Dec 02 Travel bans punish countries for doing necessary work to end the pandemic, South Africa epidemiologist says By Kenichi Serino When omicron, a new variant of Covid-19, was discovered by South African scientists, the United States moved quickly to implement a travel ban against the country, a move the country's leading epidemiologist has called "outrageous" and "an overreaction."… Continue reading
Dec 02 Watch 6:13 Does South Africa's COVID uptick signal greater threat from omicron? Here's what we know By William Brangham, Courtney Norris While we don't know whether the omicron variant will lead to more severe cases of COVID-19, its ability to spread is becoming clearer. Cases in South Africa are spiking at the fastest rate since the pandemic began, and European officials… Continue watching
Dec 02 Omicron confirmed in man who attended NYC anime convention By Michelle L. Price, Associated Press Officials said Thursday that the man tested positive after returning home and that his symptoms have subsided. Continue reading
Dec 02 What's the status of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the U.S.? By Tom Krisher, Associated Press To control the spread of COVID-19, President Joe Biden previously said businesses with 100 or more employees would need to require COVID-19 vaccination or have workers get tested weekly for the virus. Continue reading
Dec 02 How Maine is trying to take food insecurity off kids' plates By Laura Santhanam Recent constraints on food supply and rising costs have also stretched school districts thin -- another reminder of the way that COVID has contributed to food insecurity. Continue reading
Dec 01 Watch 2:19 U.S. to release new rules for foreign travelers amid growing concerns over omicron variant By William Brangham, Dorothy Hastings The first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus was detected in the U.S. Wednesday — a discovery most health officials had said was inevitable. A case was confirmed in San Francisco, California, on the eve of new requirements… Continue watching
Dec 01 Watch 6:40 What early evidence tells us about omicron, and how it may affect need for booster shots By William Brangham, Dorothy Hastings The first case of COVID-19 from the omicron variant in the U.S. was in a person who had been vaccinated, but hadn’t received a booster. Dr. Fauci said it was a mild infection, and none of the traveler’s close contacts… Continue watching
Dec 01 Watch 5:41 India extends door-to-door vaccine campaign as omicron variant worries officials By Fred de Sam Lazaro The trajectory of omicron infections is being watched closely in India, where the official death toll from COVID-19 is approaching half a million. The true toll is likely much higher. Memories are still fresh of the devastation caused by the… Continue watching
Dec 01 Watch 5:16 Vaccinated Americans reflect on breakthrough infections, 'infuriating' anti-vaccine views By Ryan Connelly Holmes Even as Americans are trying to prepare for omicron, many parts of the country are still reeling from the delta variant. More Americans died of COVID this year than in 2020, despite the wide availability of free vaccines. The pandemic's… Continue watching
Dec 01 Mysteries of omicron variant could take weeks to decipher By Lauren Neergaard and Laura Ungar, Associated Press Up to now, the world has been slow to react to each coronavirus curveball. This time an early warning from South Africa and Botswana might have offered important head start. Continue reading