May 12, 2021 COVID-19 Update
A one-minute long news update, focused on COVID-19, airing before and after PBS NewsHour.
Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer
Vaccines
Discover the role vaccination plays in our growing ability to prevent the spread of illness. Travel through the remarkable history of vaccines and learn how new ones are developed when never-before-seen diseases like COVID-19 emerge. Watch now.
FDA greenlights Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12 to 15
New York became the latest state to require students at publicly funded colleges be vaccinated for the fall term — a move that comes as overall, new infections in the U.S. have fallen to their lowest since last September. Vaccine manufacturer Pfizer announced Monday that it had received FDA approval to vaccinate children 12 to 15 years old. William Brangham has the latest COVID news.
Emergency Departments in Rural Kentucky
Dr. William Moss, medical director of the emergency department at Med Center Health in Bowling Green, talks about the changing dynamics in emergency departments in rural Kentucky.
When do I need a mask? Understanding the CDC’s post-vaccine guidance
The CDC announced new guidance about wearing masks today, specifically when masks are no longer needed outside for vaccinated people. The latest recommendations maintain important warnings about masking indoors and in crowds outside. To understand more about this revised guidance and what's safe post-vaccination, Judy Woodruff speaks to Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting director of the CDC.
Public Health: Where Do We Go From Here?
The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the strengths and limitations of our public health infrastructure. Craig Blakely, Ph.D., dean of the University of Louisville School of Public Health, discusses the future of public health.
Vaccine Equity and Hesitancy
Renee Shaw talks to community leaders and health equity experts about vaccine equity and the root causes of hesitancy in communities of color.
What COVID vaccine side effects can and can’t tell you about your body’s immune response
Robert Finberg of PBS's The Conversation explores the various reactions a person can have to the different types of COVID-19 vaccines and what those reactions reveal about the immune system response.
Telemedicine: Better than Dr. Google
William C. Thornbury, MD, medical director and CEO of Medical Associates Clinic in Glasgow, Kentucky, and board chair of the Kentucky Medical Association, talks about advances in telehealth.
What Canada’s universal health system could teach the U.S. about managing a pandemic
More than 30 million Americans have gone without health insurance in the last year. Other high-income nations cover their entire populations for a lot less money than the U.S. already spends. But does a universal health care system help save lives in a pandemic? For answers, William Brangham looks to our northern neighbor Canada and its single-payer system.