Chasing Life

Fourteen-year-old Anika Chebrolu is the 2020 winner of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. In this episode, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta hands things over to her to talk about her discovery of a potential therapy for Covid-19. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is the first thing you want to do when it is safe to see your friends and family again? In our last episode of the year, we share your biggest hopes and dreams for a brighter 2021. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For nearly a year, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been a constant presence in our lives, reporting on Covid-19. In this special episode, he opens up to Anderson Cooper about what it's been like to cover the pandemic every single day. Together, they reflect on the unprecedented lessons and losses of 2020, while sharing their hopes for the year ahead. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just about everyone in the world right now appears to be experiencing less touch. There’s less hugging, less hand shaking. Even people who are living with others during the pandemic report very little physical engagement. Researchers know that touch can have important biochemical benefits for health and wellbeing. Dr Sanjay Gupta talks to Professor Tiffany Field of the Touch Research Institute about what these months without touch are doing to our bodies, and how can we reclaim some of the benefits of touch in the Covid-19 era. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How are we supposed to gather around the Christmas tree... if we need to stay six feet apart? On today’s episode, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with Stephen Arnold, President of the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, about the unique challenges of this holiday season and what we can do to celebrate safely. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did you know that Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a practicing neurosurgeon? As a health care worker, he is at a higher risk for contracting the coronavirus so on Friday, he received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Listen in as he shares his firsthand experience and why he feels confident about the safety of 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

Nearly 60 years ago, Americans witnessed the roll out of a polio vaccine that would change lives and the way we fight disease. Writer and producer Jeffrey Sherman was a child when he took the vaccine, at the time delivered by sugar cube. It turns out that small act inspired an American classic. He talks to CNN writer Tom Lake about the experience and why it’s so relevant today. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL playoffs are just weeks away but the league is still figuring out how to defeat its most formidable opponent to date: Covid-19. A flurry of outbreaks have delayed games and sidelined players on multiple teams. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with former NFL player and CNN sports anchor, Coy Wire, about how the league is responding to spikes and playing through it’s most unique season in history. 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 vaccine distribution is finally rolling out, but some Americans are still skeptical. CNN Correspondent Elle Reeve travels to rural Tennessee to hear people’s concerns and speak with medical and policy experts about how to overcome vaccine hesitancy through building trust. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, nearly three million doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine will be delivered to more than 600 vaccination sites around the country. Today, CNN Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean takes us behind the scenes of this historic operation and tells us about the journey of a vial of vaccine from manufacture to injection. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a vaccine by Pfizer and BioNTech that will start reaching the most at-risk Americans today. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks through the final hurdles the vaccine had to clear over the weekend. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With almost 300,000 people lost to Covid-19 in the United States, CNN immigration reporter Catherine Shoichet tells the story of one community’s staggering loss. Meet the sisterhood of Filipino nurses who have seen each other through everything: a new life in America, marriage, children, and now, a deadly pandemic. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kizzmekia Corbett is a 34-year-old viral immunologist, and she might help save the world. She leads the coronavirus vaccine research at the National Institutes of Health, and the mRNA vaccine they’ve developed in collaboration with Moderna has reported an astounding 94.5% efficacy. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Corbett about her groundbreaking research, the pressures of a global pandemic and her suggestions for those trying to battle vaccine hesitancy. 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 vaccine rollout underway in the United Kingdom, the Food and Drug Administration could issue emergency use authorization to a Covid-19 vaccine this week in the U.S. What happens next? CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn about the decision-making process. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Very soon, the first Covid-19 vaccine could be authorized for public use in the United States. Is it like a flu shot? What are the side effects? Today, Dr. Sanjay Gupta sits down with Yasir Batalvi, a volunteer in Moderna’s vaccine trial, to walk us through what it may be like 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

When and where can you get the vaccine? Can you choose which one you get? Dr. Anthony Fauci answers all your questions about the vaccine at a CNN Town Hall. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New York's theater district has been dark since March. Broadway was one of the first industries shut down by the pandemic and it may be one of the last to reopen. Actress Jessica Rush shares what she misses about the stage, and Tony Award-winning producer Kevin McCollum tells CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta what it will take for Broadway to make a comeback. 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 early months of the pandemic much of the country was in disarray, including schools. Now that the fall semester is almost over, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and CNN Correspondent Evan McMorris-Santoro talk about how parents, students and educators are navigating a school year plagued by severe teacher burnout and a record increase in failing grades. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you fight a pandemic? With cutting edge technology. Two of the new Covid-19 vaccines applying for FDA approval rely on a novel approach that uses mRNA to turn the human body into an internal vaccine factory. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to mRNA researcher Dr. Drew Weissman about the groundbreaking science behind these new vaccines and what it might mean for the future of medicine. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Millions of families across the country have lost some of their income because of the pandemic and are struggling to put food on the table. In today’s episode, CNN’s Senior National Correspondent Kyung Lah visits one family in Los Angeles. 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 changed a lot about this holiday season. And the pandemic-induced recession means the way people spend their money is different too. One portion of the country may be spending big, while the other struggles to get by. CNN’s Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans explains how the entire holiday shopping window is different this year and what that means for all of us. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many Thanksgiving gatherings will be a bit smaller this year. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta discusses his own plans for the holiday and how his family will try to keep certain traditions alive in this unusual year. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The C.D.C. recommends against traveling for Thanksgiving, as infection rates are on the rise nationwide. But the airline industry is still expecting a surge in people flying, and scientists have found that air travel is relatively low risk. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes his first flight since March, and CNN correspondent Pete Muntean talks through ways to keep safe on a plane. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CNN Senior Writer Thomas Lake tells the story of a pastor in small-town South Carolina who’s doing what he can to minister to his flock. Among his responsibilities, 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

There is promising data from two drug companies with vaccines in the works, but what comes next? One way of speeding the process is an Emergency Use Authorization. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to the Yale School of Public Health’s Jason Schwartz about EUAs and their role in 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

With promising data coming out of multiple trials, the country is now looking at how to distribute a potential Covid-19 vaccine to the public. But who will get it first? CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with bioethicist Art Caplan about the many decisions that must be made before sending any vaccine throughout the country and 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

Several vaccine companies have announced promising early evidence that their vaccines are effective at preventing symptoms of a coronavirus infection. So what comes next? CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to vaccine creator and virology and immunology expert, Dr. Paul Offit about what it takes to get an idea for a vaccine from in the lab into the bodies of people 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

The U.S. is setting devastating new records nine months into this pandemic. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta answers listener questions amidst this time of growing uncertainty. 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 quarter of a million people have died of Covid-19 in the United States. The country is now seeing record-breaking case numbers. Dr. Sanjay Gupta makes an emotional plea for us to start treating the pandemic like the crisis it is, before it is too late. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

South Dakota has had one of the worst spikes of Covid-19 cases in the country, with the positivity rate now climbing above 50%. And still, the state has never instituted a mask mandate or full lockdown. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Dr. Tom Dean, a family physician in a rural part of the state, about how his community is grappling with this latest outbreak. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does Covid-19 make some people so much sicker than others? Risk factors and pre-existing conditions are part of it, but could there still be another factor? CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to infectious disease expert Dr. Monica Gandhi about the possible role of viral dose in 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

Even before the presidential election was called for the former vice president, Joe Biden promised to take the country’s pandemic response in a dramatically different direction. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the president-elect's plan, as well as promising recent vaccine news from Pfizer. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Universities, nursing homes, and even entire cities are turning to an unlikely tool to monitor the spread of the coronavirus: sewage water. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to infectious disease physician Dr. Amy Mathers about how sewage testing is playing out on the campus of the University of Virginia, and how researchers around the country could use the testing to detect the virus early. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When life as we know it was put on pause by the pandemic, nature flourished. In this episode, scientists Elizabeth Derryberry and Jennifer Phillips take us birdwatching in San Francisco to find out why some birds are changing their tune. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All over Europe, nationwide lockdowns are being put in place as the continent tries to weather the second wave of coronavirus infections. But before several countries turned to these measures, they tried something else first. CNN London-based reporter Salma Abdelaziz traces the months of controversy that have led to the beginning of England’s second national lockdown today. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chronic stress should not be taken lightly. Doctors and dentists around the country are reporting hair loss, skin rashes and cracked teeth that they believe may be connected to stress during the pandemic. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta talks with stress researcher Professor Kate Harkness about how our bodies are impacted by stress and what we all can do about it. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The stress of this the pandemic is getting to us, and today’s election is only heightening the anxiety for some. On today’s podcast, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares some tips for coping with all this extra anxiety. Jeff Warren tells us about his experience with meditation and explains some of the tangible benefits. At the end of the episode, Warren leads us all in a 5-minute guided meditation that can be done even while waiting in line to vote today. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will things return to “normal” as soon as there is a vaccine? How can we vote safely? What do we know about the flu shot this year? As we head into the winter months, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta clears the air on some of the most common misconceptions about Covid-19. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Almost exactly six years ago, Dr. Craig Spencer was getting out of the hospital after being treated for Ebola. But his recovery didn’t end there. He joins CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta to talk about how his experience could shed light on the long-term effects of Covid-19. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Election Day less than a week away, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with CNN Political Director David Chalian about the role the pandemic plays in choosing the next president. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanksgiving is just around the corner but Coronavirus cases are surging in some states. Should you bring the family together, keep the celebration local, attend a parade? Whether you're hosting a feast or keeping it virtual, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some tips. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The World Series is on and fans are in the stands. Watching professional sports, in person, during a pandemic, looks and sounds a lot different. CNN Sports Anchor Andy Scholes takes us inside the stadium for a play by play of the pandemic protocols meant to keep fans and stadium employees safe. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Halloween, don’t let the coronavirus scare you away from having fun. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to epidemiologist Dr. Tista Ghosh about alternatives to trick-or-treating and why it’s still important to (safely) celebrate. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CNN Senior Writer Thomas Lake tells the story of a dilemma he faced on a dark road in rural Georgia one night — and his fear that his wife and children might get sick because of a snap decision he made. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Earlier this spring, doctors around the country began to worry that fear of Covid-19 was keeping their patients away. Now, we’re starting to see the consequences of that. Today, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Dr. Michelle Kittleson, a cardiologist in Los Angeles, about how we can get those patients back before it’s too late. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Confusion about mask wearing is rampant. The messaging from scientists about the importance of masks is being distorted by noise and conflicting approaches at every level — from the White House all the way down to local government. CNN correspondent Evan McMorris-Santoro takes a hyper-local look at the divide over masks in a single community: Scottsdale, Arizona. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Curfews and closures are spreading in Europe in response to a second wave of the coronavirus. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at where the hot spots are and how different countries are handling them. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How long does our Covid-19 immunity last? Can we still get Covid-19 if we wear a mask? Did travel bans actually save lives? Today, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta breaks down some of the big misconceptions about the pandemic including a few coming from the White House itself. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Top-ranked women’s college basketball player Rhyne Howard is facing a season like no other. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Howard about staying positive while training during a pandemic, and advocating for social justice. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Around the world, more than 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 of Psychology 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