Last update: Oct 13, 2026

Sequence changes help modified mRNA avoid protein-making errors to improve vaccine design

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Sequence changes help modified mRNA avoid protein-making errors to improve vaccine design

When the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 turned our world upside down, mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 brought a breakthrough. Their success established modified mRNA as a powerful foundation for vaccines and opened the way for new ...

Oct 13, 2026

COVID-19 immunity may help protect against other bat coronaviruses

People who recovered from COVID-19 infection or were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 are more likely to have immunity to other closely related bat coronaviruses that could threaten future human health.

Oct 1, 2026

COVID-19 outbreak

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

A pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan, China was first reported to the World Health Organization Country Office in China on 31 December 2019 and recognised as a pandemic on 11 March 2020.

Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed COVID-19 cases.

More information: WHO, CDC, global cases.

Two spike 'keys' work together to let SARS-CoV-2 enter cells, study reveals

To enter cells, the COVID-19 virus fuses its surrounding membrane with the membrane of the target cell. This is where the fusion peptides of the spike protein come into play. These regions function as molecular keys that ...

Sep 17, 2026

A sharper picture of a pandemic: Uncovering the complex history of the plague after the Black Death

The Black Death is often remembered as a single catastrophic event that swept across Europe between 1347 and 1353, killing millions. Yet the disease did not disappear after that first devastating outbreak. For more than four ...

Sep 16, 2026

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Hedgehog coronaviruses may threaten cats more than humans, new study finds

Washington State University researchers have discovered how a group of coronaviruses circulating in hedgehogs invades host cells, a key to understanding their potential to jump between species and their risk of causing a ...

Sep 16, 2026

A lesser-known SARS-CoV-2 protein may offer clues to long COVID symptoms

Six years after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are still uncovering surprising ways the virus can wreak havoc on the body. A new UCLA study published in Science Advances describes a previously unrecognized ...

Aug 5, 2026

Severe COVID-19 reactivates dormant viruses, study finds

Chronically infecting viruses—such as Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpesviruses—are common and often innocuous and asymptomatic. However, emerging evidence suggests their reactivation may contribute to autoimmune ...

Aug 5, 2026

Evolutionary history may help explain why some people develop more severe COVID-19 than others

Every time a virus invades a person, it collides with thousands of years of human history. A study led by researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Howard University suggests that some of the ...

Aug 4, 2026

COVID-19 vaccine boosters may help protect against future animal coronaviruses, research suggests

COVID-19 vaccine boosters not only protect against SARS-CoV-2—the virus behind the most recent pandemic—but may also help protect against some future coronaviruses that risk spreading from animals to humans, Cambridge researchers ...

Jul 1, 2026

Antiviral ensitrelvir cuts risk of COVID-19 in household contacts by two-thirds, study finds

The antiviral drug ensitrelvir prevents infection in household contacts of COVID-19 patients when given within 72 hours after symptom onset in the index patient, according to a Phase III randomized controlled trial published ...

May 15, 2026

Why the early U.S. COVID-19 death toll may be 155,000 higher

The COVID-19 pandemic's early death toll was much higher than the official U.S. count, according to a new study that spotlights dramatic disparities in the uncounted deaths.

Mar 18, 2026

Broad COVID-19 vaccination makes economic sense, especially for older adults, modeling study finds

As the nation gears up for the rollout of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, a new study shows the economic benefits of continued broad vaccination in adults.

Aug 13, 2025

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Unused COVID-19 vaccines may have a second life in the development of new biosensors

During the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmaceutical companies produced unprecedented quantities of vaccines. This helped save millions of lives, but on the other hand, many vaccines remained unused, expired, and had to be thrown ...

Aug 12, 2025

Pausing certain arthritis drugs after COVID-19 vaccination raises flare risk without improving antibody response

For patients with inflammatory arthritis, holding certain disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), namely select biologic or Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) therapies, for two weeks at the time of a supplemental COVID-19 ...

Oct 6, 2026

Here's why experts say now is an ideal time to protect yourself from flu

It's October and time for flu shots. Medical experts urge getting a flu vaccination soon, before influenza starts spreading widely—and to get up to date on protection against other fall respiratory viruses, too. Updated COVID-19 ...

Oct 2, 2026

Life expectancy almost back to pre-COVID-19 levels, says WHO

Global life expectancy is close to the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the outlook for years lived in good health is recovering more slowly, the WHO said Friday.

Oct 2, 2026

Does my kid have COVID‑19 or just a cold? A pediatric nurse explains how to tell—and why it matters

Fall and winter mark the peak season for common respiratory infections such as COVID-19; respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV; influenza, better known as the flu; and the common cold. These illnesses often begin with symptoms ...

Sep 18, 2026

Top US doctors offer updated flu and COVID vaccine recommendations, aiming to ease confusion

Leading U.S. medical groups are urging people to get updated flu and COVID-19 vaccinations this fall, banding together Wednesday to issue shot guidelines—and highlight the science behind them—saying they hope to ease confusion ...

Sep 2, 2026

Temporary liver coating may improve safety and targeting of mRNA vaccines and cancer therapies

With the commercialization of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19, research and development into the application of mRNA in vaccines and pharmaceuticals is accelerating. In particular, it is attracting attention not only in vaccines ...

Aug 20, 2026

Exhaled breath may reveal SARS-CoV-2 through virus-catching sensor

Nian Sun, a distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern, has spent years perfecting a device that he believes could change the way diseases are detected.

Aug 14, 2026