An aerial view shows painted circles in the grass to encourage people to keep a distance from each other at Washington Square Park in San Francisco. The photo is from May 22, 2020. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
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A booster vaccine is administered on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A COVID booster is administered in Jakarta, Indonesia. Eko Siswono Toyudho/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption
A poster in Kolkata, India, from peak pandemic days sends a message to mask up. Now that the official COVID-19 global emergency is no longer in effect, some folks are thrilled to stop masking — but others wonder if it's a good idea to keep up certain precautions. NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption
It's COVID testing time at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, South Korea. Arrivals from China must now submit to a PCR test. Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/Sipa USA hide caption
Pfizer's Paxlovid pills are considered the most effective treatment to prevent severe COVID. They're about to be sold in China. But they are reportedly underused in the U.S. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption
Print and fold a zine version of this comic here. Here are directions on how to fold it. Malaka Gharib/ NPR hide caption
A child wears a KN95 mask for kids in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
SARS-CoV-2 is shown in this colorized transmission electron micrograph. This specimen was isolated from a patient in the U.S. Particles of the virus are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. Science Source hide caption
The future of the pandemic is looking clearer as we learn more about infection
A Hong Kong hamster that evaded the cull. Bertha Wang/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
This German snowman wears a protective mask over its banana nose and mouth, but experts say the risk of catching COVID outdoors is slim. Peter Kneffel hide caption
A COVID-19 home test in the U.S. comes with a swab to swirl in the nostrils. But some users say they're swabbing the throat too — even though that's not what the instructions say to do. "They may stab themselves," cautions Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting head of the Food and Drug Administration. Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
A 8-year-old looks out her bedroom window during self-quarantine with her family due to COVID-19. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption
A Santa Claus in Germany wears a surgical mask in December 2020. If you're planning to take the kids to see Santa this year, experts say it's safest to keep everyone's masks on. Caroline Seidel/picture alliance via Getty Images hide caption
Fever is a possible side effect of a COVID19 vaccine. Catie Dull/NPR hide caption
A 3D-generated image of the coronavirus variant of concern known as omicron. The little bumps are spike proteins (see definition below). Uma Shankar Sharma/Getty Images hide caption
Nurse Sandra Lindsay celebrates after receiving her COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine booster at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York in October. Lindsay was the first person known to receive a COVID vaccine in the United States vaccination campaign — on Dec. 14, 2020. Her vaccination card is displayed at the COVID-19 exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Lev Radin/Pacific Press via Getty Images hide caption