As Omicron spreads, some experts are calling for a switch to saliva-based tests, which may detect infections days earlier than nasal swabs do. By Emily Anthes Over the past two years, diagnosing a coronavirus infection has often required probing the nose. Health care...
A new study adds to evidence that common rapid tests may fail to detect some Omicron cases in the first days of infection. By Emily Anthes and Christina Jewett A small, new real-world study suggests that two widely used at-home antigen tests, the Abbott BinaxNOW and...
The variant will spread quickly through the United States, experts say. What happens after that is less certain. By Emily Anthes Even as scientists race to understand more about the Omicron variant and the threat it poses, one fact is abundantly clear: It...
America’s response to the variant highlights both how much progress we have made over the past two years — and how much work remains. By Emily Anthes When scientists discovered the highly mutated Omicron variant of the coronavirus last month, it set off an eerily...
People who experience breakthrough infections of the coronavirus after being fully vaccinated are about 50 percent less likely to experience long Covid than are unvaccinated people who catch the virus, researchers said in a large new report on British adults. The...
By Emily Anthes The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new Covid-19 guidelines for schools on Monday, recommending that everyone over age 2 wear masks this fall, even if they have been vaccinated. Exceptions may be made for those with medical or...