Reopening America

Latest Episodes:

COVID Booster Shots Coming This Fall for Those Fully Vaccinated With Pfizer and Moderna Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

Covid booster shots are coming this fall. The Biden administration has called for boosters to be available for those that are fully vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna eight months after their second shot. With the Delta variant, the coronavirus is still too widespread and too transmissible and the outcome of the pandemic seems pretty certain, the virus is not going away and will be endemic. Sarah Zhang, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for how we are going to have to live with coronavirus.

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International Scammers Targeted Covid Relief Programs and Stole Billions of Dollars Aug 18, 2021

Show notes

Many Covid relief programs have been subject to fraud by scammers, but a whole slew of international scam artists have taken advantage of the enhanced unemployment benefits offered up to those affected by the pandemic. Russian scammers, Chinese hackers, and Nigerian scammers have used stolen identities easily accessed from data breaches and relaxed verification requirements to make bogus claims for Covid aid. Aging state unemployment systems also contributed to the problem. The scams are so widespread, we don't really know how much money has been stolen, but it is believed to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Kit Ramgopal, reporter with the investigative unit at NBC News, joins us for how they did it.

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Pandemic and Work-Life Balance- A Third of Workers Under 40 Considered Changing Careers Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

It’s been a theme we have seen throughout the pandemic, a reassessment of the work-life balance. According to the latest Washington Post poll, a third of workers under 40 considered changing their careers or where they lived during the pandemic. Surprisingly, the majority of workers in this poll also wanted to return to their workplace all or most of the time. Scott Clement, polling director at The Washington Post, joins us for more.

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How Different Countries Are Dealing With the Latest Covid Surge Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

The world is experiencing another major coronavirus surge and every country is dealing with it differently. In those responses we are seeing pockets of people resisting the vaccines, but also a severe lack of access to the shots in poorer countries. Germany and Israel have vaccinated two-thirds of their populations, Great Britain has left it to personal responsibility and is learning to live with the virus, and Indonesia has become a new epicenter dealing with a growing number of deaths. Sammy Westfall, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how the world is handling the latest surge.

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FDA Moving Toward Allowing Vaccine Booster Shots for the Immunocompromised Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

The FDA is moving to authorize booster shots for those that are immunocompromised. This would be a shift in the American vaccination strategy as the Delta variant surges across the country and other countries have also approved boosters. Studies have shown that a third vaccine dose can trigger a more robust immune response in those with weaker immune systems. Jon Rockoff, health business editor at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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More Kids Are Showing Up in the Hospital Because of the Delta Variant, but Are Their Cases More Severe? Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

As the Delta variant continues to surge across the U.S., we are hearing more stories of children being hospitalized. Part of it is a numbers game, as cases across the country go up, so will the number of kids infected, but are they getting sicker? For the most part, kids that show up to hospitals have milder symptoms, but there are those that do develop pneumonia and other serious effects from Covid. Emily Anthes, reporter at the NY Times, joins us for kids and the Delta variant.

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It’s Sophomore Year for COVID-19, Schools Are Still Fighting Over Wearing Masks Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

Children are going back to school and there is still chaos and confusion over masks. We are in the sophomore year of Covid and there is still no consensus on how to keep students and teachers safe. Some school districts across the country are mandating mask wearing and defying state orders to do so. Governors have even threatened to withhold school funding if masks are required. Dan Goldberg, healthcare reporter at Politico joins us for the back to school mess.

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Rising COVID Hospitalizations Causes Scramble for Hospitals Looking for ICU Beds Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

The Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to cause surges in cases and hospitalizations around the country. In Florida, where we are seeing big spikes, hospitals are on the race to find open ICU beds. Coronavirus patients fill about 43% of ICU beds there, but when you combine this number with people going to hospitals for other ailments, it becomes hard to find enough space. In the Orlando area, hospital group AdventHealth has even set up a mission control office to track open beds and reallocate resources where needed. Melanie Evans, hospital reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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GOP Report on Origins of the Covid Pandemic Focuses on Accidental Leak From Wuhan Lab Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee have released a report focusing on the origins of the Covid pandemic and zeroed in on the lab leak theory. Citing information about changes in safety protocols and requests for an overhaul of a hazardous waste treatment system, the report says that the virus may have been accidentally released sometime prior to September 2019. Declan Garvey, associate editor at The Dispatch, joins us for this latest report.

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Pfizer Vaccine Expected to Get Full FDA Approval by Next Month Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

The FDA has expedited its timetable for full approval of the Pfizer vaccine hoping to have the process completed by early September. The move to full approval is expected to kick off more vaccination mandates especially for hospital workers, college students and federal workers. Moderna has also filed for full approval, but is still submitting data. Sharon LaFraniere, investigative reporter at the NY Times, joins us for what to know.

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