Chasing Life

Baseball's Opening Day is finally here, and Major League Baseball has stepped up to the plate with new safety precautions for the pandemic. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks to sports medicine researcher Daniel Eichner about the MLB's new testing regimen and how America’s favorite pastime is also helping keep the country safe from some dangerous coronavirus variants. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Passover upon us, Easter this weekend and Ramadan not far after that, we decided to revisit a story about faith. CNN Senior Writer Thomas Lake spoke with a pastor in small-town South Carolina about ministering to his flock during the pandemic and honoring those who’ve died from Covid-19 — even as he tries to avoid becoming one of them. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the Trump administration, opens up to CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta about some of the challenges the CDC faced over this past year. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Deborah Birx’s tenure as the Trump White House’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator was contentious, with accusations of mismanagement. Now, Dr. Birx tells her side of the story. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with Dr. Birx for a behind-the-scenes look into what went wrong in the administration’s response and how that can inform our public health strategy going forward. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Suppressing the spread of Covid-19 in the United States is going to require vaccinating 70-85% of the population. But what happens if not enough Americans voluntarily get the vaccine? CNN’s Chief Medial Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Emily Largent, a lawyer and assistant professor of medical ethics, about a controversial proposal that’s been floated: mandating the vaccines. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As more and more Americans get their COVID-19 vaccinations, some people are making travel plans, and airports are seeing bigger crowds. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta speaks with CNN’s Pete Muntean about the latest guidance on travel restrictions and how to vacation safely. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’re not eligible for the vaccine yet, should you still try to get the shot early anyway? CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta speaks with Arthur Caplan, Director of Bioethics at NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine, about when line jumping is defensible and other ethical decisions around vaccine distribution in the U.S. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As wealthier nations have bought up most of the world’s supply of vaccines, many lower and middle-income countries have been left behind. Today, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks to Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, Director of the Duke University Global Health Innovation Center, about the challenges of getting the vaccine to everyone around the world. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How important is airflow to preventing the spread of Covid-19? As schools and other public buildings begin to reopen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta revisits a conversation with Joseph Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, about the science behind airborne transmission. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s tons of evidence that loneliness can have negative impacts on our mental and even physical health. But when it comes to interventions that reduce loneliness, there is far less research. Today on the podcast, we check out what one neighborhood in Brooklyn is doing to bring people safely together during the pandemic, and we check in with an expert on loneliness, Professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad, about new promising research that demonstrates the power of performing small acts of kindness. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many states are making people with a certain Body Mass Index eligible for vaccines. But because weight carries such a stigma, showing up to an appointment may not be as easy as it sounds. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta hears from a coworker about her personal experience getting vaccinated, and navigating the complex relationship between weight and health. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For those struggling with an opioid addiction, COVID-19 has created a perfect storm of stress and isolation. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Dr. Andrew Kolodny, the medical director of opioid policy research at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. They discuss the pandemic’s effect on the opioid crisis in the U.S. and the efforts underway to end the decades-long epidemic. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last December, the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine became the first covid-19 vaccine to be authorized for use in the world following large-scale clinical trials. Today, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta sits down with Dr. Ugur Sahin and Dr. Ozlem Tureci, the husband-and-wife scientists who designed the vaccine. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last month, the C.D.C. released new guidelines to help schools stay safe as they reopened, and now educators across the country are beginning the tricky work of putting that guidance into action. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring about how she’s been reopening schools and balancing safety precautions with students’ educational needs. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With over 2.5 million global coronavirus deaths, millions more have faced the daunting task of saying goodbye to a loved one from a distance. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the ways funeral homes and mourning families are navigating the process. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One year ago this week, CNN called the spread of the coronavirus a pandemic. Two days later, the World Health Organization followed. At this official one-year mark of the pandemic, Dr. Sanjay Gupta checks in with Maria Van Kerkhove, a leader in the World Health Organization’s Covid-19 response. They talk about what they’ve learned and what still lies ahead. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This pandemic has highlighted how essential it is for people to feel like they can trust public health officials. But that’s easier said than done in Flint, Michigan, where locals are still dealing with serious repercussions from the 2014 water crisis. CNN’s Omar Jimenez reports from Flint, talking to members of the community about their lasting distrust in government and how that's impacted their views on the coronavirus vaccines. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The CDC just released new guidelines for fully vaccinated people. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains the latest recommendations for what you can do safely with friends and family once you've received your shots. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Infectious disease researcher Laurel Bristow has made a name for herself disseminating helpful, pandemic-related information on Instagram, and that name is @KingGutterBaby. She talks to CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta about her rise to fame, the pressures that come with it, and what her username means. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Seattle-based artist Jayashree Krishnan has painted more than 150 portraits of first responders from around the world since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, she shares her experiences capturing the fatigue, fear and hope in the faces of frontline workers. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coronavirus has fundamentally changed the American workplace, but which changes can we expect to stick around permanently? Analyst and remote work expert Andrew Hewitt shares his predictions for the post-pandemic future of office work and what’s surprised him so far. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re just months away from the start of the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics. The games were supposed to showcase Japan’s recovery from the deadly Fukushima earthquake but things have not gone according to plan. In today’s episode, CNN International Correspondent Selina Wang explains how the host country is preparing for the world’s largest sport event during a global pandemic. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Almost a year ago, athletes around the world learned that the Olympics would be postponed. For those who hoped to compete in the games, navigating this additional year has been incredibly challenging, especially as Covid restrictions forced many professional sports facilities to close. On today’s episode, pole vaulter Sandi Morris and long jumper Tyrone Smith, share their struggles and sacrifices to train over the last year and compete in one last Olympics together, as a married couple. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What will it take to achieve herd immunity? CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with Dr. Christopher Murray, who directs the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, about the role of vaccinations, variants and preventative behavior. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted Native American communities, but when it comes to vaccine distribution, tribal health providers are actually outpacing many states. CNN’s Harmeet Kaur speaks with Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. about his tribe’s vaccine success and what he thinks the U.S. government could learn from the Cherokee health system. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Harvard dream researcher Deirdre Barrett about her Covid-19 dream survey and why we're having good and bad dreams a year into this pandemic. This is an update to a May 1, 2020 episode. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zoologist and president of EcoHealth Alliance Peter Daszak has just returned from Wuhan, China. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to him about what it’s like there now, and his findings as part of a World Health Organization investigation. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United States reached an unfathomable milestone: 500,000 deaths from COVID-19. As we honor those lost to the pandemic, there are still many among us who continue to live with persistent symptoms of the virus. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta discusses post-Covid syndrome and speaks with patients who describe themselves as "long haulers". To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Black women have made significant contributions to medicine and public health but all too often, their stories are overlooked and forgotten. Today, we’re honoring the life of Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, a pioneer in our country’s medical history as the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, back in the 1860s. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A disturbing spate of recent attacks on Asian Americans is the latest reminder of the bigotry this community has faced throughout the pandemic. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks about the history of discrimination against the Asian American Pacific Islander community, and what can be done now to address it. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the United States alone, nearly half a million people have now died from the coronavirus. Rationally, we know this is devastating. But emotionally, why can we feel so removed from it? CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Associate Professor Azim Shariff about the limits of human empathy, and what a computer game might teach us about our response to this pandemic. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does the latest CDC guidance mean for the safe return to classrooms? Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Evan McMorris-Santoro explain why parents and teachers don’t always see eye to eye when it comes to in-person learning; the effectiveness of key mitigation strategies; and whether there can ever be true safety without teacher vaccinations. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta answers listeners’ questions about the vaccine, from new avenues of distribution to side effects to the question on everyone’s mind: What am I allowed to do now that I’ve had my shots? To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Black faith leaders around the country are working together to combat vaccine hesitancy in their communities. Today, Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN's senior writer on race & equality, speaks to Reverend Horace Sheffield in Detroit, about what he and other pastors around the country are doing to help their congregations through this crisis. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More than 33 million Americans have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNtech or Moderna. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine candidate could receive an emergency use authorization in the coming weeks. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is optimistic, and he’s going to tell you why. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we explore how our relationships and dating lives have been impacted by this pandemic. Biological anthropologist and Match.com Chief Scientific Adviser, Helen Fisher shares some of the ways looking for companionship has changed. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Be careful as authorities warn of emerging scams related to the Covid-19 vaccine. CNN’s law enforcement and national security correspondent, Josh Campbell walks you through the different types of scams out there and how you can protect yourself. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the authorization of two Covid-19 vaccines, pregnant women around the country are wondering if they should get the shot when their time comes. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta speaks with Dr. Emily S. Miller, an obstetrician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and a member of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s COVID-19 task force to answer listener questions. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 episode, Stephanie speaks with a nurse who still isn’t ready to get the vaccine. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Super Bowl LV is happening this weekend and it won't be your regular championship game. The CDC and the NFL teamed up to study not only how the league played through a pandemic, but how the general public could benefit from the lessons they learned. NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills tells CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta why he thinks the 2020-21 season was worth the risk. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight, but there are still a lot of unknowns. When will life go back to normal? How do we grieve all the people we’ve lost? And what will be the long-term effects on our society? In today’s episode, physician and sociologist Dr. Nicholas Christakis shares his opinion on what lies ahead for our post-pandemic world. Check out the accompanying video. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inequities and racism continue to exist within the U.S. health care system and profoundly impact Black communities. It’s a complex history that’s often misunderstood. Sanjay will interview Dr. Leon McDougle, president of the National Medical Association. Dr. McDougle is an expert in racial disparities in health care and will discuss the organization’s history and how the past can shine some light on the challenges of reaching Black Americans with the COVID-19 vaccine. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Older adults around the country are struggling to get a vaccine appointment thanks to limited supply, overwhelmed phone lines, dysfunctional websites. Today, CNN checks in with seniors on the search and tries to figure out why this is happening. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Masks are crucial, but not all of them are created equal. The N95 respirator mask has been the gold standard from the beginning, and our need for its efficacy is only becoming clearer. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks about the latest guidance on mask wearing, and how to upgrade the masks you may already have. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An adventuring Swedish doctor takes on a decades-long medical mystery: What exactly was the 1918 flu? This week, we’re sharing an episode of Science Vs, a podcast from Gimlet, a Spotify Studio. They talk to Dr. Johan Hultin, Eileen Hultin, Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger, Ann Reid, Rita Olanna and Annie Conger. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Biden administration is beginning to put its Covid-19 strategy into action and lay out their plans to bring this pandemic to an end. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper spoke to three key members of President Biden’s Covid response team in a CNN Town Hall: CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Biden’s Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, and head of the White House’s new Health Equity Task Force Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The rollout of Covid-19 vaccines has proven to be a logistical challenge unlike anything the United States has faced before, and some states are handling things better than others. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at some of the different vaccine distribution strategies employed in West Virginia and Georgia, and why one state is doing so much better than the other. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With a new administration in the White House, and a new director at the CDC, there is a lot of hope that the CDC can now more effectively steer the public out of this pandemic and rebuild its reputation in the US and abroad. But doing so is not going to be easy. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with former acting director of the CDC, Dr. Richard Besser, about the challenges that lie ahead. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Dan Barouch is the director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and is helping develop Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine candidate. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to him about how this vaccine is different, and how soon it could reach Americans. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the release of two COVID-19 vaccines we’re one step closer to pre-pandemic life. However, after months inside, our social skills may be a bit rusty. Social isolation during the pandemic can have surprising effects on the brain. Research suggests our social skills may be suffering. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to University of Chicago Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience Stephanie Cacioppo about how and why this is happening. This episode originally aired on Sept. 15. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices