Researchers often call the polymerase chain reaction test – known as the PCR test – "the gold standard" for detecting the COVID-19 virus. The test is considered highly reliable and effective, and it ...

Many of us are hearing stories lately about friends, neighbors and family members testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, even though official case numbers are likely being undercounted. Health ...

We regularly answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the ...

For Rachel Robles, getting diagnosed with Long COVID was an uphill battle. She caught the virus in March 2020, when nearly nothing was known about its long-term effects and testing was inaccessible ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen the rise and fall of many variants, but nothing like BA.5. Previous subvariants of omicron have caused cascading surges as they outcompeted each other; now, BA. 5 is the ...

RSV is short for respiratory syncytial virus. It’s a virus that can cause respiratory infections in your lungs, nose, and throat. It’s best to test for RSV soon after your symptoms start. That’s ...

If you test positive for COVID and isolate, do you need a negative test before you can see people again? It's a question many are asking after news first broke that President Joe Biden tested negative ...

Dogs are as reliable as laboratory tests for detecting COVID-19 cases, and may be even better than PCR tests for identifying infected people who don’t have symptoms. A bonus: The canines are cuter and ...