omicron

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to 86% of new COVID-19 cases stem from the latest mutation, JN.1. The most recent COVID vaccines are expected to help lower chances of serious illness or hospitalization from JN.1.

JN.1 takes over as the most prevalent COVID-19 variant. Here's what you need to know

3:00pm January 25, 2024

by Vanessa Romo

The CDC estimates that up to 86% of new COVID-19 cases stem from the latest mutation. The virus continues to evolve so rapidly that "our immune systems have not been able to keep up," an expert says.

Experts say the new COVID boosters are a much closer match to currently circulating variants than prior vaccines and boosters.

The new COVID boosters are coming: Here's what you need to know

8:52pm September 13, 2023

Updated versions of the mRNA vaccines roll out this week. Experts say they offer good protection against current COVID variants. Who should get them, and when's the best time to roll up your sleeve?

Print a poster version of this comic to hang up on your fridge or give away to friends. Download the poster here.

Popular COVID FAQs in 2022: Outdoor risks, boosters, 1-way masking, faint test lines

11:08pm December 20, 2022

by Marc Silver

Let's revisit some of 2022's still relevant queries. Like: Does one-way masking help? What's the risk of outdoor transmission? What's up with faint lines on tests?

Travelers at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, China on Dec. 12. China's public health officials say up to 800 million people could be infected with the coronavirus over the next few months.

Health & Safety

COVID spreading faster than ever in China. 800 million could be infected this winter

12:10pm December 15, 2022

Scientists predict China will see the largest COVID surge of the pandemic this winter, with hundreds of millions of people infected. But some experts say that it could have been even worse.

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New COVID variants that are highly immune evasive have overtaken BA.5 to dominate in the U.S. Experts warn this means more reinfections and a possible winter surge.

New omicron subvariants now dominant in the U.S., raising fears of a winter surge

5:20pm November 11, 2022

by Rob Stein

Step aside, BA.5. The new variants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, appear to be among the most adept yet at evading immunity from previous infection and vaccination.

An electron microscope image shows a SARS-CoV-2 particle isolated in the early days of the pandemic. It's been nearly a year since omicron was first detected, and scientists say this branch of the coronavirus family tree is still thriving.

Omicron keeps finding new evolutionary tricks to outsmart our immunity

5:02am October 25, 2022

by Rob Stein

SARS-CoV-2 is evolving "rapidly," spawning one new variant after another. But omicron continues to dominate, raising new questions about how evolution of the virus is headed.

Health & Safety

Latest COVID booster now available in North Carolina for kids 5 and older

12:03pm October 14, 2022

by David Ford

The updated COVID-19 booster is now available in North Carolina for children and teens five and older.

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.

The new booster shot would be an update to Pfizer's current version of the shot, which was designed for the original strain of the coronavirus.

Health & Safety

Pfizer asks FDA to greenlight new omicron booster shots, which could arrive this fall

1:33pm August 22, 2022

Pfizer has submitted data on its bivalent COVID-19 booster shot that specifically targets the latest omicron subvariants. If authorized, the company says the shots could be ready as soon as September.

The FDA is trying to make "bivalent" COVID vaccines, which target two different antigens, available as soon as September.

Reformulated COVID vaccine boosters may be available earlier than expected

11:17am July 26, 2022

by Rob Stein

The Biden administration may scrap plans to expand eligibility for second boosters to younger adults. Instead, it's trying to speed up the next generation of boosters targeting the omicron variant.

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