One of the riskiest jobs right now is being done by the people who respond to 911 calls. EMTs, paramedics, and first responders are spending their days and nights getting sick people the medical care they need. So how does that already incredibly difficult job change when protective gear across the globe is backordered, and you're not sure how long your supplies are going to last or if you'll be able to get more? Jennifer Green, Deputy Chief of the Community Ambulance Association of Ambler joins KYW In Depth to discuss the unique challenges first responders are facing during the coronavirus pandemic. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The COVID-19 pandemic comes on the heels of a national outbreak of lung injuries, which the CDC says are linked with vaping THC products and the additive vitamin E acetate. Dr. Jamie Garfield, an interventional pulmonologist at the Temple Lung Center joins KYW In Depth to talk about what we learned from the EVALI epidemic, the latest research about what both vaping and smoking does to the lungs and how that applies to the coronavirus pandemic, and tips for smokers who are concerned about COVID-19. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Nationwide social distancing guidelines will stay in place until April 30th, and that's a good thing according to Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Val Arkoosh. The commissioner, who's also a medical doctor, spoke with Brandon Brooks on KYW Newsradio on Monday morning, March 30th, about when coronavirus is expected to peak in southeastern Pennsylvania, if Montomery County has enough personal protective equipment to deal with the pandemic, and why four more weeks of social distancing is necessary. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Since the coronavirus pandemic ended social lives as we knew them, anything that took us within six feet from another person is out the window. That includes dating and meeting people, for love or recreation. But apparently we haven't given up on dating entirely -- Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group says video dating has risen dramatically on all of his company's dating apps since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Today on KYW In Depth, Cook talks about the dating changes people have made in response to social distancing and how COVID-19 could result in far reaching changes to dating culture. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The unemployment numbers released on Thursday, March 26 were astronomical and unprecedented. More than 3 million Americans applied for unemployment compensation the previous week. Today on KYW In Depth, Penn Wharton Budget Model Senior Advisor and Director of Outreach Diane Lim talks about why those numbers are going to get worse, what makes this economic downturn unique in American history, and why she thinks that when all this is over there might be a silver lining in the economic recovery.    See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

One of the tried and true ways high school seniors figure out where they want to go to college is by visiting the campus and taking a tour. Right now, college visits are shut down across the country just like nearly everything else. Today on KYW In Depth, KYW Newsradio's Suzanne Monaghan speaks with Kristin Dunning, a counselor at Strath Haven High School in Delaware County about some other options high school students have if they can't go on a college visit.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Researchers at BioAegis in New Jersey have been studying a therapy for pneumonia patients that they say can help treat people with severe cases of COVID-19. It's a protein called gelsolin. Now they're trying to get it through the FDA approval process. Carol MacKenzie spoke with the Chief Medical Officer at BioAegis Therapeutics, Dr. Mark DiNubile, to find out what he's working on and why he thinks it can help COVID-19 patients.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Distilleries around the country are doing their part to fight the COVID-19 pandemic by making hand sanitizer. Robert Cassell, co-founder of New Liberty Distillery and President of the Pennsylvania Distillers Guild talks to KYW In Depth about the work involved in switching from making spirits to making hand sanitizer, where the biggest need for the hand sanitizer is, the collaboration between business and government needed to pull it off, and how you can help. Check out New Liberty Distillery here: https://newlibertydistillery.com/ PA Distillers Guild website: https://padistillersguild.com/ See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Congress is spending more than $2 trillion on a COVID-19 relief bill while much of our economy is shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. What's in the bill? How much of it is going to help you and your family? What about your employer? We asked those questions and more to Steven Portnoy, White House Correspondent for CBS News, who helps explain: - Why the added unemployment benefits are a bigger deal for most Americans than the direct checks - How much money you could get while you wait out this crisis - What's being done to make sure your employer can stay in business and hire you back - How the federal government is funding an attack strategy against the virus Steven also talked about a new finger prick test for coronavirus, the newest warnings from NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, and what it's like covering the White House during a pandemic. Follow Steven Portnoy's White House coverage on twitter @stevenportnoy. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Uncertain times call for economics professors on speed dial. Villanova's David Fiorenza checks back in with KYW in Depth to answer a handful of questions, including: - As an economist, what's your biggest concern right now? - We've seen incredible gains and losses in the stock market, do you expect the volatility to continue? - What would a $2 trillion package do for the economy? - Did anything surprise you in the past week? >>>   See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The Providence Animal Center in Media, Pennsylvania is in a tough spot right now. Normally, they have hundreds of animal lovers who volunteer to help out with the dogs and cats at the center. But during the coronavirus pandemic, the limited on-site staff have to pick up all the work. They've also canceled fundraisers that they depend on to keep the Center going. On this episode of KYW In Depth, Carol MacKenzie talks with Providence Animal Center's Director of Advancement Justina Calgiano about what the shelter needs and the specific ways they need people to help during this crisis. Hint: have you ever wanted to foster a fur baby?   Providence Animal Center's website: https://providenceac.org/ "We realize people are up against some really tough odds right now. Finances are dwindling, and that's really hard, and it's really upsetting. But pets are family. And so we're trying to keep the family intact right now." - Justina Calgiano, Providence Animal Center.  >>> See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

We're continuing our series on Olympic athletes from the Philadelphia area dealing with the postponement of the 2020 games by talking to two athletes who already had their tickets punched to the games. Jake Rosenberg is an Ardmore native who went to Harriton High School. He is an outfielder on the Israeli National Baseball team, which has qualified for the Olympics. Summer Rappaport is a triathlete who has made the US Olympic Team. She is a Villanova University alum.   See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo have been postponed. For some of the athletes who have been training for months or years for the chance to compete, postponing the Olympics means another year of work. For others, it means that some windows that were open this summer might not be open next year.  On this episode of KYW In Depth, Matt Leon reaches out to athletes in the Philadelphia area who have been trying to make Olympic teams. Nathan Gillis is a fifth-year senior at La Salle University. He has been training in hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics to represent his home country of Great Britain in the 800 meter and/or 1600 meter track events.  Tyler Nase is a rower who took part in the 2016 Olympics and has been working to qualify for 2020. He is a La Salle College High School product and an assistant rowing coach at the University of Pennsylvania. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The Philadelphia school district is trying to get laptops and internet access to all of its students. That means buying a very large number of computers, and trying to get internet access to the students who don't have it at home -- roughly half of the student population. KYW Newsradio's Mike DeNardo is back on KYW In Depth to talk about how the district is planning to get it done. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Bad guys don't take days off, even during global virus pandemics. Federal authorities are sounding the alarm on scams like fake vaccines and cures during the COVID-19 crisis that prey on people's fear and target their wallets. On this episode of KYW In Depth, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District Bill McSwain tells KYW Newsradio crime and justice reporter Kristen Johanson how the coronavirus scams being reported to the Feds are 'only limited by your imagination.' If you have been scammed or have a tip about something coronavirus related that you think seems fishy: Call the Department of Justice national hotline to report a scam: 1-866-720-5721 Or send an email to disaster@leo.gov See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Most businesses in the Philadelphia area are shut down right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for some essential businesses - what Pennsylvania calls life-sustaining - there are jobs that need to be filled, and now more than ever. Matt Lutcavage, chief HR officer at Giant Food Stores joins KYW In Depth to talk about the challenges faces by grocery stores and supermarkets during this crisis, what their biggest needs are, and what they're doing to keep employees and customers safe.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Times are getting tough for families who normally don't struggle to put food on the table. But for people who deal with hunger on a regular basis, the instability brought on by the coronavirus pandemic is very serious. On this episode of KYW In Depth, Stefanie Arck-Baynes from Philabundance and Greg DeLozier from the Food Bank of South Jersey talk to KYW Newsradio's Matt Leon about the biggest challenges they're facing in getting food to people they need it during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Philadabundance:https://www.philabundance.org/ The Food Bank of South Jersey:https://foodbanksj.org/ See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

If you live in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, or Delaware counties -- Gov. Tom Wolf says stay at home. KYW Newsradio's suburban bureau chief Jim Melwert joins KYW In Depth to break down what that order means, why it's different than the shelter in place orders we've seen in other states, and where the suburban counties are in fighting the spread of COVID-19. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The number of coronavirus cases in New Jersey is exploding. KYW Newsradio's Mike DeNardo checks in on KYW In Depth with an update on the number of cases in the Garden State, and what assistance Governor Murphy is asking for from the federal government. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Custody, child support, and family court issues can be difficult for families to get through on a good day. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they can feel impossible. Family law attorney Jennifer Brandt, the chair of the Cozen O'Connor Family Law group, joins KYW In Depth with tips on how families can navigate these tough issues during this crisis.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The COVID-19 outbreak pulled the plug on college sports across the boards. For spring sports, seasons were just getting started. So for college coaches who were expecting to be waist deep into the grind of a season -- what do they do when that season is brought to a very premature close? KYW Newsradio's Matt Leon caught up with two of the top college baseball coaches in the region - Fritz Hamburg of Saint Joseph's University and Jad Prachniak of West Chester University - to find out how they learned their seasons were over, how they've handled not being able to coach and what they are missing right now. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

A lot of people are out of work in Pennsylvania right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And many have never had to submit a claim for unemployment compensation before. The process can be confusing and intimidating. We've been getting a lot of questions about the unemployment process, so we took them and asked an expert to answer them. James Pearl is an attorney in Philadelphia, he's been practicing for more than 20 years, and he specializes in business disputes and pretty much everything surrounding small and medium businesses and employment issues. Pearl answers questions like: - Who is eligible for unemployment? - How much money can I expect, my full salary or a percentage? - Do I have to use my paid time off before filing for employment? Should I? - What do I put on the form? - How does my health insurance work while I'm not receiving a paycheck? - Am I eligible for unemployment if I have no one to watch my kids? IMPORTANT LINKS: PA Unemployment Website: https://www.uc.pa.gov Information for PA employees impacted by COVID-19: https://www.uc.pa.gov/Pages/covid19.aspx See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

UPDATE: The Governor has extended the deadline for enforcement until Monday, March 23, at 8:00 AM.  We know a bit more than we did last night about the ordered closure of non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania amid the coronavirus pandemi. And since then, some of the business types have switched categories. Ian Bush and Tom Rickert talk about the changes and wrap up one of the strangest weeks in the news we can remember. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Protection asks businesses with questions as to whether their organization needs to close to email ra-dcedcs@pa.gov. Any business interested in seeking a waiver to the order can reach out to the state directly by emailing ra-dcexemption@pa.gov or calling 1-877-PA-HEALTH and select option 1. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

We don't hear a lot about the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. At least, we didn't until COVID-19 started being the only thing we talked about. But there's a lot we can learn from what was "almost certainly the worst plague in human history," according to George Wohlreich, President and Chief Executive Officer of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Wohlreich joins KYW In Depth to tell us what happened back then and what we've learned from it. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Can your blood type make you more susceptible to COVID-19? Why are men and women getting sick and dying at different rates? If we social distance well, how long will it take for things to go back to normal? Why do you need to stay 10 feet away from other people if you absolutely don't want to get sick? The answers to these questions and more come from Dr. Krys Johnson at Temple's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Dr. Johnson was also an Emerging Infectious Disease Fellow at Florida's Department of Health during the Zika outbreak. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.