The Pandemic Didn't Appear To Spur A Baby Boom, Rather A Bust The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released preliminary data on Wednesday showing the number of births in the U.S. has dropped to the lowest level since 1979. Yuki Noguchi
U.S. Backs Waiving International Patent Protections For COVID Vaccines President Biden threw his support behind a World Trade Organization proposal that would waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines — allowing countries to make their own vaccines. Sydney Lupkin
On The Road, At The Ballpark: Americans Celebrate Vaccinations, Lifting Businesses Newly vaccinated Americans are spending more freely on restaurants, travel and live entertainment. That should give a boost to pandemic-scarred service industries. Scott Horsley
Doctor In India Says His ER Is So Crowded, It's Hard To Walk Through NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks to Dr. Sumit Ray, a critical care doctor in New Delhi, about the growing COVID-19 crisis in India, and what can be done to get it under control.
They Desperately Need COVID Vaccines. So Why Are Some Countries Throwing Out Doses? How the chaotic system for distributing the world's vaccine supply is wreaking havoc in places that can least afford it. Nurith Aizenman
U.S. Announces Support For Waiving Intellectual Property Rights For COVID-19 Vaccines Many countries have asked rich nations to waive the patent protections to vaccines so they can be cheaply manufactured elsewhere. The White House said it supports waiving intellectual property rights. Nishant Dahiya
COVID-19 Vaccines Might Not Work As Well For Those With Organ Transplants For most people, COVID-19 vaccines promise a return to something akin to normal life. But for the roughly 500,000 Americans living with organ transplants, it's a different story. Maria Godoy
Why Is India Running Out Of Oxygen? Hospitals don't have enough oxygen for patients on ventilators. There are delivery bottlenecks. Families are sometimes told to get their own supplies. Health experts say it didn't have to be this way. Sushmita Pathak
Giving 2 Doses Of Different COVID-19 Vaccines Could Boost Immune Response Using two different COVID-19 vaccines is a bit like giving the immune system two pictures of the virus, maybe one face-on and one in profile. Joe Palca
COVID-19 Reaches Mount Everest As Nepal Struggles With Record Infections Climbers are reporting an outbreak at Everest Base Camp in Nepal, where hundreds of climbers assemble as they prepare for summiting the world's tallest peak. Scott Neuman
