Good news, bad news when it comes to vaccines. Good news is that 92% of Americans who got the Covid vaccine returned for their second shot. The bad news, millions of people have not gone back for their second dose, citing fear of side effects and thinking they are sufficiently protected after one shot. Public health experts applaud that high number but also urge everyone to finish their two-shot regimen. Elizabeth Weise, national correspondent at USA Today, joins us for more.




Next, the FDA is moving forward with a nationwide ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The ban will not extend to menthol flavored e-cigarettes. Right now more than a third of cigarette purchases in the U.S. are for menthols and are mostly consumed by young people and smokers in communities of color. Marisa Fernandez, health care reporter at Axios, joins us for upcoming ban.




Finally, the CDC updated guidance this week for those that are fully vaccinated saying you no longer need to wear a mask outdoors, except if you are in crowded areas such as concerts or sporting events. There has been ongoing pushback over continued mask wearing with some states rolling back their mandates and others keeping them intact. Lena Sun, health reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for why you can toss that mask when outdoors.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.