Health

Vaccines Are Still Mostly Blocking Severe Disease

Our original-recipe shots are holding up against new variants. But we may need to improve them, and soon.

How the End of Roe Would Change Prenatal Care

Genetic testing is a routine part of pregnancy. Abortion restrictions are already shifting how doctors talk about the results.

So, Have You Heard About Monkeypox?

A new viral outbreak is testing whether the world has learned anything from COVID.

A Very Expensive, Technically Illegal Workaround to the Formula Shortage

While some parents struggle to get ahold of formula, others with the means and know-how are turning to the black market.

What COVID Hospitalization Numbers Are Missing

As COVID numbers tick up, hospitals are supposed to be ready to jump in as needed. Only, they never really had a reprieve.

How a SIDS Study Became a Media Train Wreck

An inspiring research project went viral for the wrong reasons.

We’ve Never Been Good at Feeding Babies

America’s current crisis has been in the works for decades.

Is a Common Virus Suddenly Causing Liver Failure in Kids?

No one knows exactly why hundreds of kids have shown up with hepatitis, but investigators have some ideas.

The U.S. Is About to Make a Big Gamble on Our Next COVID Winter

Experts are expected to choose a vaccine recipe for the fall, when Omicron may or may not still be the globe’s dominant variant.

The Promising Treatment for Long COVID We’re Not Even Trying

Early anecdotes about Paxlovid’s effects on long COVID are intriguing, but no one’s testing them in clinical trials yet.

What Did Medieval Peasants Know?

The internet has become strangely nostalgic for life in the Middle Ages.

Paxlovid Mouth Is Real—And Gross

“​​I imagine this is what grapefruit juice mixed with soap would taste like.”

‘Better Than Omicron’ Is Still Pretty Bad

Compared with what the U.S. saw in January, the current rise in cases so far looks pretty chill. Is it, though?

America Is Starting to See What COVID Immunity Really Looks Like

With time and effort, we can build enough protection to blunt surges—but herd immunity remains out of reach.

Are We in the Middle of an Invisible COVID Wave?

No one’s actually sure.

What the Fitness Industry Doesn’t Understand

A new generation of fitness instructors teaches simple skills that make a difference. Why is beginner-level exercise treated like a niche?

What Masks Off on Public Transit Means for the Pandemic

Why is this mandate different from all other mandates?

‘It’s Just Scaring People, and It’s Not Saving Lives’

Stories about the pandemic’s continuing risks for immunocompromised people may create unintended harms.

Have We Already Ruined Our Next COVID Summer?

A lot has changed since last year’s pre-Delta lull, but America can still reclaim some coronavirus-free chill—if it decides to commit.

Two Long Years

Your pandemic reflections