Health & Safety

Health & Safety

U.S. Is Expected To Reach 200,000 COVID-19 Deaths Very Soon

10:11am September 21, 2020

NPR's Noel King talks to Rocky Walker, chaplain at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and Dr. Joseph Varon, chief of critical care at Houston's United Memorial Medical Center, about the pandemic.

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A man wearing a protective mask looks at piled-up trash in New York City on April 24. Cities are struggling with collection as the volume of residential garbage surges during the stay-at-home era.

'Hard, Dirty Job': Cities Struggle To Clear Garbage Glut In Stay-At-Home World

6:23am September 21, 2020

by Scott Horsley

As people stay at home, they are putting out more trash, from pizza boxes to cardboard delivery boxes. That's putting a big strain on residential garbage collectors.

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Health & Safety

Pandemic Continues Its Toll: Nearly 200,000 COVID-19 Deaths

5:59am September 21, 2020

by Allison Aubrey

Six months ago, the coronavirus was spreading fast, and there was a lot we didn't know. Now almost 200,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States so far — ahead of cold and flu season.

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Health & Safety

News Brief: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies, Pandemic Roundup

5:54am September 21, 2020

With six weeks before the election, President Trump and GOP senators seem determined to confirm a Supreme Court Justice before voters cast ballots. And the U.S. COVID-19 death toll nears 200,000.

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Health & Safety

Former Surgeon General Discusses Public Mistrust Of Health Officials

10:25am September 20, 2020

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who served under Obama and Trump, about how the administration's virus response has eroded public trust in health officials.

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Health & Safety

The Latest COVID-19 Shortage Is Canning Lids

9:53am September 20, 2020

by Martha Ann Overland

Looking for canning lids? There are none. Shelves are empty of canning supplies. It's reminiscent of the Great Canning Lid Shortage of 1975 when there were congressional hearings into the crisis.

Niticia Mpanga, a registered respiratory therapist, checks on an ICU patient at Oakbend Medical Center in Richmond, Texas. The mortality rates from COVID-19 in ICUs have been decreasing worldwide, doctors say, at least partly because of recent advances in

Advances In ICU Care Are Saving More Patients Who Have COVID-19

7:51am September 20, 2020

by Richard Harris

One thing that has improved a lot over the course of the pandemic is treatment of seriously ill COVID-19 patients in intensive care units. Here's one man's success story.

Health & Safety

Users Flock To Cameo To Celebrate Life's Events During The Pandemic

11:14am September 19, 2020

It's tough marking special events these days. The New Yorker's Naomi Fry explains many people are now turning to an app called Cameo for personalized celebrity messages for their friends and family.

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Health & Safety

What's Behind The Shortage Of Refrigerators And Other Major Appliances?

9:04am September 19, 2020

by Alina Selyukh

Some shoppers looking for new fridges, freezers or washers have been finding themselves out of luck. The coronavirus pandemic had affected both their supply and demand.

Suzy Margueron (seated, center) who advocates for people with hearing loss, likes to gather with friends in Paris' Luxembourg Gardens. All have transparent masks, but say it's others who should be wearing them too.

France Encourages Use Of Transparent Masks To Help Those With Hearing Loss

8:01am September 19, 2020

by Eleanor Beardsley

Some 10% of the population is hard of hearing. The government is helping companies cover costs of making see-through masks. "It's a protection, but it's also a communication tool," says an official.