Public Health
Rapid COVID Tests Are Coming to Stores Near You
Companies backed by millions in public and private cash are racing to bring the tests to market
"The Coronavirus Outbreak"
Public Health
It’s Much More Likely the Coronavirus Came from Wildlife, Not a Lab
Former CDC director Robert Redfield says he believes in a lab leak—but offers no evidence. The odds are against his notion
Medicine
COVID Showed How Trials for New Drugs Could Be Faster and Better
The pandemic has spotlighted ways to make clinical trials easier on patients and better for science, a heart drug researcher says
Public Health
How to Debunk Misinformation about COVID, Vaccines and Masks
We each have more power to be a science communicator than we realize
Medicine
If You Don’t Have COVID Vaccine Side Effects, Are You Still Protected?
Reactions reflect unique features of an individual’s immune system, not the strength of a response
Public Health
Your Immune System Evolves to Fight Coronavirus Variants
Antibodies can change to counter new forms of the shape-shifting virus, research hints
Public Health
WHO Report on COVID Pandemic Origins Zeroes In on Animal Markets, Not Labs
Scientists say the conclusions make sense but note that supporters of the lab-leak theory are unlikely to be satisfied
Public Health
When Will Kids Get COVID Vaccines?
Pharmaceutical companies are starting clinical trials in young children and adolescents, but they must balance speed and safety
Public Health
Coronavirus News Roundup: March 20–March 26
Pandemic highlights for the week
Public Health
COVID, Quickly, Episode 3: Vaccine Inequality—plus Your Body the Variant Fighter
Today we bring you the third episode in a new 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...
Public Health
People Gave Up on Flu Pandemic Measures a Century Ago when They Tired of Them—and Paid a Price
A now familiar 21st-century scenario of circumventing public-health strictures played out as well at the beginning of the 20th century
Public Health
Hidden Toll of COVID in Africa Threatens Global Pandemic Progress
Undercounting or ignoring cases of the disease on the continent could lead to new variants that might derail efforts to end the pandemic
Public Health
The Coronavirus Variants Don’t Seem to Be Highly Variable So Far
SARS-CoV-2 may be settling into a limited set of mutations
Public Health
The Biggest Barriers to COVID Vaccination for Black and Latinx People
Differences in life expectancy, car ownership and language may contribute to the racial and ethnic disparities
Public Health
We Need Social Science, Not Just Medical Science, to Beat the Pandemic
Human behavior and social inequity are huge confounding factors
Public Health
Coronavirus News Roundup: March 13–March 19
Pandemic highlights for the week
Public Health
Scarcity of COVID Shots Might Boost Demand among the Vaccine-Hesitant
Willingness is rising, even among skeptical groups, at a time when there are still not enough doses to go around
Medicine
COVID Antibody Treatments Show Promise for Preventing Severe Disease
Uptake by patients and physicians has been low in the U.S. even though some therapies have been authorized for months
Public Health
COVID Cases Plummet among Nursing Home Staffers despite Vaccine Hesitancy
The decline suggests the vaccine is having an effect even though workers have been slower to take it than residents
Public Health
Coronavirus News Roundup: March 6–March 12
Pandemic highlights for the week
