The Coronavirus Outbreak

Antibiotics abound, but virus-fighting drugs are harder to come by. Fortunately, scientists are getting better at making and finding them

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus seems to be suddenly acquiring mutations at a rapid rate. The most worrying variants, first discovered in South Africa and Brazil, increase the virus’s contagiousness and may even help it evade the human immune system. These characteristics are helping the new variants outcompete the original virus, allowing them to spread quickly around the world.

Viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, are constantly evolving and acquiring mutations that don’t affect the virus much. The reason public health experts are concerned is that the new mutations improve the virus’s spike protein, which helps the pathogen enter cells and is the target of most vaccines. If the spike protein evolves sufficiently, the virus may eventually be able to reinfect individuals who have already had COVID-19 or been vaccinated against it.

But scientists say it will likely be years before the vaccine stops working entirely—if it ever does. In the meantime, social distancing remains the best way to fight the new mutants. After all, the more viruses that exist in the world, the greater the chance that one will evolve a dangerous mutation.

In this video, we explain what the new variants actually are, how they arise and spread, and what they could mean for the future of our ability to vaccinate ourselves against the virus.

Bottlenecks in supply chains and difficult appointment-registration systems are slowing distribution

Some evidence indicates that short waits are safe, but there is a chance that partial immunization could help risky new coronavirus variants to develop

No matter how effective vaccines are, they are not enough

Many U.S. states aren’t rigorously tracking or investigating suspected cases of reinfection

A survey of more than 30,000 households in developing countries shows increased food insecurity

Finding meaning for life’s milestones—in my case growing a child—can seem bizarre in COVID isolation

The coronavirus behind the pandemic can linger on doorknobs and other surfaces, but these aren’t a major source of infection

The scantness of available data leaves the decision up to the individual and their doctors, though benefits can outweigh risks in some cases

A dangerous lung illness stems from substandard vape liquids

Here is a guide to novel versions of the COVID-causing virus—and genetic changes that can make them more contagious and evasive in the body