Health

With virus cases rising, mask mandate back on in Los Angeles

By Christopher Weber, John Antczak, Associated Press

Los Angeles County will again require masks indoors even when people are vaccinated. The public health officer of the nation's largest county said there's now "substantial community transmission."…

As 9 out of 10 U.S. children remain unvaccinated, Surgeon General pushes back against misinformation

By Laura Santhanam

Public health experts fear that the more the virus spreads among the unvaccinated, the more chance that variants could mutate and unravel progress made against the pandemic in pockets of the country where the vaccination rate remains dangerously low.

WHO chief says it was 'premature' to rule out COVID lab leak

By Frank Jordans, Maria Cheng, Associated Press

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said getting access to raw data had been a challenge for the international team that traveled to China earlier this year to investigate the source of COVID-19.

WATCH: Surgeon general urges U.S. fight against COVID-19 misinformation

By David Klepper, Associated Press

The warning comes as the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations has slowed throughout the U.S., in part because of vaccine opposition fueled by unsubstantiated claims about the safety of immunizations.

Will an 18-year-old pop star convince young people that the COVID-19 vaccine is good 4 u?

By Chloe Jones

Youth vaccination rates are brutal out here. So the White House tapped Olivia Rodrigo to lend a hand.

25-year-long study of Black women links frequent use of lye-based hair relaxers to a higher risk of breast cancer

By Kimberly Bertrand, The Conversation

Black women could be at higher risk of breast cancer due to frequent use of lye-based hair straighteners. A group of epidemiologists explain their research.

Domestic violence shelters are swamped. Experts worry surging gun sales could make things worse

By Corey Meador

Domestic violence increased across the country during the pandemic, studies show, and experts worry the concurrent explosion in gun ownership likely heightened the danger.

U.S. overdose deaths hit record 93,000 in pandemic last year

By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press

Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government reported Wednesday. That estimate far eclipses the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the previous year and amounts to…

Indonesia reports 54,000 virus cases, becomes Asian hotspot

By Associated Press

Indonesia reported more than 54,000 new coronavirus cases for the first time Wednesday, surpassing recent daily infections in India, whose disastrous outbreak is declining, and becoming Asia's new virus hotspot.

UK lawmakers vote to back contentious foreign aid cut

By Jill Lawless, Associated Press

British lawmakers have voted to support a contentious cut to the U.K.'s foreign aid budget. Aid groups say the decision has slashed billions from programs that help some of the world's poorest people.