COVID-19 pandemic

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerged, each with differing characteristics. In mid-2021, the Delta variant became widespread and was notably more transmissible than earlier forms of the virus, leading to increased infections, including some among vaccinated individuals, and causing significant illness, particularly in those…

…giving rise to a multiyear pandemic that resulted in millions of deaths. The pandemic also spurred a revolution in business and education, spawning a reliance on distance learning and work-at-home arrangements and the rise of videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom, which became one of the most downloaded applications worldwide and…

Ironically, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the technological boundaries of sports broadcasting because it forced live sports to a global halt. The pandemic had negative implications for start-up sports leagues such as the XFL, which canceled midseason and shuttered the league after filing for bankruptcy. This highlighted how…

In March 2020 an ongoing outbreak of a novel coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) was declared a pandemic by WHO officials. Infection with SARS-CoV2 produced an illness known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); the illness was characterized primarily by fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The…

economy during the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, when the central bank slashed interest rates to near zero and launched massive lending and asset-purchase programs to stabilize financial markets. The New York Times called him “Washington’s Best-Liked Man” and Bloomberg News dubbed him “Wall Street’s Head of State.” Over…

…in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic, when violent extremists opposed the country’s vaccination program, and in the United States following the presidential election of 2020. When public figures vocalize violent language that may previously have been found only in remote corners of the Internet (such as encrypted chat rooms or…

Looking back, the COVID-19 pandemic stands as arguably the most disruptive event of the 21st century, surpassing wars, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the effects of climate change, and the Great Recession. It has killed more than seven million people to date and reshaped the world economy,…