Dec 19 Omicron may sideline two leading drugs against COVID-19 By Matthew Perrone, Associated Press As strained U.S. hospitals brace for a new surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the fast-spreading omicron variant, doctors are warning of yet another challenge: the two standard drugs they’ve used to fight infections are unlikely to work against the… Continue reading
Dec 17 Far-right using COVID-19 theories to grow reach, study shows By David Klepper, Lori Hinnant, Associated Press The data is especially concerning given a rash of incidents around the world that indicate some extremists are moving from online rhetoric to offline action. Continue reading
Dec 17 WATCH: CDC endorses schools’ coronavirus ‘test-to-stay’ policies By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press U.S. health officials are endorsing "test-to-stay" policies that allow close contacts of students infected with the coronavirus to remain in classrooms if they test negative. Continue reading
Dec 16 Watch 9:20 As the holiday season nears, concerns of a resurgent virus are growing By William Brangham, Amber Partida From Broadway to Britain, COVID-19 is spreading new fears, forcing new shutdowns and prompting people to wonder when it will all end. And experts warn omicron is likely to become the dominant strain in the U.S. William Brangham reports on… Continue watching
Dec 16 How effective are COVID-19 vaccines against omicron? By Melissa Hawkins, The Conversation For a number of reasons, vaccines become less effective as time goes on. So how do researchers calculate how well they are working?… Continue reading
Dec 15 Watch 5:08 What we know about the severity of omicron and possibility of ‘triple whammy’ this winter By John Yang, Courtney Norris As the omicron variant is spreading rapidly, top federal health officials warn it could bring a massive wave of new infections to the United States as early as January. There are now confirmed cases of omicron in at least 36… Continue watching
Dec 14 Nurse who got first authorized U.S. COVID vaccine: ‘We cannot continue to live like this’ By Laura Santhanam Looking at how life has changed since multiple COVID-19 vaccines became available over the last year, Northwell Health nurse Sandra Lindsay told the PBS NewsHour, “It's a stark contrast to where we were a year ago.”… Continue reading
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 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
Dec 08 Some experts suggest omicron variant may have evolved in an animal host By Helen Branswell, STAT The theory goes that some type of animal, potentially rodents, was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus sometime in mid-2020. Continue reading