The Daily Dive

This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Omicron surge is putting a heavy strain on hospitals around the country with many hospital workers themselves testing positive, forcing them to stay home. To help with serious staffing shortages, California is implementing a temporary and controversial new policy that allows asymptomatic healthcare workers who have tested positive to return to work immediately. Hayley Smith, reporter at the LA Times, joins us for Covid-positive medical workers staying on the job.

Next, the disruptions from the latest Covid surge continue as college campuses are changing plans for the start of the semester. In-person instruction has been delayed, boosters are being mandated, and they are even restricting student travel. Yale University is asking students not to go to local businesses, restaurants or bars until later in the semester. Melissa Korn, higher education reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

Finally, businesses are still having a hard time gaining new employees and are looking to automation and cashier-less checkouts to stay in business with fewer or no employees. New startups are now able to outfit any small business with AI-powered checkout systems. Erica Pandey, business reporter at Axios, joins us for how the future of Main Street could be one without workers.

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In some grocery stores around the country we are again seeing empty shelves. Some of the reasons remain the same as early in the pandemic, others have changed slightly. The Omicron surge coupled with labor shortages is making it difficult to keep things stocked. Supply chain issues in other countries are affecting us, and more people are eating at home. Laura Reiley, business of food reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for what to know.

Next, the head of human resources at your place of work could be some of the most important people as we face constantly changing guidelines when it comes to the pandemic. They are key figures in setting new policy on mask wearing, testing and vaccine mandates and have had to quickly become experts on public health. Emma Goldberg, reporter at the NY Times, joins us for all the new complexity brought to the world of H.R.

Finally, there are a lot of unexpected ways that children change their parents. There is a growing body of research that shows that a child’s behavior has a much stronger influence on their parents’ behavior than the other way around. It is a phenomenon called bidirectional parenting. Melissa Hogenboom, science journalist at the BBC and author of The Motherhood Complex, joins us for more.

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Health experts see at-home Covid tests as a key tool in the fight against the pandemic. Starting Saturday, Jan. 15th people with private health insurance will be able to get reimbursed for up to 8 tests per month. The administration is also encouraging insurers to create networks of preferred stores or pharmacies so that costs can be covered up front. For those without private insurance, 500 million at-home tests will soon be available for people to request online. Despite all this action, limited supply of tests is still a concern. Annie Nova, personal finance reporter at CNBC, joins us what to know about free at-home Covid tests.

Next, the University of Maryland Medical Center has successfully transplanted a gene-edited pig heart into a man named Dave Bennett. Bennett was not cleared to be on the heart transplant waiting list and then opted for this very experimental procedure. The pig who gave his heart for this had ten specific genes edited so that the body wouldn’t reject the organ, to help prevent blood from coagulating in the heart, and to keep the pig from growing too large. Karen Weintraub, health reporter at USA Today, joins us for this medical first and what it could mean for the future.

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The Omicron variant continues to surge, but we aren’t hearing the same calls for shutting things down again, at least not from Democratic mayors and governors. We have seen an attitude shift and recognition that Covid fatigue is real and people just want to get back to normal. This fight is especially playing out with school closures in Chicago. Susannah Luthi, reporter at Politico, joins us for why many Democratic leaders are changing their tune.

Next, Pfizer is looking to start human trials of their Omicron specific vaccine by the end of this month. A key goal of this research will be to compare the protections between the current formulation and one tailored to Omicron. If needed still, the shot could be ready by March. Andrew Dunn, senior healthcare reporter at Business Insider, joins us for more.

Finally, researchers are getting excited for the possibility of sci-fi types of medical implants becoming a reality soon. Blurring the lines of tech wearables like Fitbits, researchers and doctors are thinking up of more ways to bring these technologies to monitors inside the body. Kenneth R. Rosen, contributor to the Washington post, joins us for how new medical implants may not be far off.

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A new office has been established in the Pentagon to study UFOs. Spearheaded by Sen. Kirsten Gilibrand and tucked into the National Defense Authorization Act, the office is positioned as a national security issue. While many welcome this new office, some activists fear that without some civilian involvement we could see cover-ups of vital info. Ginger Gibson, deputy Washington digital editor at NBC News, joins us for this, Covid at-home test being sent to Americans, and Joe Biden heads to Georgia on Tuesday.

Next, for the first time in nearly 50 years, the number of dialysis patients shrunk, not because more people were healthy, but because Covid struck. People with kidney failure and the associated illnesses are more prone to severe infection, but many people also neglected getting their treatments during the pandemic. And despite dialysis centers implementing Covid precautions, some facilities didn't follow their own infection control policies. Duaa Eldeib, reporter at ProPublica, joins us for how dialysis patients were the pandemic's perfect victims and how few people took notice.

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This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid testing is once again becoming an issue as the demand for tests is growing. Specifically, at-home rapid tests are very hard to come by and when you do find them the prices can be inflated. Some are resorting to buying the tests at triple the retail price as they are becoming a necessity for returning to work and school. Kelsey Butler, equality reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for the unpredictable market for rapid tests.

Next, President Biden began the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots by denouncing the violence and pinning all the blame on former President Trump. Many Republicans on the other hand handled the day in a variety of ways. Some tried to depict what happened that day as acts of patriotism or defending freedom, others held rallies in support of protestors at the Capitol. One year later, some of the participants are even running for elected office. David Siders, national political correspondent at Politico, joins us for more.

Finally, the current wave of Omicron infections is forcing businesses to scramble to cover their bases while people are calling out or quarantining and it could threaten the economic recovery. Some estimates say that more than 5 million American are in quarantine. The markets have not reacted that way and like with the Delta surge, they hope the rebound will be quick. David Lynch, global economics correspondent at the Washington Post, joins us for how businesses are reacting to the latest wave.

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