How do you get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment? The answer varies by state.Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Imageshide caption
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The Aldaco family of Phoenix suffered multiple losses in this year of unfathomable pain. Three brothers perished in the pandemic: Jose (left) in July, Heriberto Jr. (right) in December and Gonzalo (holding guitar) in February. They appear in this undated family photo with their father (second from left).Miguel Lermahide caption
According to a review published in 2018, nearly 75% of the drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the 21st century had no data associated with their use during pregnancy. Orbon Alija/Getty Imageshide caption
A pharmacist administers a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to a worker at a processing plant in Arkansas City, Kan., on Friday, March 5, 2021. Researchers are concerned that vaccination rates in some rural communities may not keep up with urban rates. Doug Barrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
Medicare Advantage, a fast-growing private alternative to original Medicare, has enrolled more than 26 million people. Humana Inc. is one of the largest of these insurers. While popular with seniors, Medicare Advantage has been the target of multiple government investigations. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption
In an update on COVID-19 Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer discussed the state's efforts to expand the use of monoclonal antibody therapy to help those diagnosed with COVID-19 avoid hospitalization. Michigan Office of the Governor/AP hide caption
Lab assistant Tammy Brown dons personal protective equipment in a lab at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. She works on preparing positive coronavirus tests for sequencing to discern variants rapidly spreading throughout the country. Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption
Using fluorescent antibody-based stains and advanced microscopy, researchers are able to visualize cells of different species origins in an early stage chimeric embryo. The red color indicates the cells of human origin. Weizhi Ji/Kunming University of Science and Technology hide caption
Hartsville, Tenn., resident Rick Bradley, 62, received his first COVID-19 vaccine dose in late March at a local Walgreens, saying, "This is not a summer cold or a conspiracy." He says some neighbors have become so used to COVID-19 that getting vaccinated has fallen off the priority list. Blake Farmer/WPLN hide caption
'It's Not A Never Thing' — White, Rural Southerners Hesitant To Get COVID Vaccine
Some researchers are optimistic that vitamin D supplements may prove helpful in preventing COVID-19. Others are skeptical. Michele Abercrombie/NPR hide caption
Syphilis cases in California have contributed to soaring national caseloads of sexually transmitted diseases. Experts point to the advent of dating apps, less condom use and an increase in meth. Wladimur Bulgar/Science Photo Library/Getty Images hide caption
Government health officials are recommending a "pause" in vaccinations with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Stephen Zenner/Getty Images hide caption
A mass vaccination site at the Lumen Field Event Center in Seattle had plenty of takers for the COVID-19 vaccine when it opened in mid-March. Though some relatively rare cases of coronavirus infection have been documented despite vaccination, "I don't see anything that changes our concept of the vaccine and its efficacy," says Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health. Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
CDC Studies 'Breakthrough' COVID Cases Among People Already Vaccinated
New York state is developing Excelsior Pass in partnership with IBM to provide digital proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
President Joe Biden's nearly $2 trillion proposal to support U.S. jobs and infrastructure includes $400 billion to fund the kinds of home-based, long-term health care services and aides that many families have, until now, found unaffordable. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption
Missouri state lawmakers are debating whether to fund an expansion of Medicaid that would bring health coverage to 275,000 more people in the state. The expansion was enshrined in a constitutional amendment approved by voters. Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images hide caption
Deaths from COVID-19 are often due to the immune system overreacting to the coronavirus. New drugs to suppress that reaction are showing promise, say researchers. Westend61/Getty Images hide caption
Nearly a third of adults in the U.S. have gotten at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine so far, but researchers warn that vaccine refusal may keep the country from reaching herd immunity. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images hide caption
Vaccine Refusal May Put Herd Immunity At Risk, Researchers Warn
As the U.S. races to vaccinate its population, the development of better COVID-19 vaccines has already begun. Government Pharmaceutical Organization of Thailand via Agence France-Presse/Getty Images hide caption
Sonia Sein with her surgeons and ICU team at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Claudia Paul/Mount Sinai Health System hide caption
Vinessa Kirkwood, who lives in northwestern Indiana, said she's had to cancel appointments at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis for her 20-month-old son, Donte, because she can't afford to pay for lodging. Christina Kirkwood hide caption
A male bonobo at Lola yo Bonobo sanctuary. Only about 20,000 wild bonobos are left, and they are found only in the central rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ley Uwera for NPR hide caption
A new study finds that COVID-19 vaccines produce effective levels of antibodies in pregnant and breastfeeding women. They may benefit babies as well. Jamie Grill/Getty Images hide caption