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A 'potentially powerful model' for treating sickle cell

A sickle cell clinic in South L.A. is believed to be the first of its kind: It brings primary and specialty care providers under one roof to treat the disease. Rebecca Plevin
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Recent Health coverage

After A Year Battling COVID-19, Drug Treatments Get A Mixed Report Card

Richard Harris | NPR |

Drugs for COVID-19 are sorted into three basic categories: They work, they don't work, or there simply isn't enough information to know. A generic steroid is one medicine that proved helpful.

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The Current, Deadly U.S. Coronavirus Surge Has Peaked, Researchers Say

Rob Stein | NPR |

Daily numbers of new cases are finally starting to wane, and hospitalizations are down slightly. But health care systems are still overburdened and another resurgence remains a threat.

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Studies Suggest Benefits From A Personalized Approach To Brain Stimulation

Jon Hamilton | NPR |

Two studies find that tailoring brain stimulation to a particular patient helps in treating depression and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

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ALS Patients To Gain Quicker Access To Disability Benefits And Medicare

Michelle Andrews | NPR |

Lou Gehrig's disease can take months to diagnose, then rapidly incapacitate patients, leaving many families bankrupt before disability payments and Medicare kick in. A recent law aims to change that.

4,400 Moderna Vaccine Doses Not Kept Cold Enough May Be Unusable

Vanessa Romo | NPR |

Maine says it received vaccines with "the thermometer on the outside of the boxes ... [showing] that at some point the required minimum temperature had been exceeded."

'You Can't Treat If You Can't Empathize': Black Doctors Tackle Vaccine Hesitancy

Pien Huang | NPR |

Black vaccine hesitancy goes back to history of distrust of medicine, say doctors and researchers. To help, it's important to empower people with knowledge to make their own choices.

3 Questions And The Emerging Answers About COVID-19 Vaccine Protection

Richard Harris | NPR |

First, can someone who has been vaccinated still spread the disease? Second, will the vaccine remain effective as the virus itself evolves? And third, how long will the vaccine's protection last?

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More Health

COVID-19 Supply Deal Lets Vaccine Maker Earmark Doses For Employees And Their Families

Sydney Lupkin | NPR |

Emergent BioSolutions is under contract with Operation Warp Speed to make COVID-19 vaccines, but the terms could allow employees and their families to get vaccinated ahead of schedule.

Pandemic Shortens U.S. Life Expectancy, Study Concludes

Rob Stein | NPR |

The deaths caused by the pandemic appear to be shortening overall life expectancy in the U.S. by 1.13 years, which would be the largest single decline in at least 40 years.

'An Opening Bid' — Experts React To Health Proposals In Biden's Relief Plan

Pien Huang | NPR |

Health experts say Biden's American Rescue Plan offers bold national leadership for tackling the country's public health crisis. It will likely get pared down.

Mask-Wearing, Social Distancing Improve, But Too Slowly, Survey Shows

Rob Stein | NPR |

Mask-wearing hit an all-time high, but other COVID-19 precautions are less common now than last spring, a survey finds. Experts worry we're ill-prepared for the spread of more infectious new variants.

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A Medical Treatment For Meth Addiction Proves Effective In New Trial

Brian Mann | NPR |

The evidence is strong that some people struggling with meth addiction benefit from the drug regime.

Putting A Roof On Risk With A COVID-19 Vaccine Jab

Bob Mondello | NPR |

NPR's Bob Mondello is back from his vaccination appointment and feeling safer.

U.K. Variant Could Drive A New Surge In The U.S., Experts Warn

Michaeleen Doucleff | NPR |

It appears to be 50% more infectious, and researchers predict the new coronavirus variant could start to dominate in the U.S. by March. The time to prepare is now, they say.

CDC Requires COVID-19 Test From Air Passengers Entering the U.S.

Dustin Jones | NPR |

Starting Jan. 26, airlines will only allow people to board if they provide documentation that they tested negative in the preceding three days or have recovered from the disease.

Trump Administration Urges States To Open COVID-19 Vaccination To All Over 65

Selena Simmons-Duffin and Pien Huang | NPR |

Three major changes are coming from the federal government, including new guidance to states urging them to allow anyone over 65 to get vaccinated.