A Decision About Booster Shots For Fight COVID Could Be Coming Soon The committee of independent experts advising the FDA on vaccines meets Friday. They'll be considering Pfizer's application to start offering COVID-19 vaccine boosters to all Americans older than 16. Joe Palca
As WA hospitals surge with Covid patients, here's what 'crisis care' could look like ‘If we go through this pandemic, and haven't learned that we truly are our brother's keeper in many, many ways, then I think, sadly, it would be a disaster.’ Kim Malcolm
‘Weep. Scream. Hate. Disbelieve. Go numb. Breathe.’ Hard-earned lessons about loss and grief ‘A Little Book of Self-Care for Those Who Grieve began as notes scratched out over many midnights; thoughts formed as I lay sleepless, or in the aftermath of painful dreams.’ John O'Brien
Infrastructure Bill Aims To Address Lead Pipes: Lessons Learned From Flint The infrastructure bill moving through Congress includes billions to replace lead pipes. In Flint, Mich., NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with residents on how governments can tackle a water crisis equitably. Ari Shapiro
Are COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters Necessary? The FDA is set to rule on Pfizer boosters on Friday. Some scientists say they aren't needed for healthy people and the doses would more helpful for the unvaccinated in countries with limited supplies. Will Stone
3,000 Health Care Workers In France Have Been Suspended For Not Getting A COVID Shot French law had set a Sept. 15 deadline for the country's 2.7 million health care workers to get vaccinated. The ones who didn't get a jab were suspended, the country's health minister says. Scott Neuman
Philip Morris Is Buying An Asthma Inhaler Company. Health Groups Are Suspicious The purchase "is the latest reprehensible choice from a company that has profited from addicting users to its deadly products," the American Lung Association said. Bill Chappell
ICU Beds In Alabama Have Been Filled With Adults And Children NPR's Noel King talks to Dr. David Kimberlin, a pediatric infectious disease physician at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children's of Alabama, about lack of ICU space.
COVID-19 Stats: Deaths Are Up, Delta Variant May Be Starting To Wane As the delta surge continues, there are signs it may be slowing in hard-hit states like Florida and Texas. But with fall coming, experts worry another surge could hit northern states. A Martinez
Pfizer Wants To Offer A 3rd COVID Vaccine Dose. Here Are The Pros And Cons Pfizer is seeking the FDA's permission to offer a third COVID-19 vaccine dose to those 16 and older. There's data that the vaccine's efficacy is waning and evidence that a booster can reverse that. Joe Palca