Global Health

Fever is a possible side effect of a COVID19 vaccine.

Health & Safety

Coronavirus FAQ: What does it mean if the booster knocks me out? What if it doesn't?

6:49pm December 10, 2021

by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred

Vaccine and booster side effects can include fever, aches and fatigue. And this may be the first vaccine in history where people complain if they don't experience side effects, says one doctor.

At-home rapid COVID-19 tests, like this one from Abbott, can be difficult to find and cost-prohibitive for some families.

How the U.S. got on the slow track with at-home COVID tests

12:01pm December 10, 2021

by Yuki Noguchi

With a fast-growing winter surge upon us, self-testing kits remain expensive and hard to find. The reasons go back to the approach the U.S. took from the outset in developing tests.

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Despite global pledges on vaccine supply, only 7% of Africa's population is vaccinated.

Fix the global vaccine rollout or face even worse COVID variants, experts warn

5:00pm December 09, 2021

by Ashish Valentine

The world has "lost the plot" on equitable vaccine access and is falling far short of targets to vaccinate the global south, according to scathing assessments from experts.

Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa, left, and her mom, Anne Sikwibele, at the airport in Lusaka, Zambia, in November. Musiitwa, who lives in Washington, D.C., is worried that her mom may not be able to visit the U.S. for Christmas. In an effort to stem the spread o

Opinion: I want my mom to see her grandkids for Christmas. Travel bans make it tough

4:55pm December 09, 2021

by Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa

Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa was planning for her mom to fly from Zambia to the U.S. for Christmas. Ever-changing travel bans are making it seem like a holiday dream that won't come true.

Studies suggest sharp drop in vaccine protection vs. omicron — yet cause for optimism

5:03pm December 08, 2021

by Michaeleen Doucleff

In small studies in South Africa and in Germany, the results indicate a marked decrease in the ability of vaccines to neutralize this variant. But there are other findings that are encouraging.

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Dr. Naresh Aggarwal talks in April with Jennifer Bain, who volunteered for a study of Medicago's COVID-19 vaccine in Toronto.

Health & Safety

A COVID vaccine grown in plants measures up

5:48pm December 07, 2021

by Joe Palca

A COVID-19 vaccine from a Canadian biotech firm has been found effective at preventing moderate to severe disease. It could soon become the first plant-based vaccine authorized for human use.

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An excerpt of an apology made by Bangkok Post on Dec. 4. The Thai media outlet apologized for using racist language in a headline on a Dec. 2 story about the omicron variant. The headline read, "Government hunts for African visitors."

Opinion: I'm shocked by the racist cartoons and travel bans sparked by omicron

5:23pm December 07, 2021

by Ifeanyi Nsofor

The variant is bringing out the worst in some Western governments and global media outlets, says Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor, a global health advocate in Nigeria.

More people died of malaria in 2020 than in 2019. Here's why

1:59pm December 06, 2021

by Joanne Silberner

A new report from the World Health Organization contains some encouraging numbers but also cause for concern, with both cases and deaths on the upswing last year. The pandemic is just one reason.

Guatemala's rural and indigenous communities are hit hardest by COVID-19

8:09am December 05, 2021

by Maria Martin

The Mayan communities of Guatemala are among the world's most vulnerable when it comes to COVID-19 due to many factors, including their centuries-long marginalization by the country's ruling elite.

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Africa is struggling with low vaccination rate

8:09am December 05, 2021

Ayesha Rascoe asks epidemiologist Saad Omer of the Yale Institute for Global Health about the challenges many poorer nations still face in their vaccination efforts.

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