Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from a special coronavirus edition of WBUR's morning newsletter, WBUR Today. You can get regular weekday updates about the latest coronavirus surge and other news ...

Researchers often call the polymerase chain reaction test – known as the PCR test – "the gold standard" for detecting the COVID-19 virus. The test is considered highly reliable and effective, and it ...

If you had COVID-19 symptoms in 2020, you probably would have masked up and braved a visit to a laboratory, doctor’s office, or clinic to get a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. A health care ...

Recall, if you dare, life in December 2020. America had just approved Covid-19 vaccines for use, but most of us wouldn’t get a shot for months. Instead, amid the second surge of coronavirus cases, ...

As the federal health emergency ended May 11 and COVID numbers are on the rise, here’s how you can still access tests, at-home and PCR. (Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images) It’s that time again: COVID-19 ...

So you’ve tested for COVID-19 using an at-home test, and the results are positive. Now what do you do? Do you need a PCR test to confirm? Should you call your doctor? The health department? Below is ...

For Rachel Robles, getting diagnosed with Long COVID was an uphill battle. She caught the virus in March 2020, when nearly nothing was known about its long-term effects and testing was inaccessible ...

There are plenty of rapid tests now. So what do we do with them? Millions of Americans have purchased rapid COVID-19 tests online or at local stores and signed up to receive test kits through a free ...

Viruses that cause measles and the common cold do not produce false-positive COVID-19 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, contrary to posts circulating widely online. A ...

We regularly answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at [email protected] with the ...

Dogs are as reliable as laboratory tests for detecting COVID-19 cases, and may be even better than PCR tests for identifying infected people who don’t have symptoms. A bonus: The canines are cuter and ...