COVID

A view of the White House before an event on the South Lawn September 21, 2007 in Washington, DC.

The White House plans to end COVID emergency declarations in May

7:20pm January 30, 2023

by Dana Farrington

The declarations have been extended several times since they were first enacted back in 2020. The plan could have implications for several COVID-related policies, such as funds for tests and vaccines.

Reporter and parent Selena Simmons Duffin checked with infectious disease experts to learn how strategies from the coronavirus pandemic can be adapted to help parents keep their little ones and the whole family from sharing cold and flu viruses.

Health & Safety

Your kids are adorable germ vectors. Here's how often they get your household sick

5:33pm January 26, 2023

by Maria Godoy

After months of COVID, flu and RSV infections, parents of little kids are kinda losing it. But the data shows kids have always brought home waves of respiratory illness.

A woman poses for a selfie on a bridge decorated with lanterns at a public park in Beijing on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023.

World News

China is celebrating the Lunar New Year, with most COVID rules lifted

4:15am January 22, 2023

by The Associated Press

People across China rang in the Lunar New Year on Sunday with large family gatherings and crowds visiting temples after the government lifted its strict "zero-COVID" policy.

Rapid antigen tests are ubiquitous, but some Americans have learned the hard way that a negative test result isn't necessarily the final word.

Health & Safety

Is it time for a reality check on rapid COVID tests?

5:04pm January 19, 2023

by Sydney Lupkin

At-home rapid tests have become a staple of COVID-19 precautions, but some experts worry that people are relying too much on these tests and that's creating a false sense of security.

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In hopes of getting a better sense of which SARS-CoV-2 variants might be coming into the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently expanded its voluntary testing of some passengers exiting from international flights at certain airports.

China's COVID surge prompts CDC to expand a hunt for new variants among air travelers

7:01am January 14, 2023

by Rob Stein

It would make more sense to screen a plane's wastewater to look for new variants than to screen individual passenger volunteers, some researchers say. Others say any information is helpful.

Gerhardt Boukes, chief scientist at Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, formulates mRNA for use in a new vaccine against COVID-19. The company — based in Cape Town, South Africa — is the linchpin of a global project to enable low- and middle-income countries to make mRNA vaccines against all manner of diseases.

How a scrappy African startup could forever change the world of vaccines

11:20am December 29, 2022

by Nurith Aizenman

Afrigen is the linchpin of global project to use mRNA technology to empower low-resource countries to make their own vaccines against killer diseases from TB to HIV. What will it take to succeed?

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Inbound travelers wait for hours to board buses to leave for quarantine hotels and facilities from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in southern China's Guangdong province on Dec. 25.

World News

U.S. will require travelers from China to show negative COVID test before flight

4:39pm December 28, 2022

by Ashley Ahn

In announcing the step, the CDC pointed to the surge in COVID-19 cases in China. The measure will go into effect on Jan. 5 for all passengers over the age of 2.

Economy

New president at Old Salem navigates the changing COVID landscape

5:06am December 27, 2022

by David Ford

Old Salem Museum and Gardens has new leadership. After serving as interim president and CEO following the departure of Frank Vagnone, Terry Taylor was selected by the trustees to take the reins permanently. His tenure begins at a challenging time for historic properties.

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Liang from Beijing, center, looks on as his 82-year-old grandmother is brought in a casket to the Gaobeidian Funeral Home in northern China's Hebei province on Dec. 22, 2022. Liang's grandmother had been unvaccinated when she came down with coronavirus symptoms, and had spent her final days hooked to a respirator in a Beijing ICU.

China has stopped publishing daily COVID data amid reports of a huge spike in cases

11:17am December 25, 2022

by Robbie Griffiths

China's National Health Commission said in a statement it would no longer publish daily data and that "from now on, the Chinese CDC will release relevant COVID information for reference and research."

In 2021, the three leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer and COVID-19.

Health & Safety

American life expectancy is now at its lowest in nearly two decades

6:00am December 22, 2022

by Yuki Noguchi

A new report shows the pandemic and the overdose crisis helped push down the average life expectancy in the U.S. for a second year in a row.

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