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
"The Coronavirus Outbreak"
Vaccines
Boosters Can Help End the COVID Pandemic
The extra shot doesn’t mean that vaccines are ineffective; our bodies just need a reminder
Vaccines
How Scientists Can Update COVID Vaccines against Omicron
A microbiologist explains how Pfizer and Moderna would rapidly adjust mRNA vaccines
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.You can listen to all past episodes here...
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
Public Health
Why COVID Deaths Have Surpassed AIDS Deaths in the U.S.
On World AIDS Day, why global COVID deaths are a fraction of global AIDS deaths
Pharmaceuticals
How the New Antiviral Pills Help Thwart COVID
A drug made by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics—which an FDA panel recently greenlit—and one made by Pfizer work in different ways, but both prevent the virus from replicating...
Vaccines
Omicron Is Here: A Lack of COVID Vaccines Is Partly Why
Global players need to get more vaccines to African nations and convince more people to take them
Vaccines
We Need School-Age Vaccine Mandates to End the COVID Pandemic
Vaccine refusal by parents is not about a lack of education, but amassing social status
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
Vaccines
COVID Quickly, Episode 19: Mandate Roadblocks, Boosters for All and Sickness in the Zoo
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...
Physiology
COVID Can Cause Strange Eye and Ear Symptoms
From conjunctivitis to vertigo, coronavirus infections can affect disparate senses
Vaccines
This Cheap Device Could Expand the World’s Access to Vaccines
A new delivery method for certain vaccines could make the lifesaving treatments more effective and accessible
Vaccines
COVID Quickly, Episode 18: Vaccines for Kids and the Limits of Natural Immunity
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...
Vaccines
Why Vaccine Doses Differ for Kids and Adults
An immunologist explains how the immune system changes as people mature
Vaccines
Trust Us: Nurses Are at the Breaking Point
The pandemic has brought the nursing profession into crisis; the solution is in the public’s hands
Vaccines
COVID Vaccine Authorized for Kids Aged 5 to 11
The FDA’s decision to expand eligibility for the Pfizer vaccine to young kids could mean less illness, safer school and more freedom
Vaccines
How COVID Vaccines for Young Kids Could Change the Pandemic
As U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers recommend authorizing shots for children aged five to 11, researchers predict what this might mean for populations
Mental Health
COVID Expanded the Boundaries of Personal Space—Maybe for Good
Our physical safety perimeters have widened, a study suggests
Animals
Home Alone: The Fate of Postpandemic Dogs
Our canine companions have become accustomed to having their humans around 24/7
