Month: August 2020

Exclusive: The Chinese Scientist Who Sequenced the First COVID-19 Genome Speaks Out About the Controversies Surrounding His Work

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Over the past few years, Professor Zhang Yongzhen has made it his business to sequence thousands of previously unknown viruses. But he knew straight away that this one was particularly nasty. It was about 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 3 that a metal box arrived at the drab, beige buildings that house the Shanghai Public Health … Read more

How Convalescent Plasma Could Help Fight COVID-19

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The last time most of us gave any thought to antibodies was probably in high school biology, but we’re getting a crash refresher course thanks to COVID-19. They are, after all, the key to our best defenses against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that’s caused the global pandemic. People who have been infected likely rely on antibodies … Read more

A New Study Suggests COVID-19 Reinfection Is Possible. Here’s What to Know

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Preliminary research released Monday suggests it’s possible to get COVID-19 twice—but experts say the news is not as concerning as that headline may seem. The new research, which was accepted for publication in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, details the case of a 33-year-old man living in Hong Kong. He first tested positive for COVID-19 … Read more

How to Make Homemade Face Masks More Effective—and How to Wear Them Right

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Five months after coronavirus took root in the U.S., face masks remain one of the most controversial and confusing parts of the pandemic. Changing public-health messaging hasn’t helped. In March, when personal protective equipment (PPE) was running short, top U.S. public-health officials told Americans that the general public did not need masks because they don’t … Read more

How Coronavirus Has Spread Across the United States: Track the ‘Eye of the Epidemic’

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For months now, many have been baffled by how the United States, among the richest and most technologically capable countries on Earth, could lead the world in both confirmed cases of COVID-19 and resulting deaths. Fingers have been pointed in many directions, from listless political leadership to intractable cultural attitudes. But there is another factor … Read more