The Latest Breaking News from Raj Rajnarayanan

Will XEC be this winter’s COVID variant?

Experts are keeping an eye on the XEC recombinant strain, which may cause trouble this winter

Salon · Oct 9, 2024

Highly mutated COVID variant ‘Pirola’ JN.1 is spawning. Its descendants are climbing the charts, as the global death toll mounts

“Pirola” JN.1 may be the beginning of a new chapter in the pandemic, some experts said. Now its descendants are spawning—and appear to be on a path to dominance.

Fortune · Jan 11, 2024

JN.1—a new, highly mutated COVID variant—could cause one of the largest U.S. waves yet, experts say. When each state could see the variant peak

This year's winter respiratory disease season was looking to be a bit of a respite from last year's—until JN.1 took off. Now, it's anyone's best guess.

Fortune · Dec 22, 2023

Why you have COVID symptoms and a negative test: You may not be doing it right, experts say

People are asking the wrong question of at-home COVID tests, one expert tells Fortune.

Fortune · Sep 9, 2023

‘Pirola' BA.2.86 may not be a 'black swan' event like Omicron, experts say. It's what could spawn from the COVID variant that has them worried

We can, perhaps, breathe a collective sigh of relief—for the moment. But it’s far from time to let our guard down, experts tell Fortune.

Fortune · Sep 1, 2023

COVID cases are rising, and all eyes are on new variant BA.2.86 'Pirola.' Should masks make a comeback?

Though not always en vogue politically or much fun, it was never not time to mask, many experts contend—not since COVID began circulating widely in 2020, anyway.

Fortune · Aug 29, 2023

Can dogs get COVID? Yes, and they're not the only pets that can ....

COVID is thought to have originated in animals—and even if the lab leak theory is true, animals may have played a role in early transmission of the virus.

Fortune · Aug 16, 2023

With ‘Eris’ rising and now ‘Fornax,’ when are COVID cases likely to peak again? A look at what may lie ahead for fall and winter

Expect peaks this fall and winter not as much as a high wall of cases, experts say.

Fortune · Aug 11, 2023

Has COVID-19 become a summer illness? Cases and hospitalizations are on the rise again

One driver: the heat.

Fortune · Jul 28, 2023

China is bracing for a massive new wave of COVID cases. What it means for the rest of the world

Cases of Omicron variant XBB are mounting in China, forming a new wave expected to crest around 65 million cases a week by the end of June. While COVID remains a global threat, it's time to "go back for regular check-ups" and ensure that lives saved by COVID precautions during…

Fortune · May 24, 2023