SARS-CoV-2

A poster in Kolkata, India, from peak pandemic days sends a message to mask up. Now that the official COVID-19 global emergency is no longer in effect, some folks are thrilled to stop masking — but others wonder if it's a good idea to keep up certain precautions.

Coronavirus FAQ: 'Emergency' over! Do we unmask and grin? Or adjust our worries?

4:46pm May 12, 2023

by Fran Kritz

Now that official COVID emergency declarations have ended, how should people evaluate their risk of SARS-CoV-2? That's the subject of our frequently asked questions offering.

Security guards stand in front of the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 11, 2020, after the market had been closed following an outbreak of COVID-19 there. Two studies document samples of SARS-CoV-2 from stalls where live animals were sold.

What does the science say about the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic?

10:19pm February 28, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Two U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly support the lab leak theory — with low-to-moderate confidence. No evidence has been shared. Scientists have strong evidence of animal spillover at a market..

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A table showing documented cases of possible spillovers of dog coronavirus, pig coronavirus and MERS by year, animal and country.

How do pandemics begin? There's a new theory — and a new strategy to thwart them

5:00am February 15, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Animals carry millions of pathogens. So it's a daunting task to find the one with the greatest potential to spark a pandemic. Now scientists are rethinking the way they hunt for that next new virus.

Illustration of a person and a virus at a bar. The person says, "I've kept up with the pandemic, so I'm pretty much a virus expert now!" The virus responds, "Wanna bet?"

QUIZ: Test your knowledge of spillover viruses, starting with ... what are they?

11:26am January 30, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

As we launch a series about spillover viruses — like SARS-CoV-2, which triggered a global pandemic, you may have a lot of questions. So do we — 7, to be exact, in the quiz below.

China is doing many millions of tests a day to uncover cases of COVID-19 — part of its zero-COVID policy. Above: People line up for nucleic acid tests to detect the virus at a public testing site on Nov. 17 in Beijing.

Health & Safety

Why China's 'zero COVID' policy is finally faltering

5:03pm November 30, 2022

For nearly three years, China has enforced incredibly strict rules to keep coronavirus transmission in check. But now they're facing a potentially deadly omicron surge.

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The black flying fox is one of the bats in Australia that carries the Hendra virus — which sometimes spills over to horses, and humans, with devastating impact. Scientists are trying to figure out what triggers spillovers — and how to stop them.

An elegant way to stop deadly Hendra virus spillovers from bats to horses ... to us

12:27pm November 16, 2022

by Ari Daniel

New research points to a surprising way to stop spillovers of Hendra virus, which is harbored by bats. It's not often that it jumps to horses, then humans, but when it does, the result are brutal.

Sikhulile Moyo, the laboratory director at the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute and a research associate with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, headed the team that identified the omicron variant.

Whatever happened to the Botswana scientist who identified omicron — then caught it?

4:53pm September 02, 2022

by Melody Schreiber

Sikhulile Moyo led the team that first identified omicron — and was dismayed by the world's reaction — blaming and blacklisting African nations. He's now a bit more optimistic.

Cracking a window can help reduce your risk of infection by COVID pathogens.

Coronavirus FAQ: Got any tips on improving indoor air flow to reduce infection risks?

7:21pm June 29, 2022

by Melody Schreiber

"Ventilation is the way forward," says infectious disease doctor Abraar Karan of Stanford. Here's how to get better air flow at home, in schools and offices — even in gyms — to stave off COVID.

A woman wears a face shield to protect against COVID-19 at a taxi stand in Soweto, South Africa, where an omicron variant is causing a COVID-19 surge.

If you've had omicron before, are you safe from infection by the new variants?

7:09pm May 04, 2022

by Michaeleen Doucleff

New versions of omicron are circulating in the United States and South Africa. Two new studies shed light on the potential for future surges — and the risk factor if you've already had omicron.

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Health & Safety

Coronavirus FAQ: Testing confuses me! When to do it? Is 'negative' always reliable?

5:49pm April 15, 2022

by Melody Schreiber

With COVID case counts falling and rising, testing is critical. But how many days after exposure should I test? And if I have symptoms but test negative, might the test not be accurate?