Health & Safety

Yaritza Martinez developed a Zika virus infection in 2016 when she was pregnant with her son Yariel, who is now 5 years old. Yariel is enrolled in a long-term study following a group of babies in the U.S. and in Colombia to see how they have been developi

Health & Safety

5 years later, researchers assess how children exposed to Zika are developing

6:10pm December 27, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Subtle developmental differences in children whose brains seemed normal at birth underscore the need to follow children long term — a lesson that may be key for babies exposed to COVID-19.

Queue Listen Now

An empty classroom during the pandemic in Seoul, South Korea.

$17 trillion: That's how much the pandemic could take away from today's kids

5:26pm December 27, 2021

by Anya Kamenetz

A new report from UNESCO estimates the potential lifetime earnings lost to the world's children due to school closings. But there are ways to prevent this from happening.

Queue Listen Now

People from states with less access to abortion are flocking to Kansas' clinics

4:58pm December 27, 2021

by Abigail Censky

The staff at Trust Women, a Kansas clinic, is seeing an influx of people from other states with limited or no access to abortion services. That could get worse if the state outlaws abortion.

Queue Listen Now

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on the state of the pandemic

4:58pm December 27, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Gov. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., about Monday's call with the White House and governors about the pandemic.

Queue Listen Now

New York officials warn of a rise in the number of kids being hospitalized for COVID

4:58pm December 27, 2021

by Brian Mann

New York state officials are saying the total number of kids in hospital because of COVID has surged nearly over the last two weeks as the omicron wave grows.

Queue Listen Now

Map showing the COVID-19 risk level in each state.

These numbers show just how impactful the latest COVID-19 surge is

4:37pm December 27, 2021

Most states are at the highest level of COVID risk and hot spots are emerging across the country as the omicron variant takes hold. Here are the latest numbers by state.

Daisy Hohman was separated from her three children for 20 months when they were placed in foster care. When Hohman was reunited with her children, she received a bill of nearly $20,000 for foster care from her Minnesota county.

States send kids to foster care and their parents the bill — often one too big to pay

4:35pm December 27, 2021

In every state, governments charge parents for the cost of foster care when children are taken away. When that happens, NPR found, poor parents can't make ends meet, so families are kept apart longer.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, says easing quarantine rules for health care workers will help keep them in their essential jobs.

Fauci says New York was right to ease quarantine rules for health care workers

3:51pm December 27, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

Vaccinated health care staff and other essential workers can return to work five days — rather than the previous 10 days — after a positive COVID-19 test if they meet certain safety standards.

A man is handed a swab for a rapid test as people line up for coronavirus testing at a gas station in the Reseda section of Los Angeles on Sunday.

Omicron surge sets records as flight disruptions continue

8:07am December 27, 2021

by NPR Staff

More than 1,400 flights canceled worldwide Monday, adding to thousands canceled over the Christmas weekend. And across the country, long lines continued at COVID-19 testing sites.

Health & Safety

Bill of the Month: Instead of a $1,500 deductible, the charge was $500,000

7:46am December 27, 2021

When insurance firms wouldn't pay, a woman facing a large tab for her newborn's ICU treatment was given a chance to pay $45,843 a month for a year. The story changed when a reporter got on the line.

Queue Listen Now