Stories by Charles Schmidt

Access to pediatric COVID vaccines has been hampered by a shortage of doses, higher costs to providers and parental skepticism

Many repeat infections are mild, but some studies suggest people who have been infected with COVID more than once are at a greater risk of severe disease or long COVID

Current monoclonal antibodies fail against COVID virus variants, so drugmakers want to use a fast-track test for new ones

The FDA has called for updating COVID vaccines to address the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. But will the shots keep up with the virus?

Experts address when the youngest children could be eligible for the shots, why that has taken so long, and more

Does the new strain sweeping the globe mean COVID will become ever more contagious?

Burning piles of used gloves, test kits and syringes release toxic pollutants. But there are ways to improve medical recycling

Solutions to age-related vision problems now come in a bottle. How well do they work?

Vaccine makers worry yet another variant will start dominating in the months it takes to roll out shots against this one

The new coronavirus variant may be better than other versions at avoiding human immune defenses—but that ability may change in different countries

The U.S.’s top infectious disease specialist describes a new Biden administration program to develop and test antivirals—and what he’s most worried about as the nation reopens

Developing pills that block the novel coronavirus has been challenging. A new Biden administration program aims to boost the effort

Genomic sequencing efforts are limited in developing countries, but scientists are mobilizing to help

Vaccine makers are designing follow-up shots based on new mutations to keep the disease at bay

Companies are scrambling to obtain supplies for hundreds of millions of doses of a type of vaccine that has never been made at this scale before

Even with vaccines on the way, treatments are needed to prevent the disease from getting worse—and to be ready for COVID-25, COVID-37, and so on

The country’s leading expert on infectious diseases shares his thoughts on resolving the current public health crisis and preparing for the next

The data are preliminary, however, and it is not yet clear whether the vaccine protects against severe disease

A vaccine made by Pfizer could seek emergency approval by the third week of November, but it likely won’t be available to the public until mid- to late 2021

The Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed program is backing six efforts with the ambitious goal of delivering an effective vaccine by January

Candidates are speeding toward human trials

Groups of scientists tasked with identifying pandemic-prone microbes were stretched too far and thin

Treatment first used in the early 20th century is showing promise against deadly infections

A surprise revelation means 12 million Vietnamese may need to retreat