pandemics

Latest in pandemics

covid-19 vaccines
Health

All your COVID booster shot questions, answered

By Sara Chodosh

a stethoscope
Health

The best treatments we currently have for COVID-19

By Kat Eschner

Breakthrough cases won’t stop vaccines from ending the pandemic
Health

Breakthrough cases won’t stop vaccines from ending the pandemic

By Kate Baggaley

Person putting cloth face mask on a small child
Health

How to sanitize a face mask safely and easily

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Will Pfizer’s FDA approval spell an uptick in COVID vaccination?
Health

Will Pfizer’s FDA approval spell an uptick in COVID vaccination?

By Kate Baggaley

A hand in a blue glove holds a small vial labeled "Comirnaty," the new name for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.
Health

The FDA officially approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine

By Claire Maldarelli

4 important question about COVID booster shots, answered
Health

4 important question about COVID booster shots, answered

By Kate Baggaley

Everything you need to know about kids and COVID as schools reopen
Health

Everything you need to know about kids and COVID as schools reopen

By Kate Baggaley

COVID hospitalizations for kids and younger adults are at record highs
Health

COVID hospitalizations for kids and younger adults are at record highs

By Claire Maldarelli

person wearing mask
Health

The COVID-19 delta variant is almost as contagious as chickenpox

By Sara Chodosh

DIY face mask final folding
Health

How to make face masks for kids and adults—no sewing machine required

By Alden Wicker

Two women sit cross-legged, facing each other on a beige sofa. They are each holding a white mug and look absorbed in conversation.
Health

How to talk to your vaccine-hesitant friends and family

By Lauren Leffer

hand holding phone with excelsior pass in the street at night
Health

The safest ways to show proof of vaccination, wherever you are

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

What you need to know about variants, vaccines, and breakthrough COVID cases
Health

What you need to know about variants, vaccines, and breakthrough COVID cases

By Philip Kiefer

A man wearing a grey suit and glasses has a white surgical mask partially covering his mouth and chin. He is walking down a cobblestone street facing towards the camera while others walk facing the other way. It is nighttime and a building and street vendor are in the background.
Health

As Olympics continue, Japan struggles with its largest COVID spike yet

By Lauren Leffer

two gloved hands hold up a black and white globe with a medical mask stretched over it against a blue background with several red coronaviruses on it
Health

How long will we keep wearing masks?

By Eleanor Cummins

A person washing their hands with soap and water spreads soap between their fingers over the basin of a sink.
Health

Why you should recommit to hand-washing to help prevent COVID

By Erin Fennessy

Several glass vials of the COVID-19 vaccine sit on a table top.
Health

Despite surging Delta variant, a national vaccine mandate is unlikely

By Erin Fennessy

A healthcare professional administers a shot in an arm to a person in a brown shirt.
Health

The J&J vaccine may be less effective against the Delta variant than we hoped

By Hannah Seo

A grey haired man in a dark suit, wearing a black mask stands in from of a two-toned blue background and behind a long table set up with three microphones and chairs. The background says "Tokyo 2020" in large white letters and displays the Olympic logo.
Health

COVID cases are plaguing the Olympics even before they’ve begun

By Lauren Leffer

moderna covid shot
Health

What you should know about COVID booster shots so far

By Philip Kiefer

Person suffering from anxiety
Health

How to support people feeling anxious as pandemic restrictions lift

By Dan Seitz

A doctor with a mask on hold a COVID vaccine vial
Health

All three US COVID vaccines protect against the Delta variant

By Lauren Leffer

Plexiglass barriers shield cashier stations in grocery store checkout lanes.
Health

This new plexiglass coating could grab viral droplets from the air

By Rahul Rao

A sticker placed on the pocket of a brown tee shirt, which reads: I got my COVID-19 vaccine.
Health

Immunity from mRNA vaccines could last for years

By Erin Fennessy

FCC broadband map
Health

As more people work from home, internet speed requirements have become a critical issue

By Stan Horaczek

An illustration of the COVID-19 spike protein.
Health

The Delta variant is on the rise in the US

By Erin Fennessy

person-holding-mask
Health

How you and your family can cope with post-COVID anxiety

By Jean Levasseur

Man is getting vaccine in arm
Health

Novavax’s COVID vaccine might be key for vaccinating the world

By Lauren Leffer

wet street market selling fish
Health

New data shows Wuhan markets were ripe for diseases to jump from animals to people

By Philip Kiefer

Did the dip in carbon emissions during the pandemic really help the atmosphere?
Health

Did the dip in carbon emissions during the pandemic really help the atmosphere?

By Sara Kiley Watson

A doctor prepares a COVID-19 shot
Health

A booster shot trial is underway using Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine

By Nikita Amir

A golden retriever dog.
Health

Dogs can sniff out COVID faster than PCR tests

By Emily Cerf

microbiologist in BSL4 lab
Health

Regardless of COVID-19’s origins, experts say it’s time to tighten up biosecurity lab protocols

By Philip Kiefer

A doctor puts a bandage on a woman's arm.
Health

Why Belgium is limiting the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine to adults over 40

By Hannah Seo

Those ‘nature is healing’ memes stem from a problematic take on environmentalism
Health

Those ‘nature is healing’ memes stem from a problematic take on environmentalism

By Angely Mercado

man in mask stands in front of brick wall
Health

Low testosterone in men is linked to more severe COVID-19, but we have no idea why

By Hannah Seo

A senior gets a shot.
Health

A new Pfizer trial combines a COVID booster and pneumonia vaccine for seniors

By Nikita Amir

yankee stadium before coronavirus hit
Health

What the Yankees COVID outbreak means for the rest of us

By Neel Dhanesha

There are more immunocompromised Americans than we think, and that’s a problem with COVID-19 vaccines
Health

There are more immunocompromised Americans than we think, and that’s a problem with COVID-19 vaccines

By Ellie Shechet

Black students in masks and track suits at desks
Health

Your questions about kids and COVID-19 vaccines, answered

By Debbie-Ann Shirley/The Conversation

Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks—but there’s a catch
Health

Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks—but there’s a catch

By Claire Maldarelli, Emily Cerf

Sea lion swimming in green waters with N95 mask floating by
Science

14 hypnotizing photos that captured the world in and beyond the pandemic

By Popular Science Team

Medical worker in scrubs moving oxygen canister in Palghar, India
Health

This village’s story shows just how unprepared rural India is for the latest COVID surge

By Puja Changoiwala/Undark

friends-eating-outdoors-without-masks
Health

If you’re fully vaccinated, you (mostly) don’t need to wear a mask outdoors

By Sara Chodosh

an artist's interpretation of a virus over top of the ask us anything logo
Science

Ask Us Anything: Can viruses be good for us?

By Claire Maldarelli, Jessica Boddy

couple walks along boardwalk
Health

The CDC is set to update its outdoor mask guidance

By Nikita Amir

jump rope
Health

Jumping rope is an unbeatable cardio workout—if you do it correctly

By Rob Verger

A hand caryrying a phone with the Empire Pass vaccine app on it
Health

Here’s how New York’s ‘vaccine passport’ app works.

By Violet Blue

person getting a covid vaccine
Health

The pause on Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine doesn’t mean it’s not safe

By Hannah Seo

blood cells moving through blood vessel
Health

COVID might be linked to more blood clots than we thought

By Philip Kiefer

Woman with tissue sneezing
Health

How to tell seasonal allergies from COVID-19 symptoms

By Rachel Feltman

Person in white jacket wearing a red HIV/AIDS ribbon.
Health

An HIV vaccine could arrive sooner than we thought—using Moderna’s mRNA tech

By Hannah Seo

covid-19 vaccine production facility
Health

Experts says blood clots from AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine are rare enough to justify its use

By Philip Kiefer

Doctor examines MRI brain scans.
Health

COVID-19 survivors may have higher risk of anxiety, depression, and neurological disorders

By Hannah Seo

University students walk on campus in masks.
Health

COVID’s fourth wave is on the way—and younger people could be most at risk

By Nikita Amir

bike resting against wall
Health

How to wheel your way through the global bike shortage

By Dan Seitz

A phone with the New York COVID vaccine site on it
Health

How to protect your privacy while signing up for a COVID-19 vaccine online

By Violet Blue

people wearing masks walking down a street
Health

Most states will open vaccinations to all adults by mid-April

By Rahul Rao

Healthcare worker speaks with patient.
Health

Getting COVID after vaccination is really rare—and likely to be more mild

By Hannah Seo

Older man wearing a medical mask
Health

Is it okay to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines? We’ll know soon enough.

By Hannah Seo

White-tailed deer fawn standing in grass
Health

White-tailed deer test positive for COVID-19 in lab studies

By Dave Hurteau/Field & Stream

Vaccine vials in a lab
Health

What went wrong with AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine data?

By Hannah Seo

syringe
Health

Countries resume use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after new data shows it’s safe

By Rahul Rao