Health

WATCH: Biden orders tough new vaccination rules for fed government

By Alexandra Jaffe, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Jonathan Lemire, Associated Press

The nation's millions of federal workers will be required to verify they've been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else face mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and other new rules.

FDA allows automatic 'generic' swap for brand-name insulin

By Linda A. Johnson, Associated Press

Wednesday's move by the Food and Drug Administration will allow pharmacists to automatically substitute the cheaper version, just as they do with generic pills for other kinds of drugs.

Lollapalooza to require vaccination card or negative test

By Kathleen Foody, Don Babwin, Associated Press

The four-day festival starts Thursday and is expected to be back at full capacity, with roughly 100,000 daily attendees. After missing last summer because of the coronavirus, it will be easily Chicago's largest gathering since the pandemic started.

New CDC guidelines set off rush to reimpose mask mandates

By Philip Marcelo, Associated Press

Governments and businesses are scrambling to change course following new federal guidance calling for the return of mask wearing in virus hot spots amid a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Google delays return to office, mandates vaccines

By Michael Liedtke, Associated Press

CEO Sundar Pichai told Google's more than 130,000 employees in a Wednesday email that the company is now aiming to bring them back to its offices Oct. 18, instead of its previous target date of Sept. 1.

New York to require state employees to get vaccines, or get tested

By Marina Villeneuve, Associated Press

New York will require all state employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus by Labor Day or undergo weekly tests for COVID-19, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.

Wildfires are increasing health risks of already-polluted regions of the U.S., experts warn

By Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado

This poses a particular threat for areas like Fresno, California, which is disproportionately affected by pollution year-round.

Simone Biles took 'step back' from team competition, saying she wasn't in the right headspace

By Will Graves, Associated Press

Since Biles and the U.S. put on a dazzling display in Rio de Janeiro, gymnastics has undergone a reckoning. The tectonic plates in a sport where obedience and silence were long considered as important as talent and artistry are moving.

CDC reverses course on indoor masks in parts of U.S. where COVID is surging

By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press

The agency announced new recommendations Tuesday that even vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging.

With virus surge, U.S. to keep travel restrictions for now

By Alexandra Jaffe, Aamer Madhani, Associated Press

The United States says it will keep existing COVID-19 travel restrictions on international travel in place for now due to concerns about the surging infection rate because of the delta variant.