Amy Schoenfeld Walker | The Seattle Times

A photo provided by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee shows Trump nominee Matthew Kacsmaryk during the nomination hearing to the federal judiciary at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Dec. 13, 2017. Kacsmaryk, the federal judge in a lawsuit that seeks to overturn federal approval of a widely-used abortion pill has scheduled the first hearing in the case for this week, but he planned to delay making the public aware of it, according to people familiar with the case. (U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on the Judiciary via The New York Times) — NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY — XNYT78 XNYT78

March 14, 2023 at 6:01 am

Where restrictions on abortion pills could matter most

A closely watched lawsuit seeks to revoke the approval of the most common, safe and effective abortion pill regimen, with the potential for consequences to...

Nation & World

Stephanie Piper, an advocate for sexual assault victims, in Biloxi, Miss., on Jan. 12, 2023. Piper said she has helped women who were raped connect with abortion providers outside Mississippi. (Emily Kask/The New York Times) XNYT35 XNYT35

January 21, 2023 at 2:53 pm

Most abortion bans include exceptions. In practice, few are granted VIEW

Last summer, a Mississippi woman sought an abortion after, she said, a friend had raped her. Her state prohibits most abortions but allows them for...

Nation & World

December 16, 2022 at 12:55 pm

Cold and flu season started early and is hitting U.S. hard

The current season of respiratory sickness already rivals some of the worst cold and flu seasons on record. Add resurgent COVID and it's a "tripledemic."

Nation & World

April 8, 2022 at 7:20 pm

What happens when COVID becomes endemic?

Interviews with two dozen scientists, public health experts and medical historians suggest the rush to recast COVID-19 as endemic may be missing the point.

A support worker, second from left, directs Los Angeles Unified School District students and staff who wait in line for a COVID-19 test at a walk-up site at the El Sereno Middle School in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 4, 2022. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS) 37242389W

January 11, 2022 at 6:22 pm

What to make of those soaring COVID counts

In just a matter of days, coronavirus case counts have shattered previous records in the United States, as the omicron variant spreads rapidly just about...

Nation & World

Staffers at the University of Washington’s clinical virology lab prepare samples to be tested for the coronavirus.

This UW Virology lab on Eastlake is where scientists have been sequencing the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.

Photographed Friday, December 17, 2021 219117

December 23, 2021 at 5:50 pm

Omicron drives U.S. virus cases past delta’s peak

The omicron variant, which is now dominant in the United States and spreading faster than any variant yet, has already pushed daily coronavirus case counts...

Nation & World

November 14, 2021 at 12:45 pm

Efficacy of Shots Wanes, Fueling Boosters Debate

As tens of millions of eligible people in the United States consider signing up for a COVID-19 booster shot, a growing body of early global...

Nation & World

Lucenia Williams Dunn at home in Tuskegee, Ala., Sept. 12, 2021. Dunn, who was not in favor of getting inoculated until a few months ago, finds it hard to separate the painful history of the Tuskegee syphilis study from the creation of COVID-19 vaccines. Black Americans were once far less likely than white Americans to be vaccinated but a wave of pro-vaccine campaigns and a surge of virus deaths have narrowed that gap, experts say. (Matthew Odom/The New York Times)

October 13, 2021 at 7:29 pm

Why many Black Americans changed their minds about COVID shots

Black Americans were once far less likely than white Americans to be vaccinated. But a wave of pro-vaccine campaigns and a surge of virus deaths...

Nation & World

A Texas flag is displayed in an ementary school music class at Tibbals Elementary School in Murphy, Texas, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot’s statewide mask order does not mandate face covering for children under the age of 10, allowing some school districts to not require masks for children leaving the choice of mask use up to the parents. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

September 10, 2021 at 5:57 am

Least-vaccinated states lead spike in children’s COVID cases, leaving some hospitals stretched

The number of children admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 has risen to the highest levels reported to date. The states with the lowest vaccine...

Nation & World

February 13, 2021 at 10:23 am

After a Sluggish Start, Vaccine Rollout is Improving in Every State

Health officials say that while current vaccine supply levels still limit how many vaccines they can administer, states are becoming more efficient at immunizing people...