Joe Palca

More than two dozen vaccines for COVID-19 are underdevelopment, and at least three have begun human tests. Here's what's being tried, and why it's now possible to develop candidates in record time.

Lots of drugs are being tried to combat COVID-19, but only a handful are being tested in a scientific manner. Here's a look at what's being studied, and what possible therapies lie ahead.

At least one team of scientists hopes to determine if hydroxychloroquine — touted by President Trump as a possible treatment for COVID-19 — could actually work to prevent the disease.

A treatment strategy that identifies particularly potent immune system proteins, then gins up mass quantities for a single dose might help prevent infections or quell symptoms, scientists say.

Several teams are racing to develop therapies for COVID-19 based on antibodies, the components of immune systems that can be collected from the blood of patients who have survived the disease.

Scientists are rolling out an old-fashioned approach they hope will help treat COVID-19. The treatment involves giving patients plasma from people who have recovered from the virus.

Scientists hope a machine can do what a person can't: quickly analyze every physical and chemical aspect of the coronavirus and sift through the world's drugs for subtle clues that might prove useful.

The Trump administration suggested that widespread testing is underway but that the country is only in day six of the 15-day plan to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Though COVID-19 has captured the headlines, influenza places a huge burden on the health care system. This year's flu shot provides good protection, the CDC says, so do get one if you haven't already.

More than 100,000 people around the world have been diagnosed with the illness COVID-19. A number of governments are now trying to contain the spread of the virus.

A respirator is a central piece of protective gear vital for keeping health care workers healthy — but wearing one incorrectly can put the wearer at risk.

The new coronavirus has spurred biotech labs in universities and companies to try to find new approaches to stopping the virus — from blocking its key enzymes to interfering with its genetics.

An approach to treating new diseases that worked for the Ebola and Zika viruses is being tested for the new coronavirus. It involves using antibodies to the disease as a drug.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency supports a pandemic preparedness program that is designed to respond rapidly to an emerging threat such as the coronavirus.

Recent advances in biotech make scientists optimistic that they might have a vaccine that has passed basic tests of human safety and efficacy ready to go to clinics as soon as this fall.

Right now, the CDC in Atlanta is the only place that can definitively test for the new coronavirus. But soon regional public health labs will get in the game, and kits are being developed for doctors.

Several teams are working on a vaccine to protect against the new coronavirus. Although a vaccine is many months off, new technologies have helped build potential vaccines in record time.

China is enforcing travel restrictions on several cities, affecting millions of people. But research shows that these measures are not effective. In fact, they might make the situation even worse.

The next Mars mission will have an instrument that can make oxygen from the carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere. It will be crucial for keeping astronauts alive and for fueling rockets.

A scientist in Wisconsin has invented a bandage that uses an electrical field to speed up the time needed for a wound to heal. It could one day lead to treatments for baldness and obesity.