Flatten the Curve

An infectious disease doctor discusses the drug treatments for COVID-19 currently being researched, what the best candidates are, and how, before a vaccine, the right treatment could be a "game-changer." But we're not there yet.

A doctor and biophysicist explains how the novel coronavirus can survive on packages or mail and how to think about protecting from COVID-19 without descending into paranoia.

Thousands of people will knock on doors across the U.S. later this summer to help count each state's population for the 2020 Census. The effort is important, constitutionally mandated, and inherently risky during a pandemic. This interview discusses how the coronavirus and census are interacting, and what you can do to help.

Wearing homemade cotton masks may help limit the spread of the coronavirus, but only if we use them correctly. That means more handwashing. A health researcher and nurse explains how to wear your mask helpfully, rather than harmfully.

The growth of coronavirus cases have slowed in many areas of the country, and that corresponds to people staying home. All of which signals social distancing is working -- keep it up! Relatedly, if you were sick earlier in the year, before the outbreak, please do not operate under the assumption that you've already had COVID-19.

Past crises have left their mark on the clothes people wear and how they do their hair, and it's likely the COVID-19 pandemic is no different. People are dressing differently as they stay inside, putting on masks outside, and becoming their own barbers. We discuss how things could look in the future and what we can learn from the past.

Doctors, public health officials, and even economists have long advised adults of all ages to consider what medical treatment they want during critical illnesses and accidents, and when to stop treatment. It's a conversation with renewed urgency in a pandemic. A physician describes how preparing for death may sound morbid, but it can also be inspiring and celebratory.

A few weeks into shelter-in-place orders in some areas of the country, can grandparents safely come help with child care? Can a person move elsewhere if their roommates aren't taking social distancing seriously? We discuss how to change living arrangements to make them more sustainable for the long haul, while minimizing risk of COVID-19.

Do people who have recovered from the new coronavirus gain immunity? Why is a vaccine projected to take at least a year-and-a-half? An infectious disease physician discusses immunity, what we know about recovery from and resistance to COVID-19, and what people who have had the disease can do for others.

This is an episode about fun and having it while stuck inside, social distancing, whether you have kids or a multi-generational household. A game designer explains how to find--or make--games everyone can play.