Jan 22 Watch 6:32 COVID-19 latest: Omicron variant, herd immunity, worldwide vaccine access By PBS NewsHour In order to expand testing access and help stop the spread of the omicron variant, the Biden administration announced this week that it would begin distributing millions of COVID-19 tests and masks to Americans for free. Infectious disease epidemiologist Jessica… Continue watching
Jan 22 With Roe in doubt, states act on abortion limits, expansions By Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press Less than a month into the 2022 legislative sessions, battles over the future of abortion already are setting up around the U.S. Republican lawmakers are proposing new restrictions modeled after laws in Texas and Mississippi that present a direct challenge to the… Continue reading
Jan 21 Biden administration's rapid-test rollout doesn't easily reach those who need it most By Hannah Recht, Victoria Knight, Kaiser Health News Two rapid-testing initiatives the Biden administration released in the past week are inaccessible to some residents of multifamily housing, people who don’t speak English well, or those without internet. Continue reading
Jan 21 City of Los Angeles considers banning new oil and gas drilling By Drew Costley, Associated Press The city council is expected to vote on a measure that would shut down oil and gas fields in the city after a decade of complaints from residents. Continue reading
Jan 21 Trump appointed judge blocks Biden federal worker vaccine mandate By Associated Press U.S. Judge Jeffrey Brown ruled Friday that opponents of Biden's vaccination mandate for federal employees were likely to succeed at trial and blocked the government from enforcing the requirement. Continue reading
Jan 21 WATCH: White House COVID task force bolsters vaccine booster messaging By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press Three new U.S. studies offer more evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines are standing up to the omicron variant, at least among people who have gotten booster shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the studies Friday. Continue reading
Jan 21 New studies shows booster shots crucial in fighting off omicron variant By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released three studies Friday that found available vaccines are less effective against omicron than they were against earlier versions of the coronavirus but concluded a booster can significantly improve protection. Continue reading
Jan 21 U.S. COVID testing is 'haphazard.' Here's what experts recommend By Laura Santhanam The pandemic’s ever-shifting demands mean goals must be established now to build up the country’s testing capacity for the future. Continue reading
Jan 20 Supreme Court refuses to speed up ongoing challenge to Texas abortion limitations By Associated Press Over dissents from the three liberal justices, the court declined to order a federal appeals court to return the case to a federal judge who had temporarily blocked the law's enforcement. The court offered no explanation for its action. Continue reading
Jan 20 Researchers test pig-to-human kidney transplant in donated body By Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press U.S. researchers are reporting the latest in a surprising string of experiments in the quest to save human lives with organs from genetically modified pigs. Continue reading