Pediatricians San Diego

As coronavirus numbers trend down across some of the U.S., they remain persistently high in Arizona. Hospital capacity is strained and the legislature is fighting over rules for its upcoming session.

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to author Nora McInerny and host of the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking , about what it's like to grieve more intimate losses during a global pandemic, and how to cope.

Senate leadership rules out sending standalone $2,000 checks to U.S. workers. Arizona grapples with second highest COVID-19 rate in the nation. And, the Census Bureau will miss year-end deadline.

Colville Reservation's council has been doing its best to insulate the north central Washington tribe from the coronavirus. But borders are fluid, so the community's precautions haven't been enough. (Image credit: Eilis O'Neill/Eilis O'Neill )

A quick pivot to outdoor dining helped many restaurants survive pandemic restrictions. Now some have added temporary shelters to accommodate winter weather. The safest don't have walls, experts say. (Image credit: Will Stone)

As school districts decide how to provide safe and effective learning for students during the pandemic, parents may have many questions about next steps and when it will be safe for children to go back to the classroom. While we don’t have all of the answers to your questions, scientists are learning more about the coronavirus and how it affects children. It’s also important to realize that state and county guidelines are based on the number of positive coronavirus infections, and these numbers change daily. Whether your child is going to school via online learning or is stepping foot into a classroom, here are some things to consider: Can children get sick with COVID-19? The answer is yes. So far it appears that while most children tend to have milder illness than adults, up to 8.9% of children with COVID-19 have been hospitalized and 0.5% has died (as of August 6, 2020). This means children are not immune to this virus. Unfortunately, this information is not entirely accurate

Beyoncé's Africa video, Inuit advice on raising kids without yelling and ... locusts! Here's the surprising mix of stories Goats and Soda readers loved in 2020 that have nothing to do with COVID-19. (Image credit: George Steinmetz)

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. (Image credit: AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Hospitals have been hit hard in Rhode Island, which has one of the highest coronavirus rates per capita in the United States. A doctor on the front line describes a night in the emergency department.

Small hospitals play a big role in getting COVID-19 vaccines to people in rural America. They face significant challenges — especially with the Pfizer vaccine, which must be kept at low temperature.

In a speech Tuesday, the president-elect laid out his plan to combat coronavirus and criticized President Trump's response to the pandemic. He also encouraged Trump to get vaccinated. (Image credit: Andrew Harnik/AP)

A strain of the coronavirus that reportedly spreads faster than the original version has been found in Colorado. The variant had previously been reported in the United Kingdom. (Image credit: David Zalubowski/AP)

"I stand by my words," says Dr. James Phillips, the Walter Reed physician who said the president's decision to drive by supporters while being treated for COVID-19 endangered his security detail. (Image credit: Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)

Problems included a glitch with a sign-up app and some staff jumping to the front of the line, ahead of medical workers with more exposure to coronavirus.

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Christina Ghaly, director for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, about surging coronavirus cases in her county.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, scientists this year made significant progress in understanding how respiratory viruses can be transmitted from one person to another through the air.

A wave of departing medical professionals in rural areas threatens to leave gaping holes in these health care systems and local economies, and trigger a death spiral of that may be hard to stop. (Image credit: Charlie Riedel/AP)

Democrats sought to make a point about their desire to provide more money for Americans than congressional Republicans — picking up an attack line from none other than President Trump. (Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Sarah McCammon speaks with Dr. Teena Chopra, an infectious disease specialist, about how holiday travel will impact an already struggling American health system.

Leaders from across the European Union's 27 member-states celebrated the start of vaccination efforts on Sunday. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it "a European success story." (Image credit: NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

At least 17 residents died of COVID-19 at an assisted living facility. In Georgia, it is the company's only home in a Black neighborhood and the only one to suffer a severe outbreak.

Charissa Ward, an unemployed mom of three in Orlando, tells NPR's Don Gonyea what the end of pandemic unemployment benefits means for her and her family.

Even as the European Union began vaccine rollouts on Sunday, nations around the globe are instituting severe lockdowns and travel restrictions. Fear of the U.K. variant is a key reason. (Image credit: Romeo Gacad/AFP via Getty Images)

President Trump has signed a massive COVID-19 relief and omnibus spending package, deputy press secretary Judd Deere said Sunday night on Twitter.

The first doses of COVID-19 vaccines are being administered. Our Planet Money team delves into the dark web to learn more about the counterfeit vaccines that are being sold around the world.

The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated food insecurity and stretched an already-strained fishing industry. New partnerships with food banks give fisherman income and provide food for those in need. (Image credit: April Fulton for NPR)

The emergence of COVID-19 started scientists on a year-long, crash course to learn how this virus might travel through the air and how to stop it. They learned a lot, and quickly. (Image credit: Francesco Carta fotografo/Getty Images)

A look at the week's COVID-19 and vaccine news, including new information from the variant out of the United Kingdom.

NPR's Don Gonyea talks with Lorenzo Sierra, a member of the state's House of Representatives, about his experience of surviving a severe case of COVID-19.

At age 9, Dr. Salk was one of the first to get the polio vaccine in the 1950s that was invented by his father. Salk, now 76, says he's hugely impressed by the rapid development of the COVID vaccine. (Image credit: AP)

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's senior official for infectious diseases, told CNN that he took care of that health issue weeks ago. He says he took a trip up to the North Pole and vaccinated Santa.

That number may sound like a lot but it's short of the original goal. As the second week of vaccinations draws to an end, officials say there are "some hiccups," but things are going more smoothly.

The COVID-19 relief bill remains unsigned by the president. British and EU parliaments must approve Thursday's Brexit deal. Plus, Bethlehem, biblical birthplace of Jesus, suffers during the pandemic.

Local health departments that can't keep up with the rapid spread of the coronavirus are having to adapt. Some Michigan counties are asking people who test positive to do their own contact tracing.

Mexican health professionals complain the government moved too slowly to shut down business and stop the spread of the coronavirus. Doctors say hospitals around Mexico City are now at capacity.

"Vaccines for all, especially for the most vulnerable and needy of all regions of the planet," Pope Francis said at the Vatican on a subdued Christmas Day. (Image credit: AP)