Reopening America

Are movie theaters ready for their comeback? Over the holiday weekend “Godzilla vs. Kong” hit it big at the box office posting the best numbers since the pandemic began and sent a signal to the entertainment industry that pent-up demand is there. The good showing happened despite the title also being released for streaming on HBO Max. Erich Schwartzel, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what to look out for as we get closer to the summer movie season full of pandemic delayed releases.

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As the country slowly gets back to normal, people are ready to party again. Bar and restaurant owners are getting prepared for an influx of patrons ready to get wild and the hottest thing to put on your dating profile right now is that vaccination selfie. Lisa Bonos, reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for the party comeback and a possible roaring 2020s.

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The pandemic flipped the educational system upside down last year. It changed so much for students, but also made it difficult for teachers. Making worse a trend that was already happening before the pandemic, fewer students are wanting to pursue teaching. Low-pay was already making people think twice, but now, add in the perceived increase in risk. Emma Goldberg, reporter at the NY Times, joins us for more.

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Many large companies are formulating their return-to-work plans as more people are getting vaccinated and it’s shaping up to be a hybrid model, with time split between the office and working from home. Some experts think this could pose extra challenges like giving preferential treatment to workers in the office, among other things. Jena McGregor, writer at The Washington Post, joins us for how the hybrid office is here to stay.

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A recent study is shedding light on the neurological difficulties some are having months after a Covid infection. These issues were even present in many that did not have severe cases of coronavirus. The most common issues were brain fog, headaches, tingling, and muscle pain. As is with many Covid problems, scientists think it is related to the inflammation caused in the body when trying to fight off the virus. Pam Belluck, health and science reporter at the NY Times, joins us for these neurological Covid issues that linger.

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The long awaited report into the origins of Covid-19 has arrived, but unfortunately it still leaves key questions unanswered. The most likely scenario is that the virus jumped from bats, to a still unknown intermediary animal, and then to humans. The findings may still be called into question as the investigators had little power to conduct an impartial investigation without Chinese influence. Drew Hinshaw, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for what we know about the WHO report.

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A new study conducted by the CDC that followed about 4,000 health care personnel, police, firefighters, and other essential workers found that under real-life conditions, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 90% effective after your second dose. Good news that is significant because these were all front-line workers who are more likely to be exposed to the virus. Lena Sun, health reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for more on vaccine effectiveness.

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As schools shut down for almost a year in many cases during the pandemic, the mental health of students greatly suffered. According to a Reuters survey of school districts, 74% reported multiple indicators of mental health stresses among students and 57% of responding districts said that teachers were also seeking assistance. Michael Pell, data journalist at Reuters, joins us for how the pandemic did more damage to our students than just getting behind on schoolwork.

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AstraZeneca and their vaccine has been on a rollercoaster ride this week as we learned that their shot is 76% effective against symptomatic Covid-19. On Monday it was 79%, then U.S. officials said they were using outdated data, and finally came back with the correction. Karen Weintraub, healthcare reporter at USA Today, joins us for the difficult rollout of this vaccine.

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We currently have three great vaccine options out there, but the rollout for one seems to be a little bumpier than the others. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is just not reaching as many arms as the others. Only about half of the doses that have been distributed, have been administered. Some officials believe that states may be holding back some shots to bank enough to reach underserved communities, but some states representatives say they are using all available doses as they come. Erin Banco, healthcare reporter at Politico, joins us for why the J&J vaccine might not be reaching more people.

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