Dec 27 Japan to require COVID testing for all visitors from China By Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press Japan will require COVID-19 tests for all visitors from China as a temporary emergency measure against the surging infections there after Beijing largely abandoned its "zero-COVID" policy. Continue reading
Dec 26 Years into the pandemic, scientists are still trying to understand long COVID By Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press A British historian, an Italian archaeologist and an American preschool teacher share a prominent pandemic bond: They're each credited with describing, naming and helping bring long COVID into the public's consciousness in early 2020. Continue reading
Dec 26 China to drop COVID quarantine requirement for incoming passengers By Associated Press People coming to China will still need a negative virus test 48 hours before departure and passengers will be required to wear protective masks on board. Continue reading
Dec 26 As COVID infections soar, China races to vaccinate elderly By Joe McDonald, Associated Press Chinese authorities are going door to door and paying people who are older than 60 to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Continue reading
Dec 24 COVID-19 wave rolls through China, overwhelming hospitals outside Beijing By Dake Kang, Associated Press As China grapples with its first-ever national COVID-19 wave, emergency wards in small cities and towns southwest of Beijing are overwhelmed. Continue reading
Dec 23 After abrupt reopening, China faces COVID-19 spiral By Aniruddha Ghosal, Huizhong Wu, Dake Kang, Associated Press Nearly three years after the coronavirus was first identified in China and an unyielding "zero-COVID" approach, it is now spreading through the country after an abrupt reopening on Dec. 7 caught the nation under-vaccinated and short on hospital capacity. Experts… Continue reading
Dec 21 WHO concerned over increasing reports of severe COVID-19 cases in China By Associated Press It warned China's lagging vaccination rate could mean large numbers of vulnerable people are sickened by the omicron variant, the most infectious version yet seen of COVID-19. Continue reading
Dec 20 Some Chinese authorities encourage people with mild COVID to go back to work By Dake Kang, Ken Moritsugu, Associated Press Several local governments in China have encouraged people with mild cases of COVID-19 to go to work this week. Continue reading
Dec 19 China reports 2 COVID deaths in Beijing as virus cases surge By Associated Press Chinese health authorities have reported the nation's first COVID-19 deaths in more than two weeks. Continue reading
Dec 18 COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid has been free so far. Next year, sticker shock awaits By Hannah Recht, Kaiser Health News Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of the federal government. But the government plans to stop footing the bill within months, and millions of people who are at the highest risk of severe illness and are… Continue reading