Covid-19
Evidence-based explanations of the Covid-19 pandemic, including how it started, how it might end, and how to protect yourself and others.
![Why does it feel like everyone is getting Covid?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/gettyimages-2154183194.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
Covid’s summer surge, explained
![Why does it feel like everyone is getting Covid?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/gettyimages-2154183194.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
Covid’s summer surge, explained
![How the White House just made the world a little safer from biorisks](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25440544/GettyImages_1245615267.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![How the White House just made the world a little safer from biorisks](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25440544/GettyImages_1245615267.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
New regulations are a win for safe synthetic DNA.
![No one wants to think about pandemics. But bird flu doesn’t care.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25430296/GettyImages_1430874216.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.368260427263%2C0%2C67.263479145473%2C100&w=2400)
![No one wants to think about pandemics. But bird flu doesn’t care.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25430296/GettyImages_1430874216.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.44363783020771%2C100%2C99.112724339585&w=2400)
A pandemic response that amounts to hoping and praying isn’t nearly enough.
![The CDC has finally loosened Covid isolation guidelines. Here’s why that’s a good thing.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25286681/GettyImages_1284429703.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=17.391304347826%2C0%2C65.217391304348%2C100&w=2400)
![The CDC has finally loosened Covid isolation guidelines. Here’s why that’s a good thing.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25286681/GettyImages_1284429703.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=1.0869565217391%2C0%2C97.826086956522%2C100&w=2400)
Isolation policies haven’t stopped Covid’s worst outcomes. Other, better policies might.
The latest in Covid-19
![Ultraviolet light can kill almost all the viruses in a room. Why isn’t it everywhere?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25120145/231129_xinmei_Vox_Far_UV_final.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=21.875%2C0%2C56.25%2C100&w=2400)
Can special lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
![Why are so few people getting the latest Covid-19 vaccine?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25090024/GettyImages_1236368276.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.6625%2C0%2C66.675%2C100&w=2400)
![Why are so few people getting the latest Covid-19 vaccine?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25090024/GettyImages_1236368276.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=2400)
What good is a miraculous vaccine if nobody wants to take it?
![The lifesaving, Nobel Prize-winning discovery that almost didn’t happen](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24976814/GettyImages_1701994937.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=15.454396968509%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![The lifesaving, Nobel Prize-winning discovery that almost didn’t happen](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24976814/GettyImages_1701994937.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
Katalin Karikó co-won a Nobel Prize this week for her groundbreaking work on mRNA vaccines — but she had to fight against professional science to do it.
![More young, healthy people should be getting Paxlovid when they get Covid](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24961989/1241634736.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![More young, healthy people should be getting Paxlovid when they get Covid](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24961989/1241634736.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
US providers are underusing the drug — and not just in high-risk people.
![Another Covid-19 winter is coming. Here’s how to prepare.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24940937/GettyImages_1354651238.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![Another Covid-19 winter is coming. Here’s how to prepare.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24940937/GettyImages_1354651238.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
Free Covid tests are back — and new vaccines are at your local pharmacy too.
![How Covid misinformation stayed one step ahead of Facebook](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24925381/1596861627.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![How Covid misinformation stayed one step ahead of Facebook](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24925381/1596861627.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
A new study shows how anti-vaxxers quickly regroup when Facebook removes vaccine misinformation.
![The dangers of virus hunting](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24918069/GettyImages_1230116649.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![The dangers of virus hunting](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24918069/GettyImages_1230116649.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
DEEP VZN aimed to discover viruses in wildlife that could threaten humans, but the risks weren’t worth the rewards.
![New Covid vaccines are coming out. The CDC wants you to get one.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24887446/1237092008.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.718426501035%2C0%2C66.56314699793%2C100&w=2400)
![New Covid vaccines are coming out. The CDC wants you to get one.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24887446/1237092008.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.077639751552795%2C0%2C99.844720496894%2C100&w=2400)
Everyone over 6 months should get a new shot, according to the CDC. Should we expect this every year?
![Covid is on the rise again, but it’s different now](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24903457/GettyImages_1207451498.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.649899396378%2C0%2C66.700201207243%2C100&w=2400)
![Covid is on the rise again, but it’s different now](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24903457/GettyImages_1207451498.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.025138260432378%2C100%2C99.949723479135&w=2400)
Covid transmission continues to ebb and flow — but at least the latest Pirola variant isn’t too menacing.
![The US has new Covid-19 variants on the rise. Meet Eris and Fornax.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24838749/1489205268.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![The US has new Covid-19 variants on the rise. Meet Eris and Fornax.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24838749/1489205268.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
What “Eris” and “Fornax” tell us about the future of the pandemic.
![You still need to tell your friends if you get Covid](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23906641/GettyImages_1362761568.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
The virus is surging again. Here’s how to be your own contact tracer if you get sick.
![It’s time to close the gene synthesis loophole that could lead to a human-made pandemic](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24811905/GettyImages_985225182.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.664003834478%2C0%2C66.671992331043%2C100&w=2400)
![It’s time to close the gene synthesis loophole that could lead to a human-made pandemic](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24811905/GettyImages_985225182.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.003993929227569%2C100%2C99.992012141545&w=2400)
Congress is grappling with the security concerns of the DNA synthesis revolution.
![RFK Jr.’s fringe presidential candidacy, explained](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24741553/1269511606.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=14.5375%2C0%2C70.925%2C100&w=2400)
![RFK Jr.’s fringe presidential candidacy, explained](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24741553/1269511606.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C3.0019974151099%2C100%2C93.99600516978&w=2400)
Kennedy, an anti-vaxxer of storied Democratic pedigree, isn’t a serious challenger to Biden — but he’s getting some traction.
![How AI could spark the next pandemic](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24741420/GettyImages_1245615230.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![How AI could spark the next pandemic](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24741420/GettyImages_1245615230.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
New research highlights how language-generating AI models could make it easier to create dangerous germs.
![A Covid outbreak at a CDC conference is ironic. But is it a big deal?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24631125/1207345894.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.6625%2C0%2C66.675%2C100&w=2400)
![A Covid outbreak at a CDC conference is ironic. But is it a big deal?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24631125/1207345894.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=2400)
3 takeaways about the current state of the pandemic.
![Why the world should celebrate Smallpox Eradication Day](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24629531/GettyImages_1201684488.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=15.725%2C0%2C68.55%2C100&w=2400)
![Why the world should celebrate Smallpox Eradication Day](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24629531/GettyImages_1201684488.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C1.3736931680039%2C100%2C97.252613663992&w=2400)
Forty-three years ago this week, the world was officially declared free of smallpox — but that should only be the beginning.
![Can a 50-year-old treaty still keep the world safe from the changing threat of bioweapons?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24615209/BioWeapons_LiviaGiorginaCarpineto.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=21.875%2C0%2C56.25%2C100&w=2400)
How geopolitics and technological advances are making this a riskier world for bioweapons.
![How Ron DeSantis transformed into an anti-public health crusader](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24613178/1226996524.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.717948717949%2C0%2C66.564102564103%2C100&w=2400)
![How Ron DeSantis transformed into an anti-public health crusader](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24613178/1226996524.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.07692307692308%2C0%2C99.846153846154%2C100&w=2400)
DeSantis’s surgeon general is accused of manipulating data to justify an anti-vaccine agenda. How did we get here?
![Joe Biden’s newest primary challenger is an anti-vaxxer Kennedy scion](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24566465/1237641608.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.65%2C0%2C66.7%2C100&w=2400)
![Joe Biden’s newest primary challenger is an anti-vaxxer Kennedy scion](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24566465/1237641608.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.02498750624688%2C100%2C99.950024987506&w=2400)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaxxer and environmentalist, announced he’s challenging Joe Biden.
![Why we’re scared of AI and not scared enough of bio risks](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24563910/GettyImages_1039188748.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=18.445078459344%2C0%2C63.109843081312%2C100&w=2400)
![Why we’re scared of AI and not scared enough of bio risks](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24563910/GettyImages_1039188748.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=2.6676176890157%2C0%2C94.664764621969%2C100&w=2400)
What we choose to panic about has less to do with the facts and more to do with chance.
![The key to Covid’s origin lies in Beijing, not Wuhan](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24516903/GettyImages_1247974671.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=15.375%2C0%2C69.25%2C100&w=2400)
![The key to Covid’s origin lies in Beijing, not Wuhan](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24516903/GettyImages_1247974671.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C1.8652226233454%2C100%2C96.269554753309&w=2400)
A new analysis on Covid-19 origins has promise, but only the Chinese government can end the debate.
![The knowns — and known unknowns — of long Covid, explained](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24495073/GettyImages_1403038196.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=10%2C0%2C80%2C100&w=2400)
![The knowns — and known unknowns — of long Covid, explained](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24495073/GettyImages_1403038196.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.952380952381%2C100%2C83.333333333333&w=2400)
Long Covid isn’t as much of a mystery as it used to be.
![The Covid mask wars have left us unprepared for the next pandemic](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24488782/GettyImages_1244288921.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.650254390284%2C0%2C66.699491219432%2C100&w=2400)
![The Covid mask wars have left us unprepared for the next pandemic](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24488782/GettyImages_1244288921.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0246062992126%2C100%2C99.950787401575&w=2400)
The fallout from a misinterpreted review on mask science only underscores the need for better protections.
![SNAP boosts kept millions out of poverty during Covid. Now they’re gone.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24479149/1247566384.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.732804232804%2C0%2C66.534391534392%2C100&w=2400)
![SNAP boosts kept millions out of poverty during Covid. Now they’re gone.](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24479149/1247566384.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.099206349206355%2C0%2C99.801587301587%2C100&w=2400)
Supplements to the program ended on March 1. Without an off-ramp, people are scrambling to fill the gap.
![Why it’s so hard to get answers on long Covid](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24475776/GettyImages_93115410.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.723744292237%2C0%2C66.552511415525%2C100&w=2400)
![Why it’s so hard to get answers on long Covid](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24475776/GettyImages_93115410.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.085616438356162%2C0%2C99.828767123288%2C100&w=2400)
Even the best-designed studies yield some head-scratching results.
![The FBI and Energy Department think Covid-19 came from a lab. Now what?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24468483/GettyImages_1235856475.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=13.738131409039%2C0%2C66.672996581846%2C100&w=2400)
![The FBI and Energy Department think Covid-19 came from a lab. Now what?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24468483/GettyImages_1235856475.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0047469856641058%2C100%2C99.990506028672&w=2400)
We don’t need to know how this pandemic started to begin to prevent the next one.
![Nobody knows what the point of homework is](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24418949/05_nohomework_Jiayue_Li.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=21.875%2C0%2C56.25%2C100&w=2400)
![The new scientific review on masks and Covid isn’t what you think](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24450173/1239913973.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.696113074205%2C0%2C66.60777385159%2C100&w=2400)
![The new scientific review on masks and Covid isn’t what you think](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24450173/1239913973.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.044169611307424%2C0%2C99.911660777385%2C100&w=2400)
A meta-analysis seeks to be the last word on the effectiveness of masks, but finding answers in science isn’t that easy.
![The other long Covid: The damage done to a generation of schoolchildren](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24418277/01_longcovid_Gracia_Lam.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=21.875%2C0%2C56.25%2C100&w=2400)
The pandemic took young people’s present. What will it do to their future?
![What can the world learn from China’s “zero-Covid” lockdown?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23404991/GettyImages_1390422513.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![What can the world learn from China’s “zero-Covid” lockdown?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23404991/GettyImages_1390422513.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
Short-term lockdowns could be key to ending pandemics early.
![Were bivalent boosters worth it?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24371998/1244632347a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=14.00462962963%2C0%2C71.990740740741%2C100&w=2400)
![Were bivalent boosters worth it?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24371998/1244632347a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C3.6977491961415%2C100%2C92.604501607717&w=2400)
The biggest questions about the newest Covid-19 vaccines are still unanswered.
![Operation Warp Speed was a huge success. So why is the US turning away from it?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24368442/1245404517.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.6625%2C0%2C66.675%2C100&w=2400)
![Operation Warp Speed was a huge success. So why is the US turning away from it?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24368442/1245404517.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.0062492188476426%2C100%2C99.987501562305&w=2400)
A determination to remain slow on Covid and future pandemics.
![Covid-19 vaccines: News and updates](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22142360/GettyImages_1214819350.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.671632896305%2C0%2C66.65673420739%2C100&w=2400)
![Covid-19 vaccines: News and updates](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22142360/GettyImages_1214819350.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.0074493444576831%2C0%2C99.985101311085%2C100&w=2400)
Drug companies around the world are working to develop a vaccine for Covid-19.
![How the latest Covid-19 variant is shaping the course of the pandemic](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24341076/GettyImages_1245567509a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=20%2C0%2C63.538461538462%2C100&w=2400)
![How the latest Covid-19 variant is shaping the course of the pandemic](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24341076/GettyImages_1245567509a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=4.1153846153846%2C0%2C95.307692307692%2C100&w=2400)
XBB.1.5, a subvariant of omicron, is gaining ground in the US, but deaths can still be avoided.
![Xi Jinping has abandoned zero-Covid. What happens now?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24329856/1245920159.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.212308963238%2C0%2C67.575382073523%2C100&w=2400)
![Xi Jinping has abandoned zero-Covid. What happens now?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24329856/1245920159.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.6723716381418%2C100%2C98.655256723716&w=2400)
China is opening up rapidly after three years of lockdown. The rest of the world is scrambling to respond.
![22 predictions we made in 2022, and the 6 we got wrong](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24311710/prediction22.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
Plus a couple that are halfway in between.
![Why are American lives getting shorter?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24000304/GettyImages_1248124580.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.649899396378%2C0%2C66.700201207243%2C100&w=2400)
![Why are American lives getting shorter?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24000304/GettyImages_1248124580.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0.025138260432378%2C100%2C99.949723479135&w=2400)
US life expectancy got worse during Covid-19, and then kept getting worse.
![One of our best Covid-19 treatments doesn’t work anymore. What now?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24297210/GettyImages_1239592906.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=22.271428571429%2C0%2C66%2C100&w=2400)
![One of our best Covid-19 treatments doesn’t work anymore. What now?](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24297210/GettyImages_1239592906.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.5%2C0%2C99%2C100&w=2400)
There aren’t any monoclonal antibody drugs that can treat the latest Covid-19 variants.
![Ron DeSantis’s vaccine “investigation” is all about beating Trump](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24293826/GettyImages_1244917687a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![Ron DeSantis’s vaccine “investigation” is all about beating Trump](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24293826/GettyImages_1244917687a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
Ron DeSantis’s increasingly aggressive anti-Covid vaccine crusade, explained.
![China’s health system isn’t ready for the end of “zero Covid”](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24271243/AP22338322113417a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=16.666666666667%2C0%2C66.666666666667%2C100&w=2400)
![China’s health system isn’t ready for the end of “zero Covid”](https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24271243/AP22338322113417a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400)
Millions of lives are at stake as the country prepares to relax its Covid strategy.