Dec 13 Watch 5:52 Older Americans make up a majority of COVID deaths. They are falling behind on boosters By Amna Nawaz, Courtney Norris The United States is approaching a grim milestone of the pandemic, as the nationwide death toll approaches 800,000. The vast majority of those deaths are among the elderly — people 65 and up make up 75 percent of all COVID-19… Continue watching
Dec 13 Watch 8:23 Do safe drug consumption sites save lives? Here's what we know about NYC's new venture By William Brangham, Mike Fritz, Leah Nagy Since last spring, more than 100,000 Americans have died of drug overdoses — many caused by the opioid, fentanyl. Officials are searching for solutions to try to save lives, including setting up authorized centers where people can use illegal drugs… Continue watching
Dec 12 South African president tests positive for COVID, mildly ill By Andrew Meldrum, Associated Press Last week, Ramaphosa visited four West African countries. He and all members of his delegation were tested for COVID-19 in each of the countries during the trip. Some in the delegation tested positive in Nigeria and returned directly to South… Continue reading
Dec 10 National Guard helping virus-sapped states and hospitals By Ed White, Associated Press Staff at hospitals and other care centers are being worn down by a rise in virus cases that began before Thanksgiving, especially in some Northeast and Upper Midwest states. Continue reading
Dec 10 WATCH: White House COVID task force says boosters help protect against omicron By Associated Press The White House COVID-19 task force holds a news briefing Friday, December 10. Continue reading
Dec 10 Companies rethink return-to-office plans amid omicron cases By Anne D'Innocenzio The moves are the latest indication of how difficult it is for companies to set firm plans to return workers to the office, with worries about a spike in cases or new variants shifting return-to-office deadlines. Continue reading
Dec 10 Supreme Court allowing Texas abortion ban to remain in place By Mark Sherman, Associated Press The court acted Friday, more than a month after hearing arguments over the law that makes abortion illegal after cardiac activity is detected in an embryo. Continue reading
Dec 09 Watch 6:16 Despite strong vaccination rate, Vermont sees COVID spike amid booster shot lag By William Brangham, Claire Mufson As the country braces for the unknowns of the new omicron variant, the delta variant is still overwhelming parts of the United States. Some states in the Northeast and Midwest have seen sustained record-breaking case numbers. William Brangham reports on… Continue watching
Dec 09 Watch 7:25 Why PFAS are so impervious, and who is most at risk from the forever chemicals By Miles O'Brien, Fedor Kossakovski The new infrastructure law contains $10 billion for cleaning up drinking water that has been contaminated by a specific group of man-made chemicals. But problems with "forever chemicals" go back decades, and are located in many places around the U.S. Continue watching
Dec 09 Growing use of home COVID-19 tests leaves health agencies in the dark about unreported cases By Kathleen McLaughlin, STAT While home tests have distinct advantages, most who test positive don’t come to the attention of health officials unless they see a doctor. Continue reading