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
Vaccinating Children Seen As A Key Step Toward COVID-19 Herd Immunity Moderna has begun testing its vaccine on children as young as 6 months old. A principal investigator in the trial says getting children vaccinated would be "a step getting back to our normal life." A Martinez
Scientists Create Living Entities In The Lab That Closely Resemble Human Embryos These structures made from living human cells are similar to human embryos at the stage when they implant in the womb. They allow scientists to research new ways to treat infertility. Rob Stein
'Why aren’t we on the list?' restaurant industry asks as others access vaccine As of Wednesday, March 17, Covid vaccines are available to essential workers, including those who work in transit, farms, and grocery stores. But restaurant workers aren't included. Ruby de Luna
Proposed 1% Pay Hike Shows U.K. Government Doesn't Value Us, Nurse Says After battling COVID-19, nurses with the U.K.'s National Health Service want a pay raise of 12.5%. The government proposes a 1% raise. NPR's A. Martinez talks to NHS nurse Matt Tacey.
Moderna Begins Enrolling Children As Young As 6 Months In Vaccine Trial Moderna is testing its COVID-19 vaccine in children — ages six-months through 11 years old. NPR's A. Martinez talks to Dr. Steve Plimpton, who is the principal investigator for the study in Phoenix.