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With booster shots on the horizon for some people, one of the biggest questions is: Am I still protected against COVID-19 if I've only had two doses of the vaccine? As science correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff reports, the answer is...complicated.
Read more of Michaeleen's reporting on COVID immunity: https://n.pr/2XIQ6KX
Reach the show by emailing shortwave@npr.org.
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Many people are afraid of needles in some capacity — about 1 in 10 experience a "high level" of needle fear, says clinical psychologist Meghan McMurtry. But that fear is often underrecognized or misunderstood. That's why today's show is all about needle fear: what it is, tools to cope, and why it's important to address beyond the pandemic.
Some strategies Meghan suggests to help cope with the fear of needles:
- the CARD System for adults: bit.ly/3nHIKlw
- muscle tension technique: bit.ly/3CBki9Z
Listen to Tom's reporting on needle fear: https://truestoriesinsound.wordpress.com/2021/08/09/needle-phobia/
Reach the show by emailing shortwave@npr.org.
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It is found in only one lake in the world, never grows up, and occasionally takes bites of its friends: who could we be talking about? The axolotl of course! With some help from Dr. Luis Zambrano, producer Berly McCoy tells us all about this remarkable creature and the ongoing efforts to protect axolotls from extinction.
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Millions of people rely on subways for transportation. But as the world warms, climate-driven flooding in subways is becoming more and more common. NPR correspondents Lauren Sommer and Rebecca Hersher talk about how cities across the world are adapting.
For more of Rebecca's reporting on climate-driven flooding, check out "NYC's Subway Flooding Isn't A Fluke. It's The Reality For Cities In A Warming World."
(https://www.npr.org/2021/09/02/1021185475/climate-change-means-more-subway-flooding-worldwide-like-new-york-just-experienc)
You can follow Lauren on Twitter @lesommer and Rebecca @rhersher. Email Short Wave at ShortWave@NPR.org.
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In rare cases, the delta variant of the coronavirus is causing vaccinated people to get sick — so-called "breakthrough infections." Now researchers are asking: Could these infections lead to long COVID, when symptoms last weeks and months? Today, science correspondent Rob Stein makes sense of the latest data, explaining what we know so far about long COVID in vaccinated people.
Read more of Rob's reporting here: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/09/13/1032844687/what-we-know-about-breakthrough-infections-and-long-covid
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A new report from the Center for American Progress finds that nearly half of transgender people have experienced mistreatment at the hands of a medical provider. NBC OUT reporter Jo Yurcaba explains the long-term impacts of this discrimination, plus a few potential solutions.
• "Nearly half of trans people have been mistreated by medical providers, report finds," NBC OUT
• "Protecting and Advancing Health Care for Transgender Adult Communities," Center for American Progress
Follow Brit (@bnhanson) and Jo (@joyurcaba) on Twitter, and email the show at shortwave@npr.org.
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Twenty years later, first responders during the 9/11 attacks have an increased risk of getting some kinds of cancer. But, research shows that they're also more likely to survive. Host Emily Kwong talks to NPR correspondent Allison Aubrey about why.
Read more about Allison's reporting here.
You can follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyKwong1234 and Allison @AubreyNPR. Email Short Wave at ShortWave@NPR.org.
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Another destructive fire season has Western states searching for ways to prevent it. As climate correspondent Lauren Sommer reports, some answers might lie in the Southeastern U.S. The region leads the country in setting controlled fires — burns to clear vegetation that becomes the fuel for extreme fires.
Read more of Lauren's reporting on wildfire prevention.
(https://www.npr.org/2021/08/31/1029821831/to-stop-extreme-wildfires-california-is-learning-from-florida)
And check out our previous episode on cultural burns here.
(https://www.npr.org/2021/07/21/1018886770/managing-wildfire-through-cultural-burns)
Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.
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Manufacturers can expect to face unforeseen hurdles when they begin to mass-produce a brand new pharmaceutical product, and in a pandemic, there are bound to be supply chain problems as well. But in late 2020, Pfizer was delivering fewer doses than the government expected and then-federal officials told NPR they did not know why.
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