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Is It Normal Yet?
By WTOP | Hubbard RadioNews
Is It Normal Yet? episodes
- Disability During COVID-19A return to pre-pandemic normal won't benefit everyone, especially the disability community. Over the last two years, increased digital access to work, health care and entertainment made life easier for those with disabilities. But access issues still remain. An October report from the CDC found people with a disability were less likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine, despite being less hesitant. This week, we talked to Ryan Honick — a DC-based disability advocate, speaker, wheelchair user and the founder of Wild Pitch Media. Honick answered our questions about how the disability community dealt with the pandemic and what gains they made during COVID-19.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
13 min - Vaccines for KidsThe approval of kids' vaccines makes around 95% of the U.S. population eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Infectious Diseases expert Dr. Monica Gandhi believes this will usher in the end of the pandemic within a few months and downgrade the coronavirus into a controllable endemic. The University of California San Francisco Professor joined us to explain how kids' vaccines could get us back to normal and what metrics will tells us when the pandemic is over. She also sheds light on why she’s taking her 11-year-old to get the shot.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
18 min - Mask Limbo in Montgomery CountyMontgomery County regressed to a rate of substantial COVID-19 transmission, which triggers an indoor mask mandate under the current guidelines. The county’s mandate will return at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, unless the Board of Health intervenes beforehand. This week we talk to Dr. Earl Stoddard, Director of the County’s Office of Emergency Management. He reviews Montgomery County’s mask rules, where the county stands amid the pandemic and how officials are planning to get kids vaccines out to the public once approved.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
13 min - Spooky but COVID SafeHalloween is around the corner marking the start of the holiday season. The pandemic is easing, but health experts still warn of another COVID-19 spike as colder weather rolls in and holiday celebrations begin. Dr. Ruth Kanthula is a pediatrician and an infectious disease specialist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She walks us through how to trick-or-treat safely, explains the do's and don'ts for Halloween and tells us how kid vaccines will change the pandemic.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
15 min - COVID-19 at the National ZooThe Smithsonian National Zoo saw a COIVD-19 outbreak among their great cats in September. Nine lions and tigers were infected. One of their older lions almost died from the delta variant of the coronavirus. The variant also caused the Zoo to cancel both Boo at the Zoo and Zoo Lights this year. This week National Zoo Acting Director Dr. Brandie Smith talks about how the great cats got the virus, what role vaccines play for animal health and why the Zoo decided to cancel Boo at the Zoo and Zoo lights.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
17 min - New COVID Rules at DC Public SchoolsLast week, the D.C. Council unanimously approved a limited expansion of virtual learning for city public schools as part of an emergency bill addressing parents’ concerns about in-person learning. Before the passage of the “Protecting Our Children Emergency Amendment Act of 2021,” just a few hundred students were allowed to take part in virtual learning. Now, 350 more spots will open up in D.C. Public Schools’ virtual academy. This week, WTOP's Scott Gelman talks about what's in this emergency legislation, why Mayor Muriel Bowser opposes it and how this all will be implemented in the weeks to come.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
17 min - 'In America: Remember'"In America: Remember" memorialized the more than 700,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19. Artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg created the exhibit, which ran from September 17 to October 3. This week, Firstenberg shares her reflections on the instillation and tells us what it means for her. Jessica Balthazar — an ICU nurse who worked in Queens, New York at the height of the pandemic — also shares her thoughts on the thousands of white flags that stood across the National Mall.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
15 min - A Local Hospital Amid DeltaHospitals nationwide are losing resources to the most recent surge of COVID-19, causing bed shortages and increasing wait times. This week, we asked two medical specialists at MedStar Washington Hospital Center how their Emergency Room is doing. Dr. Susan O’Mara is the Chair of Emergency Medicine and Dr. Glenn Wortmann is the Chief of Infectious Diseases. They take us into the hospital and talked about what patients can expect, whether ER staff are burnt out and fatigued, and how you can talk to your friends and family about their vaccination status.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
18 min - ‘A Perfect Storm:’ Montgomery County Public Schools PivotMontgomery County Public Schools are a month into full in-person learning and the school system has made a series of COVID-19 policy changes as it tries to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Quarantine protocols, vaccine requirements and a decision on homecoming are among the recent developments. This week WTOP reporter Luke Lukert reviews the last few weeks at MCPS. He also shares his conversation with the interim superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight, who lays out her goals for the rest of the school year.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
14 min - Jabs for JocksMaryland high school athletics resumed Sept. 3 and within a week both Prince George’s and Montgomery counties announced vaccine mandates. Originally, the school districts had left the decision up to the players, but outbreaks moved the counties to require COVID-19 vaccines or a negative test. This week, WTOP’s José Umaña takes us onto the field and shares his conversations with coaches and athletes, who are trying to play their fall season while navigating the pandemic.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
15 min
About Is It Normal Yet?
From the publisher's feed
Coronavirus has impacted every aspect of our lives. "Is It Normal Yet?" co-hosts Luke Garrett and Laura Spitalniak document the DC-area's return to public life after a year of isolation. Each week,…
a WTOP reporter breaks down how this community is getting back to normal and what normal means now. How has the DC area been impacted by the pandemic? What changes are here to stay? What have we learned about ourselves and each other? Is it normal yet? Published every Monday morning. Join us as the world reopens.