coronavirus
How to Travel Solo During the Pandemic
The way we travel may be changing with the spread of Covid-19, but here are ways to stay informed and stay as safe as possible.
By Anne McCarthy
18 Face Masks We Actually Like to Wear
Our tips and picks to up your mask game—whether you’re heading back to the office or just want to stay safe and stylish.
By Adrienne So
How to Get a Covid-19 Booster Shot
Here's everything you need to know about finding and receiving the booster shot in the age of Omicron.
By Matt Jancer
13 Face Masks Your Kids May Actually Wear
Your child still needs to cover up for school and group play. These are the styles my little ones will tolerate.
By Adrienne So
How to Order Your Free At-Home Covid-19 Tests
The US government is finally sending 4 at-home tests to every household. Here's how to get yours, and how to troubleshoot common problems.
By Medea Giordano
10 Rapid At-Home Covid-19 Tests—and Where to Find Them
How accurate are rapid at-home tests? Does your insurance cover them? We have answers.
By Brenda Stolyar
10 Good N95, KN95, and Surgical Face Masks to Buy Right Now
Here are the best disposable masks we've tested and researched so far—and where you can find them.
By Eric Ravenscraft
A Pandemic Historian Warns Us All to Stop Looking at the Past
Being trapped in my own quarantine reminded me of how little we’ve learned.
By Howard Markel
Pregnant People Are Still Not Getting Vaccinated Against Covid
Misinformation and muddled public health messaging have failed expectant parents. Now Omicron's surge is putting both carriers and babies at risk.
By Grace Browne
As Omicron Surges, Parents of the Youngest Kids Wait for Vaccines
With vaccine authorization months away and schools in chaos now, families fret over how best to protect their children.
By Maryn McKenna
This AI Software Nearly Predicted Omicron’s Tricky Structure
New algorithms that decipher complex sequences of amino acids offered an early view of the coronavirus variant. They could point the way to future drugs.
By Tom Simonite
This Is the Year of the Shadow Pandemic
The long-tail consequences of fighting Covid-19 must be mitigated—in education, women’s rights, climate, and more.
By Kersti Kaljulaid
Covid Will Become Endemic. The World Must Decide What That Means
The task of 2022 will be figuring out how much action we’re willing to take and how much disease and death we’ll tolerate.
By Maryn McKenna
2021 Revealed the Depths of Global Vaccine Inequity
Previous pandemics saw rich countries grabbing up vaccine supplies, leaving poor countries behind. Has the world learned nothing since?
By Grace Browne
18 Hours of Omicron Chaos at Schiphol Airport
On November 25, two planes took off from South Africa for Amsterdam. By the time they landed, the Omicron variant had thrown the world into chaos.
By Chris Stokel-Walker
How Science Will Solve the Omicron Variant’s Mysteries
So far, panic about the mysterious new Covid variant has outpaced actual information. Here’s what scientists around the world are trying to uncover.
By WIRED Staff
To Help People With Long Covid, Scientists Need to Define It
Patients with the perplexing syndrome have reported 200 different symptoms. Researchers will have to decide which to study—and rule out.
By Maryn McKenna
Austria’s Covid Surge Is a Warning to the World
As the nation locks down and plans a vaccine mandate, a bleak second pandemic winter risks overwhelming Europe and beyond.
By David Cox
New Covid Drugs Are Here—and They Could Change the Pandemic
Two antivirals could help beat Covid-19 in countries that don’t have vaccines yet. They just need to work as promised.
By Adam Rogers
Moderna's CEO on the Fight Over the Covid-19 Vaccine's Future
The roadblocks to getting the Covid-19 vaccine into poorer countries partially come down to a contentious patent dispute.
By Brent Rose
Merck’s Antiviral Could Be Just What Covid Was Waiting For
The pharmaceutical giant is making its oral antiviral drug widely available for all the world. But could Covid outsmart it?
By Grace Browne
The Race Is On to Develop a Vaccine Against Every Coronavirus
A “universal” shot would protect against every branch of Covid’s viral family tree—even future ones. But getting there won’t be easy.
By Maryn McKenna
New Booster Approvals, Data on Kids' Shots, and More News
Catch up on the most important updates from this week.
By Eve Sneider
More Covid Vaccine Boosters Are Coming. Who Should Get Them?
Federal advisers meet again this week to discuss third shots, but it’s still not clear what the best timing is—or what the US owes the world.
By Maryn McKenna