As the race to find treatments for COVID-19 intensifies, scientists have identified 69 drugs that may be effective in treating coronavirus. Still, many of the drugs must be studied and tested. There is no antiviral drug proven to be effective yet and doctors can just offer supportive care such as managing fever and using a ventilator in severe cases. Carl Zimmer, author of A Planet of Viruses, joins us for how scientists are scrambling to find a treatment.

Next, back to biology class for why it is so hard to kill coronavirus. The virus itself isn’t technically alive and uses proteins in our own bodies to create millions of copies of itself, in the process making us sick. It’s also worth looking back at history, as some viruses have been responsible for some of the most destructive outbreaks in the past 100 years. Sarah Kaplan- reporter at the Washington post, joins us for a biological look at what we are up against.

Finally, amid the extreme social distancing that is being practiced, some are privately mourning special moments in life that have been cancelled or postponed. People giving birth at this time are video conferencing to show their new child to the family, proms and graduations are cancelled, and funerals are also being canceled, forcing some to mourn alone. Ellen Byron, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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