Blake Farmer
-
A majority of white, rural conservatives in Tennessee are open to getting the vaccine at some point, but at least 45% won't consider it. Rates in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi are also lagging.
-
An NPR/Marist poll found that rural, white Republicans — especially supporters of former President Trump — are among the least likely to get a vaccine. In rural Tennessee, we hear from some of them.
-
Hospitalizations are down 62% for childhood respiratory illnesses, a study shows. Masking and physical distancing are keeping a variety of viruses in check, but will these behaviors last?
-
As the pace of vaccination picks up, so do reports of spoiled doses. In Tennessee, close to 5,000 doses have been lost, prompting more oversight from state and federal officials.
-
Black Americans are getting vaccinated at lower rates than whites. A new push to send vaccines to community health centers is intended to help quickly bridge that gap.
-
In many states, white residents are getting vaccinated at higher rates than Black residents. These inequities have spurred new strategies, such as sending doses to community-based clinics.
-
Across the U.S., there's geographic variation in the number of organs recovered for transplants. In response, the Trump administration is rolling out new rules for organ procurement organizations.
-
Health officials are changing how they assess the regional nonprofits that find organs to transplant. The goal is to understand, and eventually fix, the geographic disparities in organ availability.
-
Many U.S. hospitals are struggling to find enough space and staff to treat COVID-19 patients. The surge in the coronavirus has made them come up with creative treatment and staffing solutions.
-
A snafu with Operation Warp Speed leaves at least 14 states short of the vaccine doses they were promised. Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with WPLN's Blake Farmer about what that means in Tennessee.