Our 11 most-read global pandemic stories of 2021
From India to Israel to white-tailed deer in Iowa harboring the coronavirus, our top COVID stories of the year reveal the ever-changing nature of the world's health crisis.
COVID-19
Omicron is spreading. Dr. Ashish Jha answers 9 questions about it and what you can do
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public Health, about safely navigating the holidays amid rising COVID case numbers.
The scientist in Botswana who identified omicron was saddened by the world's reaction
He and his team were stunned by the number of mutations. They felt they'd made a contribution by alerting the world to a dangerous variant. Then came the travel bans for residents of southern Africa.
A tantalizing clue to why omicron is spreading so quickly
A new study from the University of Hong Kong offers preliminary information that could explain why this new coronavirus variant may be more transmissible.
Portugal has one of the top vaccination rates but isn't taking chances with omicron
Scientists are watching how Portugal and other highly vaccinated countries are faring against the coronavirus' new omicron variant.
California allows San Francisco to maintain existing COVID-19 masking rules
Starting Wednesday, a statewide mask mandate was back in effect, but vaccinated San Francisco residents will be allowed to go without face coverings inside gyms and workplaces.
Early demand for Christmas trees fueled in part by pandemic
This holiday season Christmas trees began flying off lots and choose-and-cut farms well before Thanksgiving and sold out in many areas weeks before Christmas Day.
German police move against an alleged murder plot by anti-vaccination extremists
The police conducted raids in the city of Dresden and the nearby town of Heidenau come after a group allegedly organized online to kill Saxony's state premier, Michael Kretschmer.
Colleges go back to drawing board — again — to fight COVID
Many colleges are telling students to prepare for another term of masking, testing and, if cases get bad, limits around social life.
Cornell shuts down its Ithaca campus after significant signs of omicron variant found
The campus reported nearly 500 new cases of COVID-19 among the student body. The new omicron variant was detected "in a significant number" of positive tests, the university said.