Epidemics
FILE - Chicago Bulls fans Rob Martinez, left, Mark Kojak and Michael Kojak, right, show their support for the team during a rally in Chicago, June 14, 1991, celebrating the Bulls NBA championship. (AP Photo/Mark Elias, File)
The 1990s: Jordan era takes flight; Magic battles HIV virus

By Brian Mahoney Feb. 23, 2022 02:26 AM EST

A young volunteer helps to direct traffic at a junction where a screen is showing an ad for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. The possibility of a large outbreak in the bubble, potentially sidelining athletes from competitions, has been a greater fear than any leakage into the rest of China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Beijing's ambitious Olympic COVID bubble: So far, so good

By Huizhong Wu And Ken Moritsugu Feb. 11, 2022 12:16 AM EST

A person in protective gear walks by an air purifier after emptying water at the curling venue ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
BEIJING DIARY: Testing positive at the no-COVID Olympics

By John Leicester Feb. 09, 2022 05:15 AM EST

Johannes Ludwig, of Germany, slides during the luge men's single round 3 at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Olympics Live: US diplomat says human rights should be focus

Feb. 05, 2022 09:23 PM EST

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Emboldened China opens Olympics, with lockdown and boycotts

By Sarah Dilorenzo Feb. 04, 2022 04:01 AM EST

FILE - Olympic workers in protective gear work at a credential validation desk at the Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Jan. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Entering Beijing's Olympics bubble is a surreal experience

Jan. 27, 2022 06:01 AM EST

FILE - Olympic workers in hazmat suits work at a credential validation desk at the Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. Athletes and others headed to the Olympics face a multitude of COVID-19 testing hurdles as organizers seek to catch any infections early and keep the virus at bay. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
EXPLAINER: How COVID tests, isolation will work at Olympics

By Candice Choi Jan. 26, 2022 02:57 PM EST

Hairdressers wearing protected suits cut residents' hair at a residential block which has become under lockdown in Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi province on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. A major Chinese city near Beijing has placed its 14 million residents on partial lockdown after a number of children and adults tested positive for COVID-19, including at least two with the omicron variant. Elsewhere, millions of people are being confined to their homes in Xi'an and Yuzhou, two cities that are farther away but have larger outbreaks traced to the delta variant. (Chinatopix Via AP)
China locks down 3rd city, raising affected to 20 million

By Ken Moritsugu Jan. 11, 2022 02:09 AM EST

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping tours the National Speed Skating Oval, a competition venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. Competition for the Winter Olympics is scheduled to begin on Feb. 4. (Shen Hong/Xinhua via AP)
IOC assures teams Winter Olympics in Beijing will go ahead

By Graham Dunbar Jan. 05, 2022 02:15 PM EST

A man wearing a face mask walks past the logos for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics outside of the headquarters for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. Beijing Winter Olympics organizers say measures to prevent cross-infections between athletes and the outside world are being extended to holding their garbage inside the bubble dividing the two. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Beijing Olympic athletes and their garbage face restrictions

Dec. 16, 2021 01:41 AM EST

Supporters of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics cheer as they mark the start of the 100 days countdown to the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Beijing confirms strict 'closed loop' for Winter Olympics

Oct. 27, 2021 04:07 AM EDT

Andrew Parson IPC President speaks remotely during a four-party meeting in Tokyo, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. All fans will be barred from the Paralympics during the pandemic, just as they were from the recently-completed Tokyo Olympics, organizers said Monday. (Rodrigo Reyes Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
Paralympics follow lead of Olympics: No fans during pandemic

By Stephen Wade Aug. 16, 2021 07:23 AM EDT

A woman wearing a face mask to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus walks under the scorching sun Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan leader's medical adviser urges tougher virus measures

By Mari Yamaguchi Aug. 12, 2021 08:09 AM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 8, 2021, file photo, fireworks illuminate over National Stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in Tokyo. When the Tokyo Olympics began during a worsening pandemic, the majority of the host nation was in opposition, with Emperor Naruhito dropping the word “celebrating” from his opening declaration of welcome. But once the Games got underway and local media switched to covering Japanese athletes' “medal rush,” many were won over. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
Tokyo's Olympic fears give way to acceptance, to a point

By Mari Yamaguchi Aug. 11, 2021 09:16 PM EDT

A man holds up a small girl clutching the French flag as they join others in the Olympics fan zone at the Trocadero Gardens in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021. A giant flag will be unfurled on the Eiffel Tower in Paris Sunday as part of the handover ceremony of Tokyo 2020 to Paris 2024, as Paris will be the next Summer Games host in 2024. The passing of the hosting baton will be split between the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo and a public party and concert in Paris. (AP Photo/Adrienne Surprenant)
Paris calling: After Tokyo, Olympians hanker for 2024 Games

By John Leicester Aug. 08, 2021 09:45 PM EDT

A woman wearing a face mask to curb the spread of the coronavirus walks with a parasol on a street in Tokyo Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. Japan is playing host to the Tokyo Olympics. But the capital, as well as other populous areas, are in the middle of a government-declared “state of emergency” to curb surging COVID-19 infections. (AP Photo/Kantaro Komiya)
EXPLAINER: What Olympic host Japan’s COVID ‘emergency’ means

By Yuri Kageyama Aug. 05, 2021 12:18 AM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 2, 2021, file photo, a visitor receives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the Tokyo Vaccination Center at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo. In a new government policy that was debated in parliament on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, coronavirus patients with moderate symptoms will isolate at home instead of in hospitals, as new cases surge in Tokyo to record levels during the Olympic Games. (Stanislav Kogiku/Pool Photo via AP)
Japan to limit hospital care as COVID-19 cases hit new high

By Mari Yamaguchi Aug. 04, 2021 05:51 AM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 2, 2021, file photo, Germany's Anna Carmen Schell, right, compete against Egypt's Enas Ahmed during their women's 68kg freestyle wrestling match at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Chiba, Japan. Tokyo Olympians are exercising extraordinary discipline against the coronavirus. They are sealed off in a sanitary bubble that has made competition possible but is also squeezing a lot of fun from their Olympic experience. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
Clean, repeat: At Tokyo Games, virus is Olympians' chief foe

By John Leicester Aug. 02, 2021 10:26 PM EDT

Olympic volunteer Atsushi Muramatsu poses for a photo in front of Sekisui Heim Super Arena, which was used as a morgue after the 2011 earthquake, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, in Rifu, Japan, Thursday, July 29, 2021. The arena is situated next to Miyagi Stadium, which is used for soccer matches during the 2020 Summer Olympics, where he is serving as a volunteer. Muramatsu has made business-card size flyers to express gratitude for support from overseas. He plans to hand them out to foreign media. (AP Photo/Chisato Tanaka)
Olympic volunteers strive to share stories of 3/11 disaster

By Chisato Tanaka Aug. 01, 2021 11:31 PM EDT

A woman drops off a test for the coronavirus infection at the Main Press Center for the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. About 30,000 people are spitting into tiny plastic vials every day at the Tokyo Olympics in a routine that’s grown crucial in going ahead with the pandemic-era Games. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
In effort to curb COVID, Tokyo Olympics collect lots of spit

By Yuri Kageyama Jul. 30, 2021 01:55 AM EDT