New COVID variants are fueling hospitalizations and prompting some schools and hospitals to reinstate mask mandates. Others are considering or ruling out the possibility, leaving it up to individuals.
The main reason the surge is ebbing now, pandemic experts suspect, is the significant immunity many people in the U.S. have acquired from prior infections and COVID vaccinations many received.
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.
Thanks to at-home testing, official reports are missing a lot of the COVID cases circulating now. Is the U.S. in the midst of an invisible surge? Here's how to assess the situation where you live.
The rise of the more infectious BA.2 variant in the U.S. — plus signals in the sewage — also point to a possible uptick in cases, and have health officials on alert.
After declining most of the fall, new infections are up again in more than half of U.S. states, worrying experts about what the holiday season may bring.
The delta variant is pummeling America's hospitals, taxing an already-depleted health care workforce. Once again, some states are facing the prospect of rationing medical care.
About 14 million U.S. residents got their first dose of a COVID-19 shot in August, which is about 4 million more than in July. Officials credit vaccine mandates by governments, schools and businesses.
