Reopening America

Latest Episodes:

All Eyes on the U.K. as the Rollout of the Pfizer Vaccine Begins Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

The U.K. has begun the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine and all eyes will be on them for things they do right and things they get wrong. It has been less than a week that Britain has granted emergency use authorization and because of limited supplies and how difficult the Pfizer vaccine is to ship and store, only about 50 hospital hubs will be able to administer the vaccine for now. Joanna Sugden, assistant editor at the WSJ based in London, joins us for how vaccine distribution is going in the U.K.

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Two Vaccines May Be Approved Soon, but the Long Haul of Vaccine Results Is Just Beginning Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

We have two vaccine candidates that are on their way very soon to be approved by the FDA for distribution, but while those may begin being administered shortly, the long haul of vaccine results is just beginning. We have another candidate from AstraZeneca that has released preliminary findings with some promising and confusing results, as well as other trials underway. Sarah Zhang, staff writer at the Atlantic, joins us for more.

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Pandemic Isolation Is Forcing Men to Realize They Need Deeper Friendships Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

Because of the pandemic and dealing with isolation and the need for social interaction, it has forced some men to realize that they need deeper friendships. Many male friendships are rooted in "shoulder-to-shoulder" interactions such as watching sports or playing video games and with most of that gone right now, they are feeling the need more than ever to make deeper connections. Samantha Schmidt, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for how some men are looking for more out of their friendships.

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How COVID Denial Affects Healthcare Workers Dec 04, 2020

Show notes

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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Health Care Workers and Nursing Homes Will Be Getting the First Round of COVID-19 Vaccines Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

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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CDC Issues Updated Quarantine Guidelines Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

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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Test Results After School Shutdowns Show Kids Remain Stable in Reading, Dropping off in Math Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

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 Filles for Emergency Use Authorization From the FDA for Its Vaccine Candidate Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

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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mRNA Vaccines Are New Technology That Could Change the Way We Fight Diseases Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

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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Santa in a Snow Globe? This Is How Your Santa Visit Will Be Different During the Pandemic Nov 27, 2020

Show notes

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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