A meta-analysis seeks to be the last word on the effectiveness of masks, but finding answers in science isn’t that easy. By Kelsey Piper Here’s a seemingly simple question with a deeply unsimple answer: Do the masks that so many of us spent more than two years...
Why do labs keep making dangerous viruses?
A controversial new study involving an engineered version of Covid’s omicron variant raises new questions about research oversight. By Kelsey Piper The omicron variant of Covid-19 is more transmissible than earlier variants of the virus, which has helped...
What causes long Covid? Scientists are zeroing in on the answer.
“We are really working day and night” to figure out long Covid, one researcher said. By Yasmin Tayag Even as the number of new Covid-19 cases in the US is dropping, hundreds of thousands of Americans are still testing positive every day. More than 28 million new cases...
We need to wear better masks
Cloth masks won’t cut it against omicron. By Ellen Ioanes The rapid spread of the omicron variant means that many medical and public health experts are urging Americans to adopt better masking protocols to protect themselves and others from the spread of...
Are we turning the corner on Covid-19 treatments?
Covid-19 treatments are key to living with the virus. Here’s where we’re at. By Kelsey Piper When the vaccines against Covid-19 first started rolling out less than a year ago, there was widespread hope that it signaled the beginning of the end of the...
How much worse can the coronavirus get?
By Brian Resnick The delta variant of the coronavirus is here. It’s scary. It seems to spread more easily than any of the variants we’ve seen so far. It’s quickly becoming the dominant strain of the virus, outcompeting other strains. But it may not be the...