The case for free tampons and pads in schools Activists say menstrual products are a basic necessity that shouldn't require a long walk to the school nurse's office, and that providing them is key to removing the stigma of periods. Mansee Khurana
'Not a time to panic.' Washington health officials urge vaccines, boosters with omicron on the horizon Washington state health officials are doubling down on their plea for people to get vaccinated. This comes as the first U.S. case of the Covid-19 omicron variant has been detected in California. Kate Walters
Public health messaging about omicron will be vital to curb conspiracy theories Much is unknown about the omicron variant. Scientists are scrambling to gather information. But with the first case of omicron confirmed in the U.S., public health officials can't afford to be silent. Selena Simmons-Duffin
1st case of the omicron variant in the U.S. has been reported in California The first case of the omicron variant has been identified in the United States. The case occurred in a traveler who recently returned to California from a trip to South Africa. Rob Stein
The mystery of where omicron came from — and why it matters How did this new strain of the novel coronavirus evolve? Researchers are investigating various possibilities. One leading theory involves ... just one person. Nurith Aizenman
California has reported the first U.S. case of the omicron variant A case in California marks omicron's arrival in the U.S. Cases have been found in more than 20 countries around the world, less than a week after the worrying new variant was first identified. Bill Chappell
A different kind of COVID vaccine is about ready to roll Protein subunit vaccines work by injecting people with a tiny portion of a virus. In the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, that tiny portion is the spike protein that the coronavirus uses to enter cells. Joe Palca
The omicron variant has been found in 23 countries More should be known about the transmissibility and severity of the new variant in "days, not necessarily weeks," a senior World Health Organization scientist says. Scott Neuman
What the AIDS crisis can teach us about the COVID pandemic response This is the second World AIDS Day during the coronavirus pandemic. Public health officials are calling on world leaders to do more to address the inequities at the root of both crises. Rachel Treisman
WHO member states will work on a global agreement to deal with future pandemics The coronavirus outbreak exposed flaws in the global health system but also showed a willingness among countries to work together, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's director-general, says. Joe Hernandez
