Boston Public Radio

Following an outbreak of COVID-19 at The Soldiers’ Home, a veterans center in Holyoke, at least fifteen individuals have been confirmed as dead. At least six of the dead tested positive for COVID-19 while six others are awaiting test results.

The former Partners in Health CEO called for the rapid expansion of the state's Mobile Integrated Health program.

Strict social distancing is working, but we shouldn't relax restrictions yet.

Burying bodies is risky during the spread of the coronavirus, says Andrea Cabral.

The Vice President of Blue Cross Blue Shield's Critical Programs and Strategies said Americans should be prepared to continue waiting out the virus for several weeks.

During an interview with Boston Public Radio on Wednesday, Noorani said a significant portion of the American healthcare workforce is foreign born while thousands of foreign doctors have been able to do residencies in American hospitals after acquiring J-1 visas.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd discussed the president’s authority the re-open the country, and talked about Joe Biden’s limited public presence during the pandemic. Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung talked about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on small businesses, and how it could shape the identity of U.S. cities for years to come. We opened our lines to talk with callers about how you think Massachusetts ought to go about reopening its economy. Former Massachusetts Democratic chair Steve Grossman discussed his views on what needs to be done to protect small businesses and under-resourced communities. We reopened or lines to continue the conversation about how the state’s economy and the coronavirus pandemic. We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Thursday press conference. Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam previewed an upcoming edition of the “Boston Public Radio” book club, and dissected the #pantsdrunk internet trend.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened our lines to talk with listeners ahead of Gov. Charlie Baker’s Wednesday press conference. We aired live audio of the governor's press conference. A.G. Maura Healey called in to address the range of issues her office is confronting amid the coronavirus pandemic, and took questions from callers. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed President Trump’s decision to suspend funding for the World Health Organization, and racial disparities in COVID-19 victims. Writer and naturalist Sy Montgomery discussed whether house cats can catch the coronavirus, and pandas mating at a vacated Hong Kong zoo.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about President Trump’s heated Monday press conference. NBC Sports Boston reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed the slow reemergence of sports in the U.S., and athletic companies who’re pivoting to produce personal protective equipment. Writer and TIME Editor-at-Large Anand Giridharadas discussed issues with the U.S. relying on billionaires to offer aid during the coronavirus pandemic. Former Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville explained how the coronavirus pandemic is widening the gap between students from low and high-income families. Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart talked about what the coronavirus pandemic has meant for his orchestra's annual July 4th concert, and what he’s been up to in quarantine. CNN’s John King broke down the latest national headlines. We re-opened our lines for a check-in with listeners to see how you’re doing.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Dr. Sandro Galea, Dean of BU’s School of Public Health, discussed the likelihood of racial disparities in cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, as well as the implications surrounding the president’s potential firing of Dr. Anthony Fauci. We opened our lines to ask: if President Trump fires Dr. Anthony Fauci, will he make America sick again? TV expert Bob Thompson reviewed the work-from-home edition of "Saturday Night Live," and the series finales of “Modern Family” and “Schitt’s Creek.” WGBH news analyst and GroundTruth Project CEO Charlie Sennott discussed issues with Sweden’s lax approach to the coronavirus, and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s release from an ICU after contracting COVID-19. Food writer Corby Kummer discussed clogged distribution channels in the food industry, and the current state of safety conditions for grocery store workers across the country. We continued the conversation about Anthony Fauci’s potential firing with listeners. We aired live audio of Gov. Charlie Baker’s Monday press conference.

The closure of schools, businesses, and restaurants, due to the coronavirus pandemic, has created a problem of abundance with farmers across the country. Food writer Corby Kummer spoke with Boston Public Radio *on Monday, about farmers who have excess food. "There's this double problem of not enough farm workers to harvest food, and food not being distributed," he said. "A single chicken processor is smashing 750,000 unhatched eggs every week and the nation's largest dairy cooperative estimates farmers are dumping 3.7 million gallons of milk each day, because cows don't stop giving milk, chickens don't stop laying eggs, but the distribution channels are getting clogged." This newfound problem is a terrible irony of fresh food going to waste, Kummer added. "Then, what's going to come down the line are all of these crops that are going to ripen, and there won't be labor to pick them and they will be plowed under." *Kummer is a *senior editor at The Atlantic*, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.