COVID-19

A long-awaited study of people with ME/CFS revealed differences in their immune and nervous system. The findings may offer clues about long COVID

Four years into the pandemic, many people have had COVID more than once—but the health consequences of repeat infections are not yet clear

The pandemic early exposed weaknesses in CDC’s laboratories. Organizational and culture changes there are good first steps, but more must be done

“We’re still in a pandemic,” says a lead COVID official with the World Health Organization

Disinformation abounds, and it can kill. Fortunately, it can often be unambiguously identified

Infants born to people who had COVID while pregnant are at a higher risk of respiratory distress, but vaccination greatly lowers the risk

Proteins involved in immunity, clotting and inflammation could help to unravel the complexity of long COVID

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant is behind the latest surge in infections this winter, but it doesn't appear to cause more severe disease

You have a “better chance of becoming Spider-Man” than being harmed by DNA from COVID vaccines

Several new studies reveal that getting multiple COVID vaccine doses provides strong protection against lingering symptoms

Ongoing research shows electrical vagus nerve stimulators could relieve some long COVID symptoms. But are the expensive devices worth the price?

Here’s how to plan COVID-safer holiday get-togethers, using websites that show viral levels in wastewater

Experts weigh in on how you can navigate social gatherings and travel as respiratory illnesses rise this winter

From new uses for weight-loss drugs to the first CRISPR gene editing therapy, these were some of the most impactful health stories of the year

The colors of lines on COVID tests can show whether you’re getting healthy or staying sick—if they’re interpreted the right way

The death of a grandparent may be a rite of passage, but it is not harmless for many boys, particularly boys of color. Losing a grandparent in childhood corresponds with lower reading, math and verbal skills among boys at a critical age

An injection that targets nerves in the neck appears to relieve parosmia related to COVID infection in some people, but more rigorous studies are needed

Here’s why Long COVID may be declining and what we know about the trend so far

Access to pediatric COVID vaccines has been hampered by a shortage of doses, higher costs to providers and parental skepticism

Unions are good medicine, spurring vaccinations in their wider communities while overcoming pandemic politics

Too many people are suffering from long COVID and other postviral syndromes. Anthony Fauci says we need to step up funding and research now

Research on what makes people willing to donate organs shows how to motivate many of the unvaccinated this fall

Novavax’s protein-based vaccine is the latest FDA-authorized COVID booster available this fall. Here’s what you should know

Vaccinologist Peter Hotez explains how the movement to oppose science and scientists has gained power

Here’s what to know about the fall COVID boosters, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended for all people aged six months and older

An updated COVID vaccine will be available soon, but certain groups may benefit more than others

New research suggests that blood clotting from COVID infections could contribute to long-term brain fog and other cognitive issues

Research is under way to determine whether the mutation-laden lineage BA.2.86 is nothing to worry about — or has the potential to spread globally

President Biden is part of a minority of people who have experienced Paxlovid rebound, but experts say the drug should still be prescribed for those who need it

Mathematician Abba Gumel uses calculations and models to prepare for future disease outbreaks

Bird flu outbreaks are a numbers game, and the numbers are turning against us

Recently released data from samples of the COVID-causing virus SARS-CoV-2 at the market where many early cases of the disease occurred suggest animals were present but stop short of proving that they were infected and transmitted the virus to humans

New mask studies relying on a medical paradigm do not erase decades of engineering and occupational science that show they work

The FDA has authorized a second updated COVID booster for older people and immunocompromised individuals. Most healthy adults still have to wait

The World Health Organization has declared that COVID is no longer a “public health emergency of international concern” but cautions that it is still an ongoing health issue

Unregulated wild animal markets increase the risk of more epidemics

As the federal public health emergency is set to expire on May 11, here’s what you need to know about future COVID testing, treatment and vaccines

Brain fog is such a nebulous term in long COVID that it delegitimizes efforts to get disability accommodations and medical leave

Laser-based optical frequency combs, originally developed to time atomic clocks, can also perform fast, noninvasive tests for COVID—and potentially other diseases as well

The COVID pandemic put mRNA technology, long in development, to the test. Here’s a look at how it might fight cancer and when it might reach patients

The COVID pandemic caused a U.S.-wide decline in fertility rates, but red states actually saw increases

The drug metformin cut long COVID risk by 41 percent in both people who were overweight and those with obesity. But treatments remain elusive

Genetic susceptibilities, the environment and the body’s response to inflammation all influence our odds of falling ill

The causes of long COVID, which disables millions, may come together in the brain and nervous system

Pregnant people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit or die than those who are uninfected, but vaccination significantly reduces the risk

When the U.S.’s national public health emergency for COVID expires on May 11, some costs will shift to the private sector and consumers

Concerns about Paxlovid rebound are preventing some doctors from prescribing the lifesaving drug and some high-risk patients from taking it

New research links bat habitat destruction with the spillover of their viruses to humans

Some scientists say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s suggestion of updating COVID vaccines each year, as happens with influenza vaccines, could boost uptake. But others are less convinced

A new variant of the virus that causes COVID has mutations that make it more transmissible, but vaccines are still likely to protect against severe disease

Current monoclonal antibodies fail against COVID virus variants, so drugmakers want to use a fast-track test for new ones

Respiratory viruses have rebounded hard after COVID seclusion, and masks are one of the best ways to avoid getting them

Boosting vaccination rates, continuing widespread mask use and reimposing some restrictions on movement could reduce the number of deaths

COVID, flu and RSV are surging. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself.

COVID cut average life spans short in many high-income countries, but the U.S. decline has been steeper and longer than most

Vaccines saved New York City billions of dollars, and China faces public fury over its strict virus-control policies.

In this new episode of our coronavirus podcast, we discuss a study that looked at the effects of Paxlovid on long COVID symptoms, and we also talk new bivalent boosters and immunity.

From COVID to space exploration, graphics helped tell some the year’s most important stories

Key genes that are active in the brains of older people are also active in the brains of people who developed serious COVID

Antibiotics won’t work on the COVID virus, but in places like India, their overuse threatens to nullify their effects on other equally deadly pathogens

Nearly three years into the pandemic, COVID’s mortality burden is growing in certain groups of people

A genome analysis finds SARS-CoV-2 and bat coronaviruses shared an ancestor just a few years ago, but extensive recombination has muddied the picture

FDA Chief Medical Officer Hilary Marston explains the importance of getting a booster shot, considers why so few people have gotten them and answers other questions

The variants appear to sneak past the immune system, but vaccines will likely continue to hold strong

On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we take a few minutes to talk about the other virus making headlines—and then return to long COVID.

On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about getting reinfected with the coronavirus just a month or two after an earlier bout—and the difference that trusting others can make in a pandemic.

This is our back-to-school special episode of COVID, Quickly. We’ll talk about why COVID testing is about to become a school problem—and about whether or not kids are at risk for long COVID.

This is our second back-to-school special episode of COVID. Quickly. Today we talk about two big issues: the low vaccination rates among the littlest kids and how long you should quarantine after being sick (actually).

On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, Josh Fischman gets COVID, and President Joe Biden says the pandemic is over.

In a new episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about the variants that are likely to be around this winter and how boosters help even if you’ve already had the disease.

Controversy surrounding a study that involved modifying SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, has prompted researchers to call for better guidance from funders

COVID and overdose deaths have sharply cut U.S. life expectancy, with Indigenous peoples experiencing the biggest decline

Crystal Lee grew up the granddaughter of Navajo medicine men. As COVID wreaked havoc on her community, she decided to act

Now is a good time to get both your COVID and flu shots, according to a nurse and public health expert

In this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about why we’ve had years shaved off our average collective life since 2020. Also, we talk about “mabs” and why you might want to know what they are.

Medical discrimination and a lack of data make it difficult for people of color to get help for post-COVID problems

New COVID booster vaccines built for the latest variants are here and should be more effective. But there are still some unknowns

New COVID booster vaccines built for the latest variants are here and should be more effective. But there are still some unknowns

From the AIDS epidemic to the COVID-19 pandemic, the iconic medical chief has advised seven presidents on numerous outbreaks

A two-part competition aims to spark innovation and connect the groups trying to redesign high-quality masks that protect against COVID

Despite similar leadership at the start of the pandemic, Brazilians are more trusting of government and view vaccination as a necessity and a right

How to tell the different versions of SARS-CoV-2 apart, and how well vaccines protect against them

Three nasal spritzes, now in advanced trials, could trigger stronger immunity than shots in the arm

Modeling study is first to project how global warming will increase animal encounters and virus swapping between species

An individual’s health risks, treatment access and local case levels come into play for those who are eligible

Scientific American asks experts in medicine, risk assessment and other fields how to balance the risks of COVID with the benefits of visiting public indoor spaces

In South Africa, a network of researchers are studying whether new lineages BA.4 and BA.5 escape immunity from COVID-19 vaccines and prior infections

New research counters high-profile claims that people who had COVID don’t benefit from vaccination.

Does the new strain sweeping the globe mean COVID will become ever more contagious?

The Biden administration’s Test to Treat program aims to make the treatments available at pharmacies, yet it requires a medical provider to prescribe the drugs

Researchers are trying to establish whether existing COVID-19 vaccines and treatments can prevent lasting symptoms

The country has reached an unthinkably grim milestone. Nearly 200,000 children have lost parents, many more elderly have been killed, and family well-being has been ripped apart

Saliva PCR tests may detect disease earlier in the course of an infection

How do we live with it?

COVID energized the Black Lives Matter movement—and provoked a dangerous backlash

The need to reinvent the World Health Organization has become abundantly clear

The pandemic pushed researchers into new forms of rapid communication and collaboration

Such protection declines within months of the mRNA COVID vaccines’ third dose. Yet the vaccines continue to ward off severe disease

Such protection declines within months of the mRNA COVID vaccines’ third dose. Yet the vaccines continue to ward off severe disease

People realized their jobs don’t have to be that way

Study adds to evidence suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 infection doesn’t cause an inflamed-toe condition called chilblains, but it doesn’t close the door

Building on lessons learned from SARS-CoV-2, pandemic preparedness has taken on renewed urgency

Scientists are just starting to unravel the disease’s long-term cardiac effects

Health security is as important to a nation as a standing army

The COVID research infrastructure will help fight all sorts of pathogens

Historians of the 1918 influenza pandemic discuss lessons for what the future of COVID might look like

Recent findings blow up assumptions about who chooses to get vaccinated against the disease

How to limit your risk of transmitting or getting infected with SARS-CoV-2