How 4 major coronavirus tools impacted the pandemic in 2022

COVID-19 vaccines for the littlest kids and an updated booster marked Year Three of the pandemic

A photo of Mary Bassett, New York state’s Commissioner of Health, receiving a COVID-19 booster shot.

Mary Bassett, New York state’s Commissioner of Health, receives her updated booster in early September, soon after the shot was recommended. The booster was designed to spur an immune response against more versions of the virus.

Enrique Shore/Alamy Stock Photo

The third year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States introduced vaccines for very young children and an updated booster, plus wider availability of an antiviral drug and at-home antigen tests.