Reopening America

We are seeing coronavirus continue to spread across the country, hospitalizations and deaths are also on the uptick and doctors and nurses are caught in the middle with treating the sick and people who still think the virus isn’t as bad as some make it seem. Some health-care workers call it “Covid denial,” and on top of the physical and mental demands of the job, they say this makes it harder for them to provide care. Sarah Krouse, health reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more on this extra challenge health care workers are facing.

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A federal vaccine advisory panel has recommended that health-care workers and residents of nursing homes be the first people to receive any vaccine that might soon be approved. About 40 million doses of vaccine should be available by the end of December, and since it is a two-shot protocol, only about 20 million people will be vaccinated until more can be manufactured. Betsy McKay, senior writer at the WSJ, joins us for this, and a new analysis of blood donations that shows coronavirus was infecting people in mid-December of 2019, a few weeks before it was officially identified in China and about a month earlier that the first U.S. case.

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Lots of news out of the CDC recently when it comes to COVID-19. First, the CDC said that the standard 14 day quarantine can be shortened to 10 days or even seven if certain criteria are met. It can be 10 days if you are showing no symptoms at all, and seven if you get a negative test. New guidelines were also released when it comes to testing before and after travel. Joel Achenbach, science reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for the latest guideline adjustments.

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We are getting some information on how children have been faring during the pandemic amid shutdowns and remote learning. It seems that kids have been doing well and consistent when it comes to reading, but have been slowing down when it comes to math. Researchers say that parents are more comfortable helping kids with reading than math assignments. Leslie Brody, education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for how math progress has slowed.

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Moderna has now become the second company to request emergency use authorization from the FDA for their vaccine candidate. In their latest findings, the vaccine is over 94% effective against coronavirus and very effective at preventing serious cases of the virus. The next step will be on Dec. 10 when the FDA will discuss approval for Pfizer and then Dec. 17 for Moderna. Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for more as we get closer to vaccine approvals.

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The two leading vaccine candidates are using technology that has never been approved in a commercial vaccine before. They both use messenger RNA to direct human cells to manufacture the spike protein found on the coronavirus. While this technology has been in development for two decades, the latest vaccines prove the science is sound and could change the way future vaccines are made. Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for how these mRNA vaccines work and why they do so well.

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Looking forward to Christmas and trying to get in some of those traditional experiences, how will your visit to Santa be different during the pandemic? Some retailers are cancelling Santa visits and opting for a virtual meet-up. Others are doing in-person visits where Santa could be protected inside a giant snow globe or barricaded behind an 8-ft picture frame. Abha Bhattarai, national retail reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how your Santa visit won’t be the same.

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One of the most interesting symptoms of COVID-19 is when people lose their sense of smell and taste. As many as 80% of people experience a temporary loss of smell and while most recover in about two weeks, for some, it can last much longer and even distort some of the smells of very familiar things. French fries might smell like rotting meat, coffee could smell like burning rubber. This condition is known as parosmia. Scientists are studying why this happens and are getting clues to how recovery might work. Robbie Whelan, reporter for the WSJ, joins us for more.  

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Retailers are preparing for another surge of shoppers as we are seeing rising coronavirus cases and in some areas, new rounds of lockdowns. All the while, essential workers continue to go in to work and put their health at risk. Hazard pay incentives that we saw at the beginning of the pandemic have not come back and some companies don’t plan on bringing it back. Michael Corkery, business reporter at the NY Times, joins us for more on the lack of coronavirus hazard pay.

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Once again, more good news on the vaccine front. AstraZeneca and Oxford University has released some early data saying their vaccine candidate on average is 70% effective against coronavirus. In some cases depending on the dosing, it can be up to 90% effective. This vaccine candidate is also cheaper to make and can be stored at normal refrigeration temperatures. Adam Feuerstein, reporter at STAT News, joins us for the latest vaccine results.

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