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.
Aleksandar Zdravkovic / Tetra Images / Getty / The Atlantic
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.
Why Can’t We Just Call BA.2 Omicron?
Whatever happened to the simpler Greek-letter naming system?
The Final Pandemic Betrayal
Millions of people are still mourning loved ones lost to COVID, their grief intensified, prolonged, and even denied by the politics of the pandemic.
America Created Its Own Booster Problems
Months of confusing messaging, piled onto existing inequities, kneecapped America’s booster campaign before it had really started.
Is It Time to Start Masking Again?
Well, that depends.
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America Is Staring Down Its First So What? Wave
The United States could be in for a double whammy: a surge it cares to neither measure nor respond to.
Seriously, Why Not Get a Fourth Shot?
The risks from over-boosting are very small.
Why Kids’ COVID-Vaccine Results Don’t Look Like Adults’
After a stellar run in adult and teen trials, the vaccines are now trying to contend with Omicron, and the numbers show it.
America Is About to Test How Long ‘Normal’ Can Hold
Whenever it arrives, the next surge could put the country’s tolerance for disease and death in full relief.
Get Ready for a Wave of Missed Infections
At last, rapid COVID tests are everywhere—and that means a surge of false-negative results.
America’s Flu-Shot Problem Is Also Its Next COVID-Shot Problem
The successes and failures of annual flu-shot campaigns hold lessons for the future of COVID vaccines.
Another COVID Wave Is Looming
How bad will it be?
A New Strategy for Staying One Step Ahead of the Virus
We’re tracking how the virus is changing over time. Why not monitor immunity too?
How to Time Your Second Booster
The effects of the first one may be fading. When will it be time for seniors to re-up?
The Pandemic After the Pandemic
Long COVID isn’t going away, and we still do not have a way to fully prevent it, cure it, or really to quantify it.
The Coronavirus’s Next Move
Here are four shapes that the next variant might take—which will also dictate the shape of our response.
How Did This Many Deaths Become Normal?
The U.S. is nearing 1 million recorded COVID-19 deaths without the social reckoning that such a tragedy should provoke. Why?
The Biden Administration Killed America’s Collective Pandemic Approach
Protections meant to shield everyone can’t be a matter of personal preference.
Next Winter, What If We Test for Even More Viruses?
Cough? Test. Stuffiness? Test. Scratchy throat? Test.
We Might Not Need Annual COVID Shots
The vaccines will need an update at some point. But not every variant of concern will warrant one.
Omicron Revived a Heartbreaking Pandemic Measure in NICUs
With cases rising, more parents were having to isolate from their vulnerable newborns.
We’re Entering the Control Phase of the Pandemic
The virus isn’t done with us. So we need a new approach to dealing with it.
The Millions of People Stuck in Pandemic Limbo
What does society owe immunocompromised people?
Post-Omicron Life Can Be Downright Maddening
How to live with the uncertainty of not knowing what comes next
The COVID Strategy America Hasn’t Really Tried
The clearest way to reduce deaths is to push to vaccinate more of the elderly—yes, still!
How to Reclaim Normal Life Without Being ‘Done’
This next phase of the pandemic doesn’t have to be about what we can’t do.
Vaccine Hesitancy Has Seeped Into Home Health Care
Many direct-care workers are unsure about the COVID-19 vaccines, leaving the people who depend on their labor that much more vulnerable.
What Actually Changed for Little Kids’ Vaccines?
Authorizing two shots for little kids right now could be a double gamble.
Should We Go All In on Omicron Vaccines?
A shot designed for Omicron can teach the immune system about Omicron. But it might not prepare us for whatever comes next.
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Endemicity Is Meaningless
The coronavirus will be with us forever. But we still have no idea what happens next.
The Coronavirus Will Surprise Us Again
The variant after Omicron could look very different from any yet.
Omicron Is Driving Delta Into the Ground
But the older variant isn’t quite dead yet.
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What You Can Actually Do After an Omicron Infection
And what you still can’t
Why a Three-Dose Vaccine for Young Kids Might Actually Work Out
We still don’t know when exactly the shots are coming, but there’s reason to hope that vaccine makers’ current plans are on the right track.
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Will Omicron Leave Most of Us Immune?
The variant is spreading widely, but won’t necessarily give us strong protection from new infections.
Families Are Going Rogue With Rapid Tests
Scientifically speaking, it’s gross.
It’s a Terrible Idea to Deny Medical Care to Unvaccinated People
Omicron is pushing hospitals to their limit, but the medical system still has an ethical responsibility to all patients—no matter the choices they make.
The Worst of the Omicron Wave Could Still Be Coming
A long descent from a peak in cases could exact a larger toll than even Omicron’s blistering ascent.
Calling Omicron ‘Mild’ Is Wishful Thinking
We are far past the point of hoping that this variant will spare us.
COVID-Hospitalization Numbers Are as Bad as They Look
Many supposedly “incidental” infections aren’t really incidental, and cannot be dismissed.
Should Teen Boys Get Boosted?
Third shots for adolescent boys and young men were already a hard sell. Then came Omicron.
Omicron Is Forcing Us to Rethink Mild COVID
The staggering number of infections among the vaccinated is changing Americans’ pandemic mindset.
One-Way Masking Works
If you’re vaccinated, boosted, and wearing an N95, you’re protected—no matter what others are doing.
COVID Isolation Is a Lot Like … Muffin Baking
Stay with me.
Hospitals Are in Serious Trouble
Omicron is inundating a health-care system that was already buckling under the cumulative toll of every previous surge.
America’s COVID Rules Are a Dumpster Fire
If you’re confused by the CDC’s new isolation guidelines, you’re not the only one.
Should I Just Get Omicron Over With?
If you’re vaccinated, an infection might not make you super sick, but don’t count on it making you super immune, either.
Stop Wasting COVID Tests, People
With the surge in cases, tests should be reserved for those who need them most.
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Our Relationship With COVID Vaccines Is Just Getting Started
We probably will need additional shots. But just how many depends on our immune systems, the virus, and how often they collide.
Omicron Is Pushing America Into Soft Lockdown
Nobody wants to mandate business closures, but so many people are getting sick that businesses are closing anyway.
There’s No Way Americans Will Cancel Their Travel Plans
Many people are gathering for the holidays no matter what. Here’s how to do that as safely as possible.
How Long Does Omicron Take to Make You Sick?
The new variant seems to be our quickest one yet. That makes it harder to catch with the tests we have.
We Know Enough About Omicron to Know That We’re in Trouble
More data will soon be coming in. But how much do they really matter?
Fully Vaccinated Is About to Mean Something Else
The CDC might update the definition very soon, even though we still don’t know for sure how many shots we’ll need.
The CDC’s Flawed Case for Wearing Masks in School
The agency’s director has said, repeatedly, that schools without mask mandates have triple the risk of COVID outbreaks. That claim is based on very shaky science.
America Is Not Ready for Omicron
The new variant poses a far graver threat at the collective level than the individual one—the kind of test that the U.S. has repeatedly failed.
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Don’t Be Surprised When You Get Omicron
America is in for a lot more breakthrough infections. Here’s what to do if you fall sick.
A Guide to Mixed-Vaccination-Status Holidays
We’ve broken down the chances of transmission at a gathering with one unvaccinated adult, multiple unvaccinated adults, and unvaccinated or semi-vaccinated kids.
T Cells Might Be Our Bodies’ Best Shot Against Omicron
The new variant may undermine some vaccine-derived defenses. But the immune system’s best assassins are likely to hold the line.