Health Apr 24 An ICU nurse on wavering between confidence and fear After a particularly brutal week caring for COVID-19 patients in New York City, ICU nurse KP Mendoza considered one final task: writing a will. He's only 24, but working in the heart of a global pandemic, it felt as if…
Health Apr 22 Why New York’s health care system is still ‘in a state of shock’ New York state is seeing signs of improvement in its COVID-19 outbreak, including a reduced hospitalization rate. But in New York City alone, an estimated 35,000 people are hospitalized with the virus -- meaning front-line health care staff still face…
Health Apr 16 A Brooklyn ICU nurse on why she doesn’t feel like a superhero Maria Lobifaro is a nurse at a VA hospital in Brooklyn that has been converted to care only for coronavirus patients. Already, more than 30 deaths related to COVID-19 have occurred there. Lobifaro, a member of the largest union for…
Health Apr 13 Why this Detroit doctor sees signs for optimism in recent COVID-19 trends Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday that the growth rate of new COVID-19 cases in her state may be starting to flatten. But already, there have been more than 1,600 deaths and 25,000 confirmed cases. The Greater Detroit area has…
Health Apr 07 What these New York EMTs are seeing as they respond to COVID-19 cases New York remains the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. Medical teams there are facing a surge of seriously ill patients, and doing so while concerned about their own level of protection from the disease. William Brangham talks to Adam…
Health Apr 01 Should everyone be wearing a mask to protect against coronavirus? Face masks are critical protection for medical workers caring for COVID-19 patients, but should everyone else also be wearing them? So far, federal health officials have warned against the general public wearing face masks when outside the home, but that…
Nation Mar 24 2 views on balancing medical risk and economic pain The tragedies we see playing out in Italy and around the world are why most public health officials say it’s far too soon to plan when people can return to work. But President Trump says he wants to see much…
Health Mar 04 As virus deaths rise, Congress agrees on $8.3 billion to fund public response The novel coronavirus has claimed more lives in the U.S., with a total of 10 deaths in Washington state and one in California. As the number of infections also continues to rise, the House and Senate have agreed on a…
Health Mar 03 With novel coronavirus deaths rising, health officials face grilling on Capitol Hill As states discover increasing numbers of new novel coronavirus cases, public health officials are scrambling to respond -- while also facing questions from a Senate panel on Tuesday about why the U.S. has been so slow to roll out effective…