COVID

Science

Humans traveled less during COVID restrictions. Animals traveled more

4:46pm June 08, 2023

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Animals being tracked by scientists tended to travel longer distances in the early months of the pandemic, when people stayed home. The wildlife also ventured closer to roads.

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 Now that the official COVID-19 global emergency is no longer in effect, some folks are thrilled to stop masking — but others wonder if it's a good idea to keep up certain precautions.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.

Cars line up during a Forsyth County COVID-19 testing event

Forsyth County officials recognize the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency

2:02pm May 11, 2023

by April Laissle

Forsyth County commemorated the end of the official COVID-19 public health emergency at a press conference Thursday.

Facing public pressure, federal regulators have decided to let patients receive prescriptions for controlled substances via telehealth for at least another six months.

Health & Safety

The pandemic-era rule that lets you get telehealth prescriptions just got extended

5:13pm May 10, 2023

by Yuki Noguchi

Telehealth flourished during the pandemic thanks to relaxed rules that allowed prescribing without an in-person visit. Federal officials have decided to keep that in place for the time being.

Queue Listen Now

Scientists haven't unraveled the cause of long COVID. But evidence is growing that an ongoing viral infection could be driving the symptoms, at least in some patients.

Health & Safety

Why viral reservoirs are a prime suspect for long COVID sleuths

10:41am May 02, 2023

by Will Stone

Scientists are turning up more evidence that some people may harbor a viral reservoir in the wake of COVID-19. What could that tell us about long COVID?

Queue Listen Now

Kat Yetka (left) pours the wastewater sample over a filter (right), negatively-charged to better capture COVID virus particles.

Health & Safety

Tracking health threats, one sewage sample at a time

5:01am April 24, 2023

Researchers in Virginia Beach, Va., show how they test wastewater for signs of COVID-19, and how they're preparing to look for other health threats.

A raccoon dog looks out of its cage in a Chinese live animal market in January 2004. Raccoon dogs could have been an initial host for the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

World News

Raccoon dogs may have been linked to the pandemic. What are they?

11:40am March 18, 2023

by Kaitlyn Radde

The wild animals are more similar to foxes than to domesticated dogs. Data that suggested a link between raccoon dogs and the origins of the COVID pandemic was removed from an international database.

A sign requiring the wearing of face masks is displayed at the testing center for visitors to the White House on July 30, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Are there places you should still mask in, forever? Three experts weigh in

2:13pm February 10, 2023

by Carmen Molina Acosta

NPR asked COVID-19 experts how we should keep weighing risk as we enter the fourth year of the pandemic.

Queue Listen Now

Starting May 11 most people will have to pay for those at-home test kits for COVID-19, as the federal government's declaration of a COVID-19 public health emergency officially ends.

COVID test kits, treatments and vaccines won't be free to many consumers much longer

5:00am February 08, 2023

by Julie Appleby

Insurers, employers, taxpayers and other consumers will all be affected as drugmakers move these products to the commercial market in May. How much you'll pay depends on your health insurance.

Fifth-graders wearing face masks sit at proper social distancing during a music class at the Milton Elementary School in Rye, N.Y., May 18, 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered classrooms set back learning in some U.S. school systems by more than a year, with children in high-poverty areas affected the most, according to data shared with The Associated Press.

COVID-19 is a leading cause of death among children, but is still rare

4:25am January 31, 2023

by Ayana Archie

Children ages 19 and under died from COVID-19 at a rate at 1 per 100,000, making it rare, but still a leading cause of death among that age group.