NewYorkTimes

Experts paint a grim picture of the struggle with lockdown isolation — a “mental health pandemic” that should be treated as seriously as containing the coronavirus. View original article Contributor: Isabella Kwai and Elian Peltier

Scientists don’t know yet whether the mutation makes the variants more contagious, but they are concerned that it might. View original article Contributor: Carl Zimmer

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, we asked readers to share moments when they stumbled upon acts of affection. Here are some of their stories. View original article Contributor: Sara Aridi

People with conditions like obesity, hypertension, pulmonary diseases and cancer flooded the state’s sign-up site. View original article Contributor: Amanda Rosa and Michael Rothfeld

Missing live performances during the pandemic? Get your theater fix with a handful of online stellar productions (new and old). View original article Contributor: Adrienne Gaffney

The administration has race and ethnicity data for just 52 percent of vaccine recipients. Next week, it will begin shipping doses directly to clinics in underserved communities. View original article Contributor: Sheryl Gay Stolberg

Experts with the global health agency endorsed critical parts of Beijing’s narrative, even some parts that independent scientists question. View original article Contributor: Javier C. Hernández

The pandemic has forced dentists and hygienists to change some of the methods for maintaining good oral hygiene, to protect patients as well as themselves. View original article Contributor: Deborah Schoch

Scientists are working on a shot that could protect against Covid-19, its variants, certain seasonal colds — and the next coronavirus pandemic. View original article Contributor: Carl Zimmer

A lead scientist said the research showed that the virus most likely spread naturally from animals to humans, playing down the possibility that it emerged from a laboratory. View original article Contributor: Javier C. Hernández