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YOUR WEEKLY CHECKUP

This week: Getting COVID-19 multiple times can do lasting damage to your body; reinfections are on the rise as Omicron marches on; what the latest studies say on the origins of COVID-19; revisiting the tragic tale of Typhoid Mary; the unlikely story of how ketchup improved food safety.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KATE GERAGHTY, THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD/GETTY IMAGES

How multiple COVID-19 infections can harm the body

Reinfection rates are rising with the emergence of the more infectious Omicron variant, with some people even reporting their third or fourth infection. Now, scientists are warning that each bout increases your risk of troubling outcomes, from long COVID to heart disease.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

REINFECTIONS ON THE RISE: BA.5 fuels spread of new infections as it evades immunity +

ENDEMIC: COVID-19 will likely be with us forever. Here's how we'll live with it. +

P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE SOURCE

How COVID-19 can harm your heart

LUCA LOCATELLI FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Even mild COVID-19 can cause your brain to shrink

LUCA LOCATELLI, ESRF, HUMAN ORGAN ATLAS

World's brightest x-rays reveal COVID-19’s damage to the body

JALAL SHAMSAZARAN, NVP IMAGES

Can COVID-19 alter your personality? Here's what brain research shows.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NOEL CELIS, AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Debate deepens over Wuhan wet market's role in kickstarting the pandemic

As the world enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the precise origins of the virus that causes the disease and the role of the Huanan market in kickstarting the outbreak remain hotly contested. Critics point to bigger issues with poorly regulated wildlife farming—not just the market itself—as the root cause of COVID-19.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

RELATED: Why it's so tricky to trace the origin of COVID-19 +

PHOTOGRAPH FROM BETTMANN/GETTY

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌

Typhoid Mary's tragic tale exposed the health impacts of 'super-spreaders'

Tracking down the culprit behind an outbreak of typhoid fever in 1900s New York was a breakthrough in learning how symptom-free carriers can spread sickness. Later, the case would spark a debate about personal autonomy when it's pitted against public health.

A DETECTIVE STORY

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

NG STAFF

Reinfections are on the rise as BA.5 dominates

In the last seven days, this highly transmissible version of Omicron was responsible for an estimated 82 percent of the country's daily new cases.

TRACKING COVID IN THE U.S.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PEDRO FIÚZA, NURPHOTO VIA GETTY

Where did Omicron come from? Here are 3 theories

Scientists are trying to pinpoint where and how the highly transmissible variant emerged so they can be better prepared for the next one.

Updated COVID-19 booster shots could be available in early fall (CNN)

Officials boost access to a drug that can protect the immunocompromised from COVID-19 (NPR)

The key to universal COVID-19 vaccines lies in your bones (Vox)

4 in 10 parents say they won't vaccinate kids under 5 for COVID, survey finds (USA Today)

MORE HEALTH NEWS

ILLUSTRATION: JOHANNA GOODMAN (IMAGES OF HENRY HEINZ, HIS COMPANY’S PRODUCTS, AND A HEINZ FACTORY)

How Henry Heinz used ketchup to improve food safety

Ketchup—that cheerful red sauce sold in handy glass bottles—first came on the American market in the 19th century. But its ingredients were shockingly different than they are today: If the bacteria didn't sicken you, the preservatives might. Until, that is, this wealthy food manufacturer cleaned up the condiment.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Monkeypox can look different than what doctors thought. Here's what they're learning (NPR)

Can these habits help prevent childhood allergies? (BBC)

Study finds another condition that vitamin D pills do not help (New York Times)

Ancient Europeans were lactose intolerant. They drank milk anyway, study finds. (Washington Post)

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