Public health experts are pushing to reduce smoking and vaping in communities of color as part of an effort to reduce risk factors for COVID-19. The president of the American Medical Association told WABE’s Morning Edition this national focus on health disparities is late, but not too late. Read the full article: WABE 

Radio Recliner is a partnership between the Atlanta-based marketing company Luckie and Bridge Senior Living–which runs a number of independent and assisted living centers including Somerby. The online radio station has guest DJs playing their favorite songs. All of them are in senior communities and in many cases record right from the room where they are…

The coronavirus is creating a problem for Georgia farmers: Restaurants are doing less business, and schools are feeding fewer kids. That means even if there’s a great crop coming up, growers may not have their usual customers to sell it to. Read the full article: WABE 

Women going into labor at metro Atlanta hospitals can expect to deliver babies without relatives, spouses, or birthing coaches close by during the coronavirus pandemic. For high-risk pregnancies or mothers with existing health conditions like hypertension and diabetes, delivering in a hospital is their safest option, according to Dr. Denise Jamieson, an obstetrician at Emory Healthcare. Read…

As the statewide shelter-in-place order ended, a new Georgia Institute of Technology study projects how many lives have been saved due to strict social distancing measures and projects the fatality rate going forward. The study estimates that the state has reduced transmission rates by 50%. But it offers a grim analysis if the state opens too quickly,…

As the state of Georgia attempts to increase the number of COVID-19 tests it conducts each day, Augusta University is taking a central role. The university and Augusta University Health System have been tapped to serve as the command center for scheduling coronavirus tests for those who report symptoms through its app and hotline. The Georgia National Guard…

Atlanta has now tested most of its residents who stay in homeless shelters for the COVID-19 virus. An effort to survey those who live outside is still under way. The more than 2,000 tests uncovered about 30 new positive cases in shelters. That brings the total number of people reported to be homeless and have the…

The University System of Georgia will help the state increase its capacity to test for COVID-19. USG is working in partnership with state health officials and Emory University to expand the state’s ability to test patients. Gov. Brian Kemp’s office says once the plan is implemented, the labs will process over 3,000 tests per day. Georgia…

Dr. Robert Redfield spoke to WABE health reporter and podcast host Sam Whitehead about the pandemic and the CDC response to it. Read the full article: WABE

The Georgia Department of Public Health put out a call Tuesday for medical volunteers to help fight the coronavirus pandemic in Georgia. The move comes as more and more cases of COVID-19 are confirmed.  Hospitals are seeing more patients with the disease, and Georgia is facing a shortage of nurses. Officials warned last November that the nursing…