A Covid-19 variant is buzzing back to life after years of flying under the radar. Nicknamed “Cicada” for its long hibernation period and noisy return, the strain is now fueling a steady rise in cases around the globe — including in the US. Early data suggests the highly mutated strain could be especially contagious, putting … Read more
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise nationwide, a new variant dubbed “Pirola” has experts worried. Also referred to as BA.2.86, Pirola is a highly mutated variant of the Omicron strain of the coronavirus, which emerged in 2021 and led to a frightful spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths. “When Omicron hit in the winter of … Read more
To mask, or not to mask? That is the question facing many doctors, public health officials and concerned citizens worldwide, as cases of COVID-19 once again tick upward. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on Thursday that there’s a new, “highly mutated variant” of the coronavirus named BA.2.86 that’s spreading worldwide. … Read more
A new COVID vaccine is due out next month, but health experts and analysts say it is likely to be coolly received even as hospitalizations from “Eris”, a variant of the Omicron form of the coronavirus, rise around the country. Some public health experts hope that Americans will welcome the new shot as they would … Read more
The EG.5 variant now makes up the largest proportion of new COVID-19 infections nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated, as multiple parts of the country have been reporting their first upticks of the virus in months. Overall, as of Friday, 17.3% of COVID-19 cases nationwide were projected to be caused by EG.5, … Read more
A new subvariant of COVID-19 is increasing in the US and is now responsible for nearly 10% of all new cases, according to alerts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization. The CDC estimates that omicron strain XBB.1.16 — more commonly known as “Arcturus” — was the cause of 9.6% … Read more
A new COVID variant is causing concern in India — and it may be 1.2 times more infectious than the Kraken variant. The new strain, dubbed “Arcturus,” has increased 13-fold in the last month in the country. Arcturus — technically the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 — caused India’s health ministry to launch mock drills in order … Read more
An LSD-like drug could treat depression in humans without sending patients on a Magical Mystery Tour, according to a new scientific study. As the use of hallucinogenic drugs for recreational and therapeutic purposes soared to new heights in the US, scientists discovered new variants that appeared to ease anxiety and depression in rodents without delivering … Read more
As colder weather sets in, public health experts are keeping a close eye on COVID-19 variants that could spell doom and gloom this winter, just like omicron did last year. Yet these nascent variants that are rapidly spreading abroad have an evil twist that omicron lacked: an ability to evade the drugs that humans have … Read more
New research may explain why some people with COVID-19 only experience minor, flu-like symptoms and others have severe disease that can result in death. It may be the most baffling quirk of COVID: While some infected individuals only have minor, flu-like symptoms, in others COVID-19 can spiral into severe disease, disability, and even death. A … Read more
All over the world, the rates of death and hospitalization from COVID keep dropping. But our successful mitigation of the worst outcomes of the 33-month-old pandemic belie a growing crisis. More and more people are surviving COVID and staying out of the hospital, but more and more people are also living with long-term symptoms of … Read more
What to know about the highly contagious COVID variant, BA.5 | PEOPLE.com Skip to content top navigation close this dialog window Explore PEOPLE.com close this dialog window share and more close this dialog window view image What to know about the highly contagious COVID variant, BA.5 This link is to an external site that may … Read more
There are growing concerns about a new Omicron subvariant that is even more transmissible, called BA.5. The new subvariant accounts for the majority of COVID-19 cases in the United States and is raising concerns about an increase in the number of hospitalizations. The White House on Tuesday held a press briefing with its top health … Read more