Reopening America

America is running low on a crucial resource for coronavirus vaccines and drugs…monkeys. The pandemic has created a huge demand for monkeys as research test subjects. There has been a drop in supply from China which supplied 60% of monkeys imported into the U.S., and we were already dealing with decreased numbers. Sarah Zhang, writer at the Atlantic, joins us for how were are short on these animals needed for research.

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As the pandemic worked its way through the United States, Hawaii had a handle on its cases early on. Recently however, case counts and hospitalizations have started to creep up as a result of complacency by residents and a lack of preparation by officials. Quarantine measures for travelers are still in place and the opening of the state has continued to be delayed. Alice Miranda Ollstein, health care reporter at Politico, joins us for what happened to Hawaii.

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Good news when it comes to the treatment of COVID-19. Studies involving 1,700 patients showed that deaths were significantly reduced by the use of steroids, raising hopes that cheap and widely available drugs could become standard treatments for severe cases of coronavirus. The steroids helped in dampening an overactive immune system. Joseph Walker, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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California is facing a backlash for its tiered system for reopening businesses during the pandemic. Counties throughout the state used to be on a watch list, but are now in a color-coded system of yellow, orange, red, and purple, with purple being the worst designation. Critics say the system hits some businesses harder than others. Chris Woodyard, LA Bureau Chief for USA Today, joins us for the plan to reopen California.

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COVID-19 has impacted the public health system so much that it will have to change to accommodate and incorporate COVID-19 into doctors’ offices, virus surveillance, and hospital planning. The good news is that the health care system has done it before with HIV and H1N1. Nicole Wetsman, health reporter at The Verge, joins us for how the coronavirus has changed the health care system.

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A new report from the Centers for Disease Control says that 94% of people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions, while only 6% of people had COVID-19 listed as the only cause of death. Some of the top comorbidities that people had were influenza, hypertensive disease, diabetes and cardiac arrest. Ursula Perano, reporter at Axios, joins us for more.

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Some new clues are emerging as to why the coronavirus hits men harder. Simply put, men produce a weaker immune response to the virus than women do, and the findings could have implications for vaccine dosing. Women produce more T-cells and a stronger immune response, possibly because their bodies are primed to fight pathogens that threaten their unborn children. Apoorva Mandavilli, reporter at the NY Times, joins us for more.

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Are you getting ready to travel during the pandemic? There's a lot to know about testing before you get out there. Some places require proof of a negative test before you arrive and other locations require you to quarantine before you can move freely. There is also the big question of timing so you can get your results in time. Natalie Compton, reporter at the Washington Post, tells us what you need to know.

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Good news on the vaccine front. Moderna said that its experimental vaccine induced an immune response in people aged 56 and older. The immune response was comparable to those seen in younger adults. This is significant because there had been a concern that vaccines might not offer the same amount of protection to older adults. Peter Loftus, healthcare reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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As colleges and universities are heading back to school many are sounding the alarm as coronavirus cases were emerging just days into classes. At the University of Alabama, there were more than 500 cases. And at Ohio State University, over 200 students were suspended for violating virus related rules. Hannah Knowles, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how back-to-school is going so far during the pandemic.

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