Epidemiology
How Sneezing Hamsters Sparked a COVID Outbreak in Hong Kong
Hamsters are only the second species known to have spread SARS-CoV-2 to humans
Epidemiology95 articles archived since 1845
Health Care
When Should You Get a COVID Test?
It depends, but vaccinated people should generally wait five days after exposure before taking an antigen test. Here’s why
Epidemiology
Dangerous Flu Comeback Expected atop COVID This Winter
COVID shutdowns limited the spread of influenza in 2019–2020. Several factors could mean this season will be more severe
Public Health
Why Racism, Not Race, Is a Risk Factor for Dying of COVID-19
Public health specialist and physician Camara Phyllis Jones talks about ways that jobs, communities and health care leave Black Americans more exposed and less protected
Epidemiology
Omicron’s Effect Won’t Be as Mild as Hoped
It’s too soon to know if the variant causes milder COVID, but its transmissibility and ability to evade vaccines are still cause for concern
Epidemiology
Why Is Omicron So Contagious?
The new coronavirus variant may be better than other versions at avoiding human immune defenses—but that ability may change in different countries
Public Health
COVID Variants Hint at How the Virus Will Evolve
The rapid spread of new variants such as Omicron offers clues to how SARS-CoV-2 is adapting and how the pandemic will play out over the next several months
Epidemiology
COVID Quickly, Episode 20: The Omicron Scare, and Anti-COVID Pills Are Coming
Today we bring you a new episode in our podcast series COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American ’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between...
Epidemiology
How the Omicron Variant Got So Many Scary Mutations So Quickly
The numerous changes in the coronavirus’s spike protein could have arisen in an isolated population or an immunocompromised person—or animals
Epidemiology
Heavily Mutated Omicron Variant Puts Scientists on Alert
Researchers are racing to determine whether a fast-spreading coronavirus variant poses a threat to COVID vaccines’ effectiveness
Epidemiology
Do Childhood Colds Help the Body Respond to COVID?
A mechanism known as “original antigenic sin” protects some people from flu. Whether it helps immune reactions to coronaviruses is still unclear
Epidemiology
This COVID Winter May Cause Fewer Deaths yet Still Bring a Surge
This year is unlikely to see as many severe cases as last year, but relaxed restrictions and a patchwork of vaccination could still mean trouble, experts warn
Epidemiology
Closest Known Relatives of Virus Behind COVID-19 Found in Laos
Studies of bats in China and Laos show southeast Asia is a hotspot for potentially dangerous viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2
Epidemiology
Even Mild Cases of COVID May Leave a Mark on the Brain
The new findings, although preliminary, are raising concerns about the potential long-term effects of COVID-19
Epidemiology
Humanitarians Push to Vaccinate in Conflict Zones
Pandemic ceasefires offer an opportunity to expand vaccination efforts, experts say. But negotiation is tricky
Epidemiology
Masks Are a Must-Have to Go Back to School during the Delta Variant Surge
Face coverings are essential to protecting children, keeping schools open and slowing the highly contagious coronavirus variant, experts say
Epidemiology
Why Do Variants Such as Delta Become Dominant?
Mutations that make a virus more transmissible are only part of the equation
Public Health
How the Delta Variant Spreads So Quickly
Viral load is roughly 1,000 times higher in people infected with the Delta variant than those infected with the original coronavirus strain, according to a study in China
Public Health
Flu Has Disappeared for More Than a Year
Mask wearing, social distancing and other steps to stop COVID-19 have also curtailed influenza
Public Health
COVID Risks at the Tokyo Olympics Aren’t Being Managed, Experts Say
Current prevention measures may not be enough to prevent an outbreak
