID-19 Patients

9:19pm October 08, 2020

by Rhitu Chatterjee

The drug dexamethasone is a cheap, widely available steroid. But how long should COVID-19 patients take it, and what are the side effects?

William Foege, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, receives the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2012.

Health & Safety

Past CDC Director Urges Current One To Stand Up To Trump

6:32pm October 08, 2020

by Pien Huang

In a private, leaked letter, a former CDC director urges Dr. Robert Redfield to stand up for public health and stop the "slaughter" caused by COVID-19 in the U.S.

"Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment," reads a New England Journal of Medicine editorial signed by some three dozen editors.

In Rare Step, Esteemed Medical Journal Urges Voters To Oust Trump

5:16pm October 08, 2020

by Bill Chappell

"Our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent," the New England Journal Of Medicine's editors say in a scathing editorial.

Wait until you see their victory dance (check out the tweet at the end of this post). Evelyn Nomayo (left) was the mentor for the team that created the award-winning Memory Haven app: (left to right) Rachael Akano, Margarent Akano and Joy Njekwe.

Good News Story: Nigerian Irish Teen Girls Win Prize For Dementia App

4:50pm October 08, 2020

by Nadia Whitehead

They faced bias against women in science. They faced racism because their families come from Africa. And they triumphed in a competition to develop a problem-solving app!

A cruise ship is shown here approaching a port in Singapore in March. Singapore plans to launch cruises with no destinations next month.

Singapore Will Launch Cruises Again, But With No Destinations

4:33pm October 08, 2020

by Marisa Peñaloza

In order to keep crew and passengers safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, the ships will make no stops and simply return to the port they came from.

Former CDC Director On How To Restore Faith In Agency

3:55pm October 08, 2020

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with William Foege, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about his letter on how to restore faith in the agency despite political interference.

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Could COVID-19 Be Treated By Drug Trump Is Touting?

3:55pm October 08, 2020

by Richard Harris

President Trump continues to tout an experimental treatment he received for COVID-19. NPR discusses if the drug is safe and whether there is enough of it to distribute across the U.S.

Will The Affordable Care Act Survive The Next Supreme Court Challenge?

1:38pm October 08, 2020

by Dave Davies

"Republicans have been trying to drive a stake into the heart of Obamacare pretty much since it was passed — both through legislation and litigation," New York Times reporter Sarah Kliff says.

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The nasal spray version of the flu vaccine contains live but weakened form of the virus. Researchers think there's a good chance this could help boost the body's immunity and improve its ability to fight off pathogens such as the coronavirus.

Health & Safety

Could The Live Flu Vaccine Help You Fight Off COVID-19?

11:33am October 08, 2020

by Michaeleen Doucleff

There's evidence that certain vaccines boost the body's defense against many kinds of illness. Scientists are investigating whether this benefit extends to protection from COVID-19.