Novel Coronavirus

WBUR's ongoing coverage of the new coronavirus.

Gov. Charlie Baker explains the new metric the state will use to help cities and towns understand their risk for COVID-19. (John Tlumacki/Pool photo via The Boston Globe)

Final report: Massachusetts wasn't ready for pandemic

Even as Massachusetts climbed the state rankings for shots administered last year, the Baker administration's choice to deliver many of those shots at mass vaccination sites rather than through local...

Health

Jun 30, 2022

A line of tourists enters the Lobster Pot in Provincetown just as the restaurant opens its doors for the day. Big crowds are expected in town for the July 4th weekend. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

A Provincetown outbreak upended the 'hot vax summer,' but showed how to contain COVID

The Provincetown outbreak is seen as a critical moment in the pandemic. It showed that vaccines would not end COVID, but it also held lessons on how to contain the...

Health

05:03Jun 30, 2022

An ICU floor at UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

After two years of COVID, many hospitals feel unprepared to manage future crises

Many hospital leaders feel ill-equipped to face another public health emergency because their workforce is tired and depleted.

Health

Jun 29, 2022

A doctor prepares a vaccine for a young girl. (Image via Getty Images)

What to know about getting COVID vaccines for kids under 5 in Mass.

Unlike earlier rollouts, vaccines for the youngest kids will happen more in doctors offices and less in retail pharmacies.

Health

Jun 18, 2022

“The [COVID] vaccines are very efficacious, very safe,” said Andrea Edlow, an obstetrician at Massachusetts General Hospital. (Charles Krupa/AP)

Study linking COVID in utero to increased risk of developmental delays spurs debate

The research, conducted by a team at Massachusetts General Hospital, examined electronic medical records from more than 7,500 patients at six hospitals.

Health

Jun 17, 2022

A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine rests on a table at a drive-up mass vaccination site. (Ted S. Warren/AP File)

FDA advisers back Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for older kids

The Food and Drug Administration's outside experts voted unanimously that Moderna's vaccine is safe and effective enough to give kids ages 6 to 17. If the FDA agrees, it would...

Health

Jun 15, 2022

At-home COVID-19 tests. (Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Massachusetts to distribute 2 million COVID-19 tests

The tests will be sent to the 264 municipalities across the state that requested them, and officials in those cities and towns will then determine how to distribute them among...

Health

Jun 14, 2022

Why this wave of COVID hospitalizations in Mass. is different

For much of the past two months, COVID hospitalizations in Massachusetts have been rising again. But this COVID "creep" has been more manageable than prior surges.

Health

04:24Jun 1, 2022

A 6 year old child receives the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for 5-11 year old kids at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut on Nov. 2, 2021. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Kids afraid of getting shots? Here are 3 easy ways for parents to help them

While getting shots provokes anxiety in most children, the degree of anxiety can be lessened. As a parent, there are three things you can do to improve the vaccine experience...

Health

May 24, 2022

Boy holding a face mask. ( Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images)

Cambridge issues mask advisory, as COVID cases rise

On the same day , Brookline reinstated a mask mandate for town-owned buildings, including public schools and libraries.

Health

May 24, 2022

An N95 mask. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public Radio)

How to get the most out of your mask — in a mask-optional world

Many officials are reassuring people that even if others aren’t masking, you can protect yourself by wearing a mask. Here's what you should know.

Health

06:00Apr 27, 2022

Wastewater data from the Boston metropolitan area. (Screenshot via Massachusetts Water Resources Authority wastewater data)

Experts predict a COVID ‘swell’ — rather than a ‘wave’ — as cases tick upward in Mass.

While a swell in COVID cases isn't as dramatic as a wave, it can last longer and be disruptive. “Acting now is the best thing we can do,” said Sam...

Health

04:55Apr 14, 2022

A man whose mother died from COVID photographs a COVID Memorial Project installation of 20,000 American flags on the National Mall when the U.S. marked 200,000 lives lost in the COVID-19 pandemic in September of 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Was omicron more deadly than it needed to be in Mass.? Some experts say yes

The numbers suggest Massachusetts fared better than many other states during the omicron wave, but also could have done better. Some experts question whether enough was done to get boosters...

Health

05:18Mar 29, 2022

Worcester to dedicate memorial for public to reflect and remember pandemic victims

A permanent plaque will be unveiled Tuesday at Elm Park. It will become a place of reflection for those seeking solace due to the hardship, loss and grief caused during...

Health

Mar 27, 2022

Tufts Medical Center in Boston. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

In a first since the pandemic started, an ICU without COVID patients

For a single day this week, Tufts Medical Center had no COVID patients in any intensive care units. Across the state, the number of COVID patients in ICUs is dwindling.

Health

Mar 25, 2022

A motorist steers their car past a sign that calls attention to COVID-19 testing outside a testing location in Brockton. (Steven Senne/AP)

'Crucial' weeks ahead for COVID in Mass. as experts track Europe's BA.2 spike

"If COVID history has taught us anything, we should be looking to the UK and Europe as a signal of what to expect locally,” said Bronwyn MacInnis, of the Broad...

Health

Mar 18, 2022

N95 masks and nitrile gloves. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Checking in on the state of the pandemic, 2 years after Mass. emergency declaration

It's been two years since Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19. WBUR's Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy and infectious disease specialist Dr. David Hamer...

Health

04:30Mar 10, 2022

Massachusetts will close 30 of its free COVID testing sites this month

Gov. Charlie Baker's administration announced Friday that they will wind down the "Stop the Spread" program — which offers free PCR tests with no insurance or ID necessary — to...

Health

Mar 4, 2022

An aerial view of Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk (MCI-Norfolk) on July 22, 2021. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Fewer than 10% of applicants have been granted medical parole, frustrating some Mass. lawmakers

Several lawmakers visited a health unit at MCI-Norfolk this week. They, along with prisoner advocates, say the Department of Correction is too reluctant to approve the release of seriously ill...

Health

04:35Mar 3, 2022

A server brings beverages to a group of people dining for lunch at Mother Anna’s in the North End in 2020. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Boston to lift mask mandate for businesses, other venues

Boston is planning to lift its indoor mask mandate for businesses and many other venues starting this weekend. Masks will still be required in schools, public transportation, and health care...

Health

Mar 1, 2022

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Final report: Massachusetts wasn't ready for pandemic

A Provincetown outbreak upended the 'hot vax summer,' but showed how to contain COVID

After two years of COVID, many hospitals feel unprepared to manage future crises

What to know about getting COVID vaccines for kids under 5 in Mass.

Study linking COVID in utero to increased risk of developmental delays spurs debate

FDA advisers back Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for older kids

Massachusetts to distribute 2 million COVID-19 tests

Why this wave of COVID hospitalizations in Mass. is different

Kids afraid of getting shots? Here are 3 easy ways for parents to help them

Cambridge issues mask advisory, as COVID cases rise

How to get the most out of your mask — in a mask-optional world

Experts predict a COVID ‘swell’ — rather than a ‘wave’ — as cases tick upward in Mass.

Was omicron more deadly than it needed to be in Mass.? Some experts say yes

Worcester to dedicate memorial for public to reflect and remember pandemic victims

In a first since the pandemic started, an ICU without COVID patients

'Crucial' weeks ahead for COVID in Mass. as experts track Europe's BA.2 spike

Checking in on the state of the pandemic, 2 years after Mass. emergency declaration

Massachusetts will close 30 of its free COVID testing sites this month

Fewer than 10% of applicants have been granted medical parole, frustrating some Mass. lawmakers

Boston to lift mask mandate for businesses, other venues