Evidence thus far shows that pregnant people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at higher risk for severe disease and death, as well as complications in their pregnancies.
Early reports that Omicron causes less-severe disease than Delta seem to be borne out, but it’s not yet clear to what extent that’s due to the variant itself versus the populations it’s infecting.
Studies show that a fourth mRNA vaccine dose offers the elderly and other high-risk groups strong protection against hospitalization and death from COVID-19, but experts say benefits for other populations may be more limited.
Reports of the infection—including one death this month—recently shook up social media. But, unlike COVID-19, plague is a disease that countries have more or less got under control.
From analyses of surface protein evolution to tweets on social media, scientists are gathering all the data they can to accurately predict influenza dynamics.