Nov 26 Stores kick off Black Friday but pandemic woes linger By Anne D'Innocenzio, Associated Press Retailers are expected to usher in the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season Friday with bigger crowds than last year in a closer step toward normalcy. But the fallout from the pandemic continues to weigh on businesses and shoppers’… Continue reading
Nov 26 New 'omicron' variant prompts global travel restrictions By Raf Casert, Associated Press The discovery of a new coronavirus variant sent a chill through much of the world as nations raced to halt air travel, markets fell sharply and scientists held emergency meetings. But the risks of the variant remained largely unknown. Continue reading
Nov 24 White House says 92 percent of federal workers under mandate are vaccinated By Zeke Miller, Colleen Long, Associated Press The Biden administration's vaccine mandate for millions of federal workers seems to be working, with no apparent disruption to law enforcement, intelligence-gathering or holiday travel. Continue reading
Nov 24 U.S. to mandate vaccines for all border crossers in January By Zeke Miller, Associated Press A senior administration official said the requirement, which the White House previewed in October, brings the rules for essential travelers in line with those that took effect earlier this month for leisure travelers. Continue reading
Nov 23 Vaccines are making Thanksgiving gatherings easier, but COVID-19 hot spots remain By Ed White, Associated Press Nearly 200 million Americans are fully vaccinated, but that leaves tens of millions who have yet to get a shot in the arm. Continue reading
Nov 23 WHO warns of possible surge in COVID deaths in Europe, Central Asia By Associated Press WHO Europe also cited growing evidence of a decline in protection against infection and mild disease through vaccines, and said a “booster dose” should be given as a priority to the most vulnerable populations… Continue reading
Nov 19 WATCH: CDC advisory panel votes approves COVID-19 booster shots for all adults By Lauran Neergaard, Matthew Perrone, Associated Press An influential U.S. advisory panel will discuss expanding eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to all adults Friday, a move that could make the shots available as early as this weekend. Continue reading
Nov 17 U.S. surpassed 100,000 overdose deaths in first year of COVID-19 By Laura Santhanam Experts believe the top drivers are the growing prevalence of deadly fentanyl in the illicit drug supply and the COVID-19 pandemic, which left many drug users socially isolated and unable to get treatment or other support. Continue reading
Nov 17 WATCH: Around 10 percent of eligible kids 5-11 have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, White House says By Zeke Miller, Associated Press It's more than three times faster than the rate adults were vaccinated at the start of the nation's vaccination campaign 11 months ago. Continue reading
Nov 17 U.S. offering funding to increase COVID-19 vaccines internationally By Zeke Miller, Associated Press The Biden administration believes the boosted capacity of COVID-19 shots will help ease a global shortage of doses, particularly in lower- and middle-income nations, stopping preventable death and limiting the development of potentially new, more dangerous variants of the virus. Continue reading