coronavirus

So-called cryptic lineages may hold the key to better understand how the virus that causes COVID mutates to evade our immune systems.

Ay junjun eb’ nik yune chonab’ a snanhal Oeste wan sk’ib’eb’ yu’uj jeb’ tz’at ja Norte, yu’uj tz’och jeb’ nik tz’yal junxhok ti’ehal chuk yalxi. Jeb’ yatutal ant’won anma yet’ eb tziln ati jeb’ anma yawlal tzyil jeb’ set to nik vacuna COVID sk’och ja junjun chonhab’.

The coronavirus swept through the nation’s meat processing facilities in 2020. Nearly two years into the pandemic, many are still searching for answers — and calling for change.

Immigrants make up an estimated 40 percent of the U.S. meat processing workforce. Last year’s wave of COVID outbreaks at meatpacking plants exposed many vulnerabilities among the industry’s diverse workforce.

The number of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 remains high across the country — and the Midwest. With the delta variant dominating cases, patients now are younger, sicker and often require more intensive care, hospitals like Methodist in Des Moines are facing pressure.

The U.S. was dealing with a shortage of nurses even before the pandemic. Now, with COVID-19 hospitalizations rising once again, there’s concern that nurses on the frontlines are at even greater risk of burnout.

In recent weeks, demand for the COVID-19 vaccine in Iowa has declined sharply, but the number of Iowans who have had at least one shot hasn't even reached 70 percent. That's raising concern among public health officials.

The pandemic has affected the mental health of Iowa's children, and some are still concerned that two years after the creation of the children's mental health system, services are still falling short.

Around the nation, demand for the vaccine overall is decreasing. But many Native American tribal communities are ahead of the rest of the country when it comes to getting COVID vaccines. And, one place in Iowa is getting close to herd immunity.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. have reported an increase in their experiences of racism, hostility and outright violence. Side Effects Public Media reporter Christine Herman leads a conversation about how we got here and what we can do about it.