Public Health
Can We Really Develop a Safe, Effective Coronavirus Vaccine?
We don’t know for sure, but if we can, it probably won’t be easy, cheap or fast
"The Coronavirus Outbreak"
Public Health
When Can We Lift the Coronavirus Pandemic Restrictions? Not Before Taking These Steps
Johns Hopkins health security expert Tom Inglesby discusses the need for widespread testing, protective equipment and face coverings
Public Health
Heart Damage in COVID-19 Patients Puzzles Doctors
Up to one in five hospitalized patients have signs of heart injury. Cardiologists are trying to learn whether the virus attacks the organ
Behavior
Can India Contain the Pandemic?
Public health interventions can work in this poor and populous country—but only if the people are involved in designing and implementing them
Public Health
Medical Students Can Give Vital Help in the COVID-19 Crisis
They’re not full-fledged physicians, but they’ve been learning important skills that can take the pressure off credentialed M.D.s
Policy
COVID-19: The Need for Secure Labs—and Their Risks
Coronavirus research requires high-containment labs. Journalist Elisabeth Eaves talks with Scientific American contributing editor W. Wayt Gibbs about her article “The Risks of Building Too Many Bio Labs,” a joint project of the New Yorker and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ...
Public Health
How Sewage Could Reveal True Scale of Coronavirus Outbreak
Wastewater testing could also be used as an early-warning sign if the virus returns
Public Health
Why Social Media Is Crucial for Frontline Physicians in the Fight against COVID-19
The disease spreads so fast and is so poorly understood that doctors and researchers are sharing their findings on Twitter and Facebook, not medical journals
Mental Health
COVID-19 Is Likely to Lead to an Increase in Suicides
The psychosocial repercussions of this crisis could make the tragedy even worse
Public Health
Coronavirus Disrupts Vital Field Research—Including Disease Transmission Work
Scientists across the globe have been cut off from sites and experimental resources—or stranded abroad
Public Health
Why the Coronavirus Slipped Past Disease Detectives
Groups of scientists tasked with identifying pandemic-prone microbes were stretched too far and thin
Behavior
Polling Shows Signs of Public Trust in Institutions amid the Pandemic
The ongoing effort to fight COVID-19 wins broad support, even across partisan divides
Public Health
Map Reveals Hidden U.S. Hotspots of Coronavirus Infection
By adjusting for population, researchers have identified rural areas in several states that could be disproportionally affected by COVID-19
Health
Cats Can Get Coronavirus, Study Suggests—but Pet Owners Need Not Panic
Scientists say it is unclear whether felines can spread the virus to people
Public Health
Antibiotic Resistance Could Lead to More COVID-19 Deaths
Secondary bacterial infections are part of the problem, and we need to ramp up research on new drugs to fight them
Public Health
Scientists Fear Second Coronavirus Wave as China’s Lockdowns Ease
Other countries on lockdown will be watching for a resurgence of infections in Hubei province now that travel restrictions are lifting
EARTH
Coronavirus Lockdowns Have Changed the Way Earth Moves
A reduction in seismic noise because of changes in human activity is a boon for geoscientists
Space & Physics
NASA Moon Program and Hubble Telescope Successor Face COVID-19 Delays
Space agencies must balance keeping staff safe and meeting launch deadlines
Public Health
U.S. Clears More Than 5,000 Outpatient Centers as Makeshift Hospitals in COVID-19 Crisis
Ambulatory surgery centers, normally restricted to day use, can now take noninfected patients from hospitals
Public Health
Social Media Posts and Online Searches Hold Vital Clues about Pandemic Spread
Such data offer valuable information and could help track the novel coronavirus—but they risk errors and raise privacy concerns
