Selena Simmons-Duffin

An independent federal advisory committee to the CDC recommends the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people over 16. But state health leaders say distribution and funding challenges remain.

After the FDA granted emergency use for first COVID-19 vaccine, the initial doses started getting packed up on Saturday, with the first shipments to be delivered Monday.

President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Dr. Rochelle Walensky to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meet on Tuesday to vote on who will get the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. We explore the issues involved.

We look at the possible pandemic fallout resulting from holiday travel in the U.S., how communities are responding to the latest round of restrictions, as well as the latest vaccine news.

In the final weeks of his administration, President Trump is pushing through policies and making appointments that his successor will have to contend with.

As COVID-19 hospitalizations surge, new data released by the federal government show how many hospitals are struggling with staffing.

The federal government released data showing that the number of hospitals with staffing shortages is rapidly increasing. NPR digs into what these data illuminate and what data might be kept hidden.

One of the two leading vaccine candidates requires deep, deep freezing. Here's how communities are working to solve for this and how the new Moderna vaccine could help.

Even with encouraging early results from a Pfizer coronavirus vaccine candidate, it will be many months before a vaccine is widely available. Here's why.

NPR discusses how the Biden administration's approach to health care would be different from President Trump's.

The Trump administration has been marked by a scaled-back federal investment and involvement in U.S. health care. Biden's team has plans to change that — even if Republicans retain Senate control.

Where are hospitals reaching capacity? Which metro areas are running out of beds? NPR has learned federal agencies collect and analyze this information in detail but don't share it with the public.

Though the Trump administration is trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act in court, it's vowed that people with health problems will still be able to get insured. Here's why that could be tricky.

From Medicare to Obamacare to controlling drug costs, the candidates mostly differ in their approach to health care. Here's a quick guide to their views and proposals.

The federal government is offering nursing homes the chance to opt in to the new program, in which pharmacy staff would deliver and administer a future vaccine on site.

A vaccine will only work if a lot of people can get immunized. State health officials are working furiously to design outreach and distribution plans, with little clarity from the federal government.

The number of people working to stop COVID-19 outbreaks from spreading is far from the level needed in most states, according to a new NPR survey and analysis. Find out how your state is doing.

The coronavirus outbreak originating at the White House may have spread cases to dozens of other communities. But tracing related cases and stopping further spread is extremely challenging.

Health departments urged those who attended a Rose Garden event seemingly responsible for a coronavirus outbreak to get tested. Contact tracing for the event has been a challenge.