Health & Safety

Biotech company Moderna, headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., announced that it is beginning Phase 3 trials of its COVID-19 vaccine. It will enroll up to 30,000 volunteers

COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Heads To Widespread Testing In U.S.

12:29pm July 27, 2020

by Joe Palca

A COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the U.S. company Moderna and the National Institutes of Health starts its final phase of testing. It's one of a handful of candidates to reach this stage.

Several lines of evidence now suggest that two common vaccines against respiratory illnesses can help protect against Alzheimer's, too. How much brain protection they offer will require more intensive study to quantify, scientists say.

Flu Shot And Pneumonia Vaccine Might Reduce Alzheimer's Risk, Research Shows

11:34am July 27, 2020

by Jon Hamilton

Two new human studies back earlier hints that vaccines designed to prevent respiratory infections might also provide some protection against Alzheimer's disease.

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Conner Curran, 9, (right) and his brother Will, 7, at their home in Ridgefield, Conn., this week. The gene therapy treatment that stopped the muscle wasting of Conner's muscular dystrophy two years ago took more than 30 years of research to develop.

A Boy With Muscular Dystrophy Was Headed For A Wheelchair. Then Gene Therapy Arrived

9:09am July 27, 2020

by Jon Hamilton

Gene therapy has helped a 9-year-old boy regain enough muscle strength to run. If successful in others, the treatment could change the lives of thousands of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

News Brief: COVID-19 Relief Plan, Portland Protests, Remembering John Lewis

6:38am July 27, 2020

Republicans will unveil the latest version of a coronavirus relief package. Protests continue in Portland, Ore. And, the body of Rep. John Lewis will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

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Coronavirus Pushes Some Hospitals In Southern Louisiana To The Brink

6:25am July 27, 2020

by Rosemary Westwood

NPR analysis shows hospitals in Lafayette and Lake Charles have among the worst ratios of hospital beds to COVID-19 infection rates. We hear what that means for patients, families and health workers.

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Married Couple Affected By Muslim Travel Ban, Pandemic Constraints

6:25am July 27, 2020

by Joanna Kakissis

A couple forced into a long-distance marriage because of a Trump administration travel ban on Muslim countries haven't seen each other in more than five months because of pandemic travel restrictions.

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Health & Safety

Barbecue Festival Cancelled Amid COVID-19 Uncertainty

10:34pm July 26, 2020

by Paul Garber

Organizers of the annual Barbecue Festival in Lexington have called off this year's event amid the ongoing effort to control the spre

In Houston, Preparing For A Hurricane During A Pandemic

5:00pm July 26, 2020

by James Fredrick

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Nickea Bradley, Houston's deputy director for emergency management, about the challenges of preparing for hurricane season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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Mexico's Poor Bear Brunt Of Coronavirus Toll

5:00pm July 26, 2020

Wealthy jet-setters brought some of the first cases of the coronavirus into Mexico. But it's the poor who've suffered disproportionately, and the government's done little to ease their economic pain.

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In Reopening, The Smithsonian Looks To Balance Safety And Disability Access

5:00pm July 26, 2020

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Beth Ziebarth, director of Access Smithsonian, about how the museums are adjusting their approach to accessibility as museums begin to reopen amid the pandemic.

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