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
"Coronavirus"
Public Health
Rapid COVID Tests Could Help Curb Infections--Especially During the Holidays
An expert answers questions about when and how to use the tests
Vaccines
Omicron Is Likely to Weaken COVID Vaccine Protection—but Boosters Could Restore It
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
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
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
Vaccines
The Benefits of Vaccinating Kids against COVID Far Outweigh the Risks of Myocarditis
Vaccination is likely to prevent many more COVID cases than it is to cause a rare and nonfatal heart side effect in five- to 11-year-olds
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
Vaccines
New COVID Antivirals Do Not Replace the Need to Vaccinate
With the advent of new COVID drugs comes the fear that people will opt out of vaccination altogether
Physiology
COVID Can Cause Strange Eye and Ear Symptoms
From conjunctivitis to vertigo, coronavirus infections can affect disparate senses
Public Health
How Do People Resist COVID Infections?
Immune cells might abort SARS-CoV-2 infection, forestalling a positive PCR or antibody test, a study in hospital workers suggests
Pharmaceuticals
Investigating Antidepressants’ Surprising Effect on COVID Deaths
Researchers are still puzzling over what this drug does at the molecular level to help COVID patients
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
Vaccines
How Immunocompromised People without Strong Vaccine Protection Are Coping with COVID
People with diseases or treatments that suppress their immune system cannot count on the same protection most vaccinated people have
Vaccines
Common Antidepressant Slashes Risk of COVID Death
Fluvoxamine is both inexpensive and highly effective at preventing mild COVID-19 from turning severe
Vaccines
Should Booster Shots Be Required?
This Covid question played out long ago, in the fight against smallpox in 1872
Ethics
Will Giving COVID Booster Shots Make It Harder to Vaccinate the Rest of the World?
Wealthy countries have bought up most of the available vaccine doses for booster shots but still have far more than they need
Pharmaceuticals
How Antiviral Pill Molnupiravir Shot Ahead in the COVID Drug Hunt
The Merck pill, which could become the first oral antiviral COVID treatment, forces the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 to mutate itself to death
Public Health
COVID Quickly, Episode 16: Vaccines Protect Pregnancies and a New Antiviral Pill
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.You can listen to all past episodes here...
Reproduction
Vaccination Protects Pregnant People and Their Babies from Severe COVID
Studies show the vaccines against the disease not only can be safely given to people who are expecting but can also save lives
Public Health
Why We Need to Upgrade Our Face Masks—and Where to Get Them
High-quality respirators such as N95s and KN95s are now widely available and provide the best protection against COVID, according to experts. Why aren’t more people wearing them?
