Coronavirus
The U.S. Response to COVID-19
Read our latest investigations into the crisis response and public health infrastructure.
“Don’t You Work With Old People?”: Many Elder-Care Workers Still Refuse to Get COVID-19 Vaccine
Amid a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” more than 40% of the nation’s nursing home and long-term health care workers have yet to receive vaccinations.
GOP Legislators in Missouri Oppose Vaccine Efforts as State Becomes COVID Hotspot
Representative Bill Kidd joked that he didn’t get a vaccine because he’s a Republican. Now he has COVID.
A Postal Worker Begged for Stronger COVID-19 Protections. She Ended Up Spending Six Weeks in the Hospital.
The limited response to postal workers’ repeated appeals for help provides a window into the failures of two federal agencies: the Postal Service, which is one of the country’s largest employers, and OSHA, which is supposed to protect workers.
A Crisis of Undiagnosed Cancers Is Emerging in the Pandemic’s Second Year
A factory worker didn’t want to call in sick or catch COVID-19, so she tried to ignore the pain. Now she has stage 4 cancer.
My Kids’ School Closed Again. So I Started Calling Experts.
Many New York City public schools have been repeatedly closed because of two positive COVID-19 tests, even without evidence of in-school spread. Experts call it “crazy.” And it’s driving me nuts.
Documents Show Trump Officials Skirted Rules to Reward Politically Connected and Untested Firms With Huge Pandemic Contracts
House Democrats investigating the COVID-19 response say Trump adviser Peter Navarro pressured agencies to award deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Cuomo’s Nursing Home Scandal Raises Questions for One of His Senior Aides
Jim Malatras stood by a Cuomo administration report on nursing home deaths he knew undercounted the true loss of life. Today, he is chancellor of New York State’s public university system.
Cómo se incorpora la inequidad en el sistema de vacunación de Estados Unidos
Las personas que reúnen los requisitos para recibir la vacuna contra el coronavirus nos dicen que se están topando con barreras que están diseñadas en los mismos sistemas destinados a atender a las personas con mayor riesgo de morir por la enfermedad. Tenemos previsto continuar el seguimiento de estos obstáculos.
How Inequity Gets Built Into America’s Vaccination System
People eligible for the coronavirus vaccine tell us they are running up against barriers that are designed into the very systems meant to serve those most at risk of dying of the disease. We plan to continue tracking these roadblocks.
Mueren en la lista de espera
En el condado de Los Ángeles, y en todo el país, médicos han tenido que decidir quién recibe un tratamiento para COVID-19 que salva vidas, y quién no.
Why We Can’t Make Vaccine Doses Any Faster
President Biden has promised enough doses for all American adults by this summer. There’s not much even the Defense Production Act can do to deliver doses before then.
Dying on the Waitlist
In Los Angeles County and around the country, doctors have had to decide who gets a lifesaving COVID-19 treatment and who doesn’t.
Cuomo Still Underreporting the Total Count of COVID Nursing Home Deaths
The governor finally released data on nursing home cases after lawsuits and demands from lawmakers, but hundreds of presumed COVID-19 deaths have yet to be included in the state's official total.
Fauci: Vaccines for Kids as Young as First Graders Could Be Authorized by September
For this to happen by the start of the next school year, trials need to prove the vaccine is safe and effective in children. Experts say manufacturers aren’t moving quickly enough, and that this is important for achieving herd immunity and stopping the spread of variants.
Why Opening Restaurants Is Exactly What the Coronavirus Wants Us to Do
Governors continue to open indoor dining and other activities before vaccinations become widespread. Experts warn this could create superspreading playgrounds for dangerous variants and squander our best shot at getting the pandemic under control.
Contractor Who Was Awarded $34.5 Million in Government Money and Provided Zero Masks Pleads Guilty to Fraud
The VA and FEMA agreed to pay a first-time vendor in a desperate search for protective equipment. Now Robert Stewart admits he defrauded three federal agencies and lied about being in the Marine Corps.
“We’ve Let the Worst Happen”: Reflecting on 400,000 Dead
A much-needed check-in with health care reporter Caroline Chen as we examine the toll COVID-19 has taken on the country and what to expect from a new president.
How Many Vaccine Shots Go to Waste? Several States Aren’t Counting.
The CDC says health facilities should report unused and spoiled COVID-19 vaccines, but many are failing to do so. At a time when there aren’t enough shots to meet demand, significant numbers may be going in the trash.
How Operation Warp Speed Created Vaccination Chaos
States are struggling to plan their vaccination programs with just one week’s notice for how many doses they’ll receive from the federal government. The incoming Biden administration is deciding what to do with this dysfunctional system.
CDC Shut Down a Lab Involved in Making Faulty Coronavirus Tests
A CDC lab involved in making faulty coronavirus tests sent to state and local officials early in the pandemic was closed down hours after an October investigation by ProPublica exposed key mistakes the CDC made in manufacturing those tests.
