A booster vaccine is administered on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
variant variant
Stories About
variant
Friday
Tuesday
An electron microscope image shows a SARS-CoV-2 particle isolated in the early days of the pandemic. It's been nearly a year since omicron was first detected, and scientists say this branch of the coronavirus family tree is still thriving. NIAID/NIH via AP hide caption
Omicron keeps finding new evolutionary tricks to outsmart our immunity
Friday
Wednesday
A man is vaccinated against COVID-19 at a clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa. The omicron variant appears to be driving a surge in South Africa. New studies suggest that vaccines might not be as effective against this variant but that a booster shot can be helpful. Shiraaz Mohamed/AP hide caption
Studies suggest sharp drop in vaccine protection vs. omicron — yet cause for optimism
Thursday
A registered nurse administers the COVID-19 vaccine at a high school gym in Corona, California. Scientists are trying to determine if vaccines (and boosters) will offer protection against the newly identified omicron variant. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Wednesday
Here's a computer-generated image of the omicron variant of the coronavirus — also known as B.1.1.529. Reported in South Africa on Nov. 24, this variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Uma Shankar Sharma/Getty Images hide caption
Tuesday
The Delta variant, or B.1.617.2, is now the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the U.K. and is causing surges of COVID-19 in parts of the country. Mark Kerrison/Getty Images hide caption
Tuesday
People wait at an exit gate at the Kolkata Airport Terminal. International air travel to and from India has been restricted as the country battles a catastrophic COVID-19 surge. Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption
Saturday
Like all viruses, the coronavirus mutates. Above: In this depiction of the the South African coronavirus variant B.1.531, the thin yellow band around the rim of indicates a mutation site. The virus spike (red) is attaching to a human cell receptor (blue). Juan Gaertner hide caption
People Are Talking About A 'Double Mutant' Variant In India. What Does That Mean?
Thursday
Workers check oxygen tanks at a hospital in Manaus, Brazil. Severe oxygen shortages as a second coronavirus wave is surging have prompted local authorities to airlift patients to other parts of Brazil. Jonne Roriz/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
Saturday
Ambulances are parked outside the NHS Nightingale hospital at the ExCeL center in east London on Friday. Hospitals in the U.K. are preparing for an influx of patients as the coronavirus continues to spread. Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Thursday
The image depicts the coronavirus binding to a human cell. The variant identified in the United Kingdom has a mutation known to increase how tightly the virus binds to human cells. Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images hide caption