COVID Q&A

Top Boston doctors discuss the end of state and national public health emergencies related to COVID-19 and what that means moving forward during the final episode of this series.

COVID rates and wastewater levels are declining in Massachusetts and across New England, which is giving top Boston doctors some cautious optimism about the course of the pandemic.

Top Boston Doctors Discuss the End of Masks Mandates in Health Care Settings, a Potential Second Booster Shot for High-Risk People and Changes in How the State Defines COVID-Related Deaths.

Top Boston doctors discuss the end of COVID-19 emergency declarations and the ongoing debate over the origins of the pandemic.

Top Boston doctors are worried about equal access to care in Massachusetts now that the U.S. decided to stop giving out free COVID vaccines as early as this fall. Shifting vaccine distribution to the private market is part of President Joe Biden’s decision to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations related to the pandemic in May....

The U.S. will stop providing free COVID vaccines and shift distribution to the private market as soon as early fall. Top Boston doctors explain what that means for Massachusetts.

Top Boston doctors discuss President Joe Biden’s plans to end national and public health emergencies related to COVID-19 and reflect on the three year anniversary of the first case in Massachusetts

Top Boston doctors discuss a potential shift to annual COVID-19 vaccines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during NBC10 Boston’s weekly “COVID Q&A” series.

Since the coronavirus pandemic swept the world in 2020, many people have anticipated what’s known as herd immunity as the elusive finish line. One year ago, top Boston doctors couldn’t say when, if ever, we’d cross it. Now, it’s possible the finish line is in sight. Herd immunity relates to the idea that a high level of immunity to...

Top Boston doctors talk about the latest data trends, subvariant XBB.1.5 and whether we’ve reached herd immunity during NBC10 Boston’s weekly “COVID Q&A” series.

As freshly sworn-in Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey settles into the corner office, top Boston doctors are weighing in on how her administration should prioritize COVID-19 response. In an historic inauguration, Healey took the oath of office earlier this month. Healey’s rise to power marks the first time a woman has been elected governor in Massachusetts, and she is among the...

The new, more contagious COVID subvariant XBB.1.5 that’s believed to be New England’s most dominant strain of the virus has acquired a dramatic nickname: “the Kraken.” The alias was coined informally by scientists on Twitter in an attempt to help differentiate between the ever-changing variants. This particular omicron descendant could very well be contributing to a recent rise in...

Top Boston doctors talk about the latest data, hospitalizations and ‘the Kraken,’ a new nickname for subvariant XBB.1.5, during NBC10 Boston’s weekly “COVID Q&A” series.

Back to class means back to masks for some students and staff in Massachusetts. In an effort to keep flu and COVID cases down, some school districts have asked students to mask up after returning from holiday break. The move is temporary and is only a suggestion, not a requirement. Arlington, Boston, Newton and Watertown are among the school districts…

Some Massachusetts school districts asked, but did not require, students to wear masks when they went back to class Tuesday.

Massachusetts COVID-19 wastewater levels have reached heights not seen since last winter’s omicron surge in what Boston doctors are calling a “dramatic” and “striking” increase. Virus levels started rising at the end of November and have now reached their highest point in about a year, data from the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority shows. Cases and hospitalizations have also been...

Top Boston doctors talk about what could be causing the biggest spike in COVID-19 wastewater levels Massachusetts has seen in a year during NBC10 Boston’s weekly “COVID Q&A” series.

As China scales back restrictions amid surging COVID-19 cases, experts are worried about whether BF.7, the dominant strain there, could mean trouble for the U.S. The BF.7 subvariant, which descended from the BA.5 strain, is extremely adept at evading immunity and is believed to be driving China’s current surge. In the U.S., BF.7 currently accounts for just 3.9% of...

Infectious disease experts are split on whether Boston Public Schools should bring back a mask mandate after the holiday break as COVID-19 metrics continue to rise. Officials are considering a temporary mask mandate in an attempt to avoid repeating last year’s staffing issues and student absenteeism related to a surge in cases. In a letter sent to families, officials...

Top Boston doctors talk about rising COVID wastewater levels, the newly dominant XBB variant and whether Boston Public Schools should implement a temporary mask mandate during NBC10 Boston’s weekly “COVID Q&A” series.