With the WHO and CDC lifting the COVID-19 pandemic "emergency," we asked readers what was on their minds at this inflection point. Their reflections run the gamut, and also reveal some clear themes.

Our reporter spoke to residents of Kibera, known as Africa's largest urban slum. Many had not yet heard that the World Health Organization ended the state of "emergency." They had strong reactions.

Three years ago, the emergency declaration enabled certain tools for fighting the pandemic and protecting Americans. Now that it's expiring, here's what is changing — and what's not.

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is resigning. Dr. Rochelle Walensky says the waning of the COVID-19 pandemic is a good time to make a transition.

Pigs and goats likely catch it too. It's been found in humans' noses in the Southwest — and in the air at airports and at chicken farms in Malaysia.

A new anthology includes work by dozens of Black authors reflecting on the pandemic.

Data was released briefly, then rescinded. As NPR reported previously, there is already strong evidence pointing to these animals in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan.

Three years ago, the novel coronavirus swept the world. Here are 24 quotes and 13 photos that sum up the reaction in the weeks before the World Health Organization's declaration of a global pandemic.

Two U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly support the lab leak theory — with low-to-moderate confidence. No evidence has been shared. Scientists have strong evidence of animal spillover at a market.

Animals carry millions of pathogens. So it's a daunting task to find the one with the greatest potential to spark a pandemic. Now scientists are rethinking the way they hunt for that next new virus.

In the hit HBO show, the world has been devastated by a pandemic caused by a deadly fungus. Is that even possible? Could the next pandemic come from fungi? Turns out it's a very real question.

Since the pandemic was declared in 2020, many perhaps unfamiliar terms have become part of daily conversation. Here's a glossary, from antibodies to zoonosis.

The South African-based scientist who co-discovered the omicron variant of COVID-19 makes an intriguing argument.

As we launch a series about spillover viruses — like SARS-CoV-2, which triggered a global pandemic, you may have a lot of questions. So do we — 7, to be exact, in the quiz below. See how you do.

The World Health Organization issued the statement as the novel coronavirus, calling it an "unprecedented outbreak." Here's what we knew — and didn't know — about the virus at that time.