COVID-19

Everything you need to know about the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Latest in COVID-19

person handling blood samples in a lab
Health

COVID-19 may have been circulating in the U.S. as early as last year

By Kat Eschner

Person looking at mirror
Health

Mask up without breaking out. Here’s how to prevent pandemic acne.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

young girl receiving polio vaccine
Health

COVID-19 is helping another terrible disease make a comeback in Afghanistan

By Ruchi Kumar/Undark

Woman in mask with dog.
Health

Dog owners may catch COVID-19 more often, but the reason will surprise you

By Sara Kiley Watson

person in ppe
Health

We’re just beginning to understand how our genes and COVID-19 mix

By Kat Eschner

Borneo’s Gunung Palung National Park
Health

The fight to stop the next pandemic starts in the jungles of Borneo

By Brian Barth

a woman throws fall leaves into the air while smiling
Health

2020 isn’t all bad. Here are 13 science stories to be thankful for.

By Rachel Feltman

A surgeon in scrubs pulling a mask off their face
Health

Vaccines could be out by the end of 2020, but reaching everyone will take time

By Tyler Santora

The starry Arctic sky over an iceberg in Greenland
Health

Four science conversations worth having this holiday

By Purbita Saha

Boss Baby Thanksgiving Day Parade
Health

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has one star that always rises to the top

By Erik Olsen

Volunteers gathering food off of a truck.
Health

The best and safest ways to donate food and time this holiday season

By Sara Kiley Watson

vaccines
Health

Why AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine is an important addition to the fleet of offerings

By Kat Eschner

person alone traveling
Health

COVID-19 testing can’t guarantee a safe Thanksgiving. Here’s why.

By Kate Baggaley

A kid with a cartoon-themed mask standing in a field
Health

When states mandate masks, fewer people catch COVID-19

By Tyler Santora

a person in the park wearing a mask
Health

That new study saying masks might not be effective? It has a few caveats.

By Kate Baggaley

masks
Health

How well a mask works depends on how well it fits

By Kat Eschner

A kid gets a traditional nasal-swab test from a doctor in PPE
Health

The FDA just okayed a rapid at-home COVID test—but it won’t work for everyone

By Tyler Santora

Person in a mask and disposable gloves holding a basket of groceries
Health

A step-by-step guide to grocery shopping during a pandemic

By Amy Schellenbaum

Black and white photo of a patient getting a swine flu vaccine through a jet injector in 1976
Health

It might not always take years to develop vaccines

By Ula Chrobak

vaccine
Health

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is now 95 percent effective. Here’s what that actually means.

By Claire Maldarelli

people walking around in masks
Health

These countries managed to turn COVID-19 around. Here’s how we could do the same.

By Kate Baggaley

A doctor wearing a mask and scrubs holds up a syringe with a vaccine inside
Health

You can get COVID-19 and the flu at the same time

By Rachael Zisk

vaccine
Health

A second COVID-19 vaccine just reported excellent results. What now?

By Claire Maldarelli

infected human cell
Health

How the COVID-19 pandemic might end

By Wendy Orent/Undark

Pile of fabric masks.
Health

Masks protect the wearer from COVID-19, too

By Sara Kiley Watson

A new paper from the National Institute of Standards and Technology helps demonstrate why one group of masks similar to those pictured here—valved masks—is almost as ineffective in controlling the spread of mouth particles as wearing no masks at all.
Health

Why you should think twice before opting for a valved N95 mask

By Kat Eschner

National guard members salute a veteran who died from COVID-19 at the Javits Center field hospital in New York City
Health

Eight reasons COVID-19 has hit veterans particularly hard

By Jamie Rowen/The Conversation

National guard members assist with point-of-care testing in Tempe, Arizona wearing face shields and plastic suits
Health

Across the US, COVID-19 slams rural towns, suburbs, and cities alike

By Rachel Feltman

someone reading online news
Health

Biden’s COVID-19 response plan is missing one major component

By Kat Eschner

A child wearing a mask reading a picture book
Health

The CDC released a COVID-19 test knowing it had a high failure rate

By Rachael Zisk

A hospital doctor in PPE
Health

The US hit 120,000 new COVID cases on Thursday, breaking records for the second day in a row

By Sara Kiley Watson

parent putting mask on their child
Health

A record number of kids got COVID-19 last week

By Sara Chodosh

pregnant woman
Health

Pregnant women are at an increased risk of severe COVID-19, but there’s no need to panic

By Claire Maldarelli

A woman checking a child's temperature
Health

We’re getting better at treating COVID-19

By Rachael Zisk

women wearing masks at the grocery store
Health

When it comes to airborne COVID-19 transmission, droplet size matters

By Kate Baggaley

a person holding an "I Voted" sticker on their finger
Health

How to prepare for in-person voting during the COVID-19 pandemic

By John Kennedy

Child pretending to be a superhero
Health

Have no fear—healthy Halloween ideas are here

By Michael Goran/The Conversation

halloween decorations
Health

How to safely celebrate Halloween during COVID-19

By Kate Baggaley

A doctor wearing blue gloves giving someone a vaccine
Health

Rural America is now the center of the COVID pandemic

By Rachael Zisk

Trump and Biden
Health

Science was a big winner—and loser—at this week’s presidential debate

By Sara Chodosh

map of covid infections among nursing staff at care homes
Health

The current state of the pandemic in five graphs

By Sara Chodosh

a microscope's view of an orange-stained virus
Health

Remdesivir is the first FDA-approved COVID-19 treatment. Here’s what to know about it.

By Rachel Feltman

masks
Health

2020 is shaping up to be America’s deadliest year in recent memory

By Claire Maldarelli

someone in an airplane seat with a mask on
Health

COVID-19 continues to make flying a risky proposition

By Kat Eschner

video call on laptop
Health

Meet the disease detectives fighting to understand COVID-19

By Eleanor Cummins

A sign that says "Screening checkpoint ahead" placed in front of the door to a hospital
Health

One motorcycle rally may have triggered COVID-19′s new Midwest surge

By Rachael Zisk

daycare center
Health

The ‘near-Herculean’ effort by daycare workers to prevent COVID-19 spread is working

By Kate Baggaley

dentists working with full PPE
Health

Don’t worry. Your dentist probably won’t catch COVID-19.

By Kat Eschner

basketball
Health

The NBA bubble was a one-of-a-kind COVID-19 success story

By Kate Baggaley

people walking on path at geysers in yellowstone
Health

National Parks are logging record crowds. Here’s how to visit safely.

By Ula Chrobak

graph showing covid cases per day
Health

COVID-19 cases are on the rise yet again

By Sara Chodosh

Couple walking while wearing masks
Health

COVID-19 might not ever truly go away

By Hans Heesterbeek/The Conversation

newborn baby holding mother's finger
Health

COVID-19 doesn’t have to jump from mother to newborn

By Kat Eschner

person wearing mask in reflection
Health

Tracking down ‘patient zero’ is a crucial piece of the pandemic puzzle

By Jack Herrera

vaccine generic
Health

A taskforce of Black doctors is independently evaluating COVID-19 vaccine candidates

By Kate Baggaley

A drone-photograph shows an illegal mine in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. The image shows two artisanal pools, where the miners separate gold from rocks using mercury.
Health

A pandemic-created ‘gold rush’ in the Amazon is destroying Indigenous lands

By María Paula Rubiano A.

A stage with an American flag and a Trump campaign sign
Health

President Trump wants to hold rallies this weekend. Could he spread COVID-19?

By Popular Science Team

A toddler with a black mask on
Health

We already know how to keep the next pandemic from catching us off guard

By Rob Verger

Outdoor time can be very beneficial for boosting mental health during the pandemic, experts say.
Health

What mental health professionals have learned six months into pandemic care

By Marion Renault

President Donald Trump signing an executive order in the White House in 2017
Health

Why COVID-19 attacks aging immune systems so fiercely

By Brian Geiss/The Conversation

PPE face masks
Health

Here’s what Donald Trump should know about recovering from COVID-19

By Kate Baggaley

Permian Basin
Health

The pandemic could end Texas’s oil boom—and start something better

By Justin Miller/Texas Observer

drugs
Health

These are the best COVID-19 treatments right now

By Claire Maldarelli

an IV bag
Health

President Trump’s COVID-19 treatment includes an experimental antibody cocktail

By Popular Science Team

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