Pandemic

US, EU strongly decry UN declaration promising international collaboration in face of pandemic

US initially requested that the UN removed "mentions of equity and universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services," to make the Trump administration comfortable with the language.

US President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly at UN Headquarters on September 22, 2026 in New York City; illustrative
Anthony Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and medical advisor to several U.S. presidents, attends a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 29, 2026.

US Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after refusing to answer questioning

Anthony Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and medical advisor to several U.S. presidents, attends a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, July 29, 2026.

Senate panel obtains Fauci’s COVID-era iPhone records as contempt vote approaches - report

A health worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) stands near displaced people waiting for the burial of suspected Ebola victims at the Kigonze displaced persons camp, one month after an outbreak was declared, in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, June 18, 2026.

Congo bans gatherings in Kinshasa and three provinces over Ebola outbreak


Health Ministry doesn't change policy as COVID-19 cases in China reportedly surge

Other countries are reinstating Covid-19 testing for arrivals from China, while the Israeli Health Ministry has not yet announced any new measures.

 A resident gets tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) behind barriers of a sealed area, amid new lockdown measures in parts of the city to curb the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China June 9, 2022.

Is the COVID-19 pandemic finally over? - opinion

I wish COVID never came into our lives. Moreover, I wish masking could be a personal choice, free of stigma. 

 Face masks fly off, but is the COVID-19 pandemic really over? (Illustrative)

COVID-19: Loss of taste, smell? It may actually be a good thing - study

Olfactory loss typically appears early in the onset of COVID-19 and at times could be the sole indicator that an individual is actually sick, as 20% of patients may have no other symptoms.

 Anosmia or smell blindness, loss of the ability to smell, one of the possible symptoms of COVID-19.

Pandemic lockdowns linked to decline in US twin births -study suggests

The largest decline in twin births was seen in women over age 40, the group most likely to use infertility treatment.

 AN ULTRASOUND examination for a pregnant woman at a gynecology clinic in Tel Aviv.

Brains of teenagers have physically aged due to stress caused by pandemic - study

The results were that the developmental process had sped up in those involved while they were experiencing the pandemic.

Mental health [illustrative]

Cancer diagnoses lag after screenings fall during COVID pandemic - study

Diagnoses of breast, cervical and colorectal cancers dropped by roughly 6% to 7% between 2019 and 2020 and by an additional 5% to 6% between 2020 and 2021.

 An image of lung with breast cancer metastasis, surrounded by inflammatory complement protein: Cyan: Cell nuclei; Red: Complement protein; Green: blood vessels;

COVID-19 pandemic may have altered natural course of personality changes

The researchers found that younger adults' maturity was disrupted while the oldest group of adults showed no significant change in personality.

 Neurons in the brain

Syrian health ministry says cholera death toll rises to 29

Syria said on Monday that 29 people had died of cholera in what the United Nations has called the worst outbreak of the disease in the war-torn country for years.

 Damascus, Syria, Panorama at sunset

Synagogues exit COVID-19 pandemic with hope for the future

Again: On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Jewish leaders look back on how they kept communal body and spiritual soul together during more than two years of restrictions.

 An outdoor socially distanced prayer service at at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in New York City, June 15, 2020

Pregnancy brain got you down? It may affect the baby- study

A new study reveals that when a mother moves between extreme moods during pregnancy, the child develops a stress pattern that could reflect instability and negative emotions.

 Israeli midwives advise pregnant women how to cope with tension of rocket attacks.