Dec 03 Biden, allies increasingly pushing back at GOP's virus barbs By Zeke Miller, Associated Press As public patience wears thin amid the emergence of the new omicron variant and some GOP lawmakers' threats to shut down the government over vaccine requirements, the White House and its allies are seizing on what they see as a… Continue reading
Dec 03 WATCH: White House COVID-19 task force holds briefing as omicron cases emerge By Laura Santhanam Since the World Health Organization designated omicron as a "variant of concern," in part because of its apparent ability to reinfect people, public health officials had said it would be a matter of time before omicron appeared in the U.S. Continue reading
Dec 03 Is Roe v. Wade 'settled' law? Justices' earlier assurances now in doubt By Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press This week's landmark Supreme Court hearing over a Mississippi law that could curtail if not outright end a woman's right to abortion prompted questions about the court's willingness to dismantle decades old decisions on access to abortion services. Continue reading
Dec 03 WHO says measures used against delta should work for omicron By Jim Gomez, Associated Press That means continuing to push for higher vaccination rates, abiding by social-distancing guidelines, and wearing masks, among other measures, public health officials say. Continue reading
Dec 02 Watch 5:15 U.S. launches new effort to fight omicron variant's spread with 'science and speed' By Yamiche Alcindor, Dorothy Hastings The United States’ COVID-19 watch has turned up more cases of the omicron variant Thursday. They appeared as President Joe Biden unveiled new initiatives on vaccines, masking and treatment. White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor reports. Continue watching
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