Senate Confirms Xavier Becerra To Head Health And Human Services Becerra faced significant GOP opposition ever since he was nominated, with critics arguing he didn't have sufficient health care experience to run the department. Barbara Sprunt
The World's Largest Vaccine Maker Took A Million Dollar Pandemic Gamble NPR tours the factory of the world's largest vaccine maker: Serum Institute of India. It's manufacturing nearly 100 million doses a month of the Oxford-AstraZeneca formula and exporting them globally. Lauren Frayer
California Will Reopen Theme Parks But There's A Catch: No Screaming The no screaming rule is meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Theme parks in the state are expected to reopen next month, and will operate at limited capacity.
The Racial Disparities, Systemic Racism Behind Who Has Received Vaccines NPR's A Martinez talks to Rhea Boyd, a pediatrician in California's Bay Area, about Black Americans lack of access to COVID-19 vaccines, and inequality issues in health care.
Biden Announced A $12 Billion Plan For COVID-19 Testing In Schools, A Pricey Endeavor The Biden administration announced a $12 billion plan to expand the ability of schools to test students, teachers and staff for COVID-19. Some Massachusetts schools are doing this, but it's expensive. Allison Aubrey
MARCH MADNESS GEARS UP The NCAA men's basketball tournament gets underway on Thursday. Normally, March Madness is a truly wild tournament. This year, because of COVID-19, it's going to have a very different look. Tom Goldman
South Africa Is Emerging From The Pandemic After Being Hit Hard By Coronavirus South Africa has registered over 1.5 million cases of COVID-19 — one of the worst-affected countries in the world. Cases are now down, restrictions have eased and South Africans are looking forward. Eyder Peralta
White House Announces $10 Billion For COVID-19 Testing In Schools The new funds will enable K-12 schools to ramp up screening testing, which can "identify asymptomatic disease and prevent clusters before they start," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. Laurel Wamsley
Light At End Of Tunnel? Fed Sees Faster Economic Growth, With Only Modest Inflation The Federal Reserve has raised its forecast for economic growth, thanks to an improving public health outlook and trillions of dollars in federal spending. Scott Horsley
EU Officials Propose Digital Travel Certificates — Vaccination Not Required Certificates with QR codes would serve as proof that a person has either been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from the disease. Laurel Wamsley