logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2021
25m 25s

Code Switch: A Shot In The Dark

NPR
About this episode
Today, we present a special episode from our colleagues at Code Switch, NPR's podcast about race and identity.

As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines unfolds, one big challenge for public health officials has been the skepticism many Black people have toward the vaccine. One notorious medical study — the Tuskegee experiment — has been cited as a reason. But should it be?

Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Today
NASA's race against time to rescue a falling satellite
A valuable NASA satellite observatory is falling to Earth faster than scientists expected. It’s called the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, or “Swift” for short, and it can respond to celestial events much faster than its sky-gazing counterparts. To save Swift and test out a first ... Show More
11m 27s
Yesterday
Could this anti-aging dog pill lead to one for you too?
Every dog lover’s greatest fear is inevitably losing their pet to time. We want our furry pals to stick around as long as they can. That wish may soon become reality with a new pill from a company called Loyal. It aims to extend the lives–and health–of dogs. This new drug also se ... Show More
11m 23s
Jul 6
Sky Uber? Air taxis could be here soon.
Taking an air taxi to the airport may become as simple as ordering a ride share today. In our first episode in our summer series Tech Camp, we explore how a futuristic vehicle that transforms from helicopter to propeller plane is already taking flight in New York and San Francisc ... Show More
14m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2021
Why Some Black People Aren't Ready to Get the Vaccine
Surveys have shown that Black Americans have been more hesitant than White Americans to get a Covid-19 vaccine. CNN Correspondent Stephanie Elam enrolled in a vaccine trial in the hope that other Black people would see someone like them going through the process. On today’s episo ... Show More
13m 55s
Nov 2021
COVID Quickly, Episode 18: Vaccines for Kids and the Limits of Natural Immunity
Today we bring you a new episode in our podcast series COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between. ... Show More
7m 48s
Apr 2021
Doubt: Getting Out of the Boat
We meet Dr. Timothy Sloan, a pastor of a black church in Texas, who is torn over how to talk to his congregants about the Covid-19 vaccines. He is skeptical about getting one, and knows the rest of his church is, too. But, the vaccines could also be a lifeline. Black Americans ha ... Show More
39m 59s
Apr 2021
Doubt: Hope
In our final episode of the season, we look at where vaccine hesitancy stands in America today. More Americans are getting vaccinated every day, but the numbers of skeptics are still high enough to seriously threaten efforts to achieve widespread immunity and end the pandemic. Th ... Show More
49m 57s
Aug 2023
Racism in Health: The Roots of the U.S. Black Maternal Mortality Crisis
What is behind the Black maternal mortality crisis, and what needs to change? In this podcast from Nature and Scientific American, leading academics unpack the racism at the heart of the system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
46m 13s
Aug 2020
Addressing Vaccine Skepticism
An alarming number of Americans hold negative views about vaccination. So if and when we get a Covid-19 vaccine, will people sign up to receive it? CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks with vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez about the safety of vaccines. To lea ... Show More
15m 38s
Aug 2020
Vaccine Trials and Tribulations
The first U.S. vaccine trial is underway, and it’s missing something important - Black and Latino volunteers. Dr. Elmer Huerta, the host of CNN’s Spanish-language podcast Coronavirus: Realidad vs. Ficción, signed up for the Moderna trial and talks about why the success of a Covid ... Show More
12m 14s
Apr 2021
DISINFORMED: What that SNL skit on Black folks and vaccines got wrong
A Saturday Night Live skit about Black folks not wanting the COVID vaccine sparked a conversation about vaccine hesitancy. But making Black folks the face of vaccines hesitancy isn’t actually accurate.  Check out the NPR piece on Black access to the COVID vaccine: https://www.npr ... Show More
5m 12s
May 2022
'Where Are Vaccines for Little Kids?' and the Latest on Long COVID
Today we bring you a new episode in our podcast series COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between. ... Show More
9m 19s
Feb 2022
Tracking Outbreaks through Sewers, and Kids' Vaccines on Hold Again: COVID Quickly, Episode 24
Today we bring you a new episode in our podcast series COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between. ... Show More
7m 18s