Welcome to the next chapter of the pandemic
Share Now on:
The national COVID-19 public health emergency will be ending in May, but that doesn’t mean the pandemic is over. Hundreds of people are still dying from COVID in the U.S. every day and many more are getting sick.
So then why is the emergency ending?
“I think some of this is related to political will and how long Congress and others were willing to fund specific responses to COVID and the desire to continue those responses,” said Dr. Céline Gounder, epidemiologist and editor at large for public health at Kaiser Health News.
On the show today: Gounder walks us through the state of the pandemic right now, what will change when the public health emergency expires and what it could mean for the American health care system as a whole.
In the News Fix, we’ll tell you about a case before the Supreme Court that may drastically change how the internet works. Also, Russia temporarily pulled out of a major nuclear arms treaty. We’ll get into what that means for the future of international arms control.
Later, one listener shares a perspective on pay transparency, and another tells us why we should discuss menopause more. Plus, this week a chatbot answers the Make Me Smart question.
Here’s everything we talked about today:
- What happens to COVID vaccines and drugs after the health emergency? from The Los Angeles Times
- “Millions of people are about to get kicked off Medicaid” from Vox
- “WHO says Covid-19 remains a global health emergency, but pandemic is at a ‘transition point'” from CNN
- “The End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Details on Health Coverage and Access” from KFF
- An Etiquette Guide for Long COVID from The Atlantic
- “Need time off work for period pain? These countries offer ‘menstrual leave.'” from The Washington Post
- “Justices will consider whether tech giants can be sued for allegedly aiding ISIS terrorism” from SCOTUSblog
- “Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count” from The New York Times
- “Putin’s Move on Nuclear Treaty May Signal End to Formal Arms Control” from The New York Times
What have you been wrong about lately? We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question! Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART, and your submission may be featured in a future episode.
