pandemic

The African country, previously credited for high childhood vaccination rates, was 1 of 4 countries to reject COVID vaccines. Now they've done a 180. It's unclear if its citizens will go along.

Yes, that was the plan. Then along came the delta variant. And now people who are vaccinated are wondering: Are there circumstances in which a mask would be advisable?

The World Health Organization has reported a downturn after 8 weeks of increasing cases. But the good news comes with a large dose of caution.

The CDC says COVID-19 was the largest factor, along with drug overdoses, homicides, diabetes and chronic liver disease. The decline was even greater for Hispanic men.

That's the number of "excess deaths" from January 2020 to June 2021, reflecting the true toll of COVID-19, say researchers in a new study. What the big disparity?

John Baptist Mukasa is one of the 4 million-plus people around the globe who have died because of this pandemic. His death is a reminder of the devastating toll of COVID-19.

Critics say volunteering abroad does not always benefit local communities. The coronavirus travel bans have led to a different approach for volunteers who want to donate their services.

The pandemic has hurt even routine health services such as vaccines and checkups, as well as immunization outreach, for children around the world, the World Health Organization and UNICEF report.

We asked NPR readers to share photos of the objects they can't live without during the pandemic. Their responses are funny, surprising — and some might make you tear up.