Month: May 2020

Testing for the coronavirus is still falling short in many places in the U.S. How is your state doing? Track it using a tool from NPR.

A mutated strain of the coronavirus may have helped it spread more widely, according to a new preliminary study that’s getting a lot of attention even before it’s peer-reviewed.

Despite Trump administration claims that the coronavirus may have accidentally escaped from a lab in China, scientists it’s more likely the coronavirus spread naturally. Listen to Short Wave’s episode about why, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and NPR One, and explore a second episode about the likelihood the virus originated in bats.

One of the deadliest outbreaks of the coronavirus has been at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in Massachusetts. Officials are investigating what happened there.

Plus, experiments are undeway to see if dogs can be trained to sniff out the coronavirus. Meanwhile, U.S. animal shelters have reported having all their dogs fostered during the lock down.

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The White House Coronavirus Task Force is not disbanding, but instead shifting its focus to “opening up our country,” according to President Trump.

Testing in the U.S. has been rising steadily, but experts say more is still needed and the US should be prepared for a second wave.

Several states are allowing restaurants to reopen and dining to resume, with limited capacity. Owners are struggling to figure out how they can reopen and turn a profit during the pandemic.

The United Kingdom now has the second most lives lost to the coronavirus pandemic, behind the United States. NPR’s Frank Langfitt reports on what’s happening in Britain.

Plus, an 11-year-old wrote a letter to thank her mail carrier. Postal workers from all over the country responded.

Share a remembrance if you’ve lost a loved one to the coronavirus at npr.org/frontlineworkers

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California, one of the first states to shutdown, joins a growing list of states that are trying to restart their economies. Customers around the country are deciding if they are comfortable starting to shop again.

Law enforcement is adapting to what it means to police during a pandemic.

A fever and dry cough are no longer the only official symptoms of COVID-19. NPR’s Maria Godoy has tips for when even milder symptoms, like headaches and loss of smell and taste, should prompt you to seek testing.

Plus, scientists on a research vessel in Arctic have been isolated from the coronavirus. Some are anticipating what it will be like to return to a society in lock down.

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One model forecast 60,000 Americans would die from COVID-19 by August. But fatalities keep rising, and the United States has surpassed that number.

Around the country, different states are taking different approaches to reopening. Donald Kettl, professor of public policy at the University of Texas at Austin, says this pandemic has brought up questions about federalism.

Few online grocery delivery services accept payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. That causes problems for recipients at high risk for COVID-19.

Plus, NPR’s reporter in Nairobi finds his parents connecting with his kids through TikTok.

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A dentist, epidemiologist and NPR journalists answer listener questions on ‘The National Conversation with All Things Considered,’ NPR’s nightly radio show about the coronavirus crisis. Excerpted here:

– NPR’s senior business editor Uri Berliner and epidemiologist Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo discuss reopening nonessential businesses
– NPR’s health policy reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin on the logistics of contact tracing
– Dentist Dr. Suhail Mohiuddin on when a dental problem is urgent enough for an in-person visit

If you have a question, you can share it at npr.org/nationalconversation, or tweet with the hashtag, #NPRConversation.

We’ll return with a regular episode of Coronavirus Daily on Monday.

The Trump administration is calling the effort to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 “Operation Warp Speed.” Dr. Anthony Fauci says if all goes well, we could have hundreds of millions of vaccines as early as next January.

Today is International Workers Day, and this year workers at Amazon, Walmart and Target are using the occasion to organize mass protests. They say their companies are not doing enough to protect and compensate them, even as the nation hails them as “essential.”

Today is also historically known as National College Decision Day for college-bound high school seniors. But that’s changed this year too. Many colleges have postponed their decision deadlines to June 1. And as the pandemic continues to cause students’ personal circumstances to change, some are reconsidering attending a four-year college full time at all.

In New York City, a funeral director says knowing that his team is performing a service for their community helps him get through long and stressful days.

Plus, some happy news: NPR producer Emma Talkoff’s twin sister and her now-husband got married in their apartment last weekend. Talkoff shares what it was like for her family to witness the joyful moment via Zoom.

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The federal stay-at-home guidance ends on Thursday. Some governors are planning to open up their states, but others say it’s too soon.

A potential new kind of test for COVID-19 could be simpler and cheaper to use than existing tests. But because it has a relatively high false negative rate, some scientists are wary. The pandemic has left more than 30 million people in the U.S. unemployed.

Activists and community organizers are putting together strikes, refusing to pay rent on May 1. But landlords are also facing financial pressure.

Using the Defense Production Act, President Trump has ordered meatpacking plants to stay open despite a high rate of coronavirus outbreaks among workers. KCUR’s Frank Morris reports on what’s happening in the industry.

Life Kit’s guide to managing screen time on Apple, Spotify and NPR One.

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