Novel coronavirus

U.S. jobless claims jump to 861,000 as layoffs stay high

By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press

The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid rose last week to 861,000, evidence that layoffs remain painfully high despite a steady drop in the number of confirmed viral infections.

COVID-19 has already cut U.S. life expectancy by a year. For Black Americans, it's worse

By Laura Santhanam

Communities of color have suffered disproportionately throughout the pandemic, and these latest federal data further illustrate the magnitude of those disparities.

Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms

By Paul J. Weber, Jill Bleed, Associated Press

The latest storm front was expected to bring more hardship, especially to states that are unaccustomed to such frigid weather — parts of Texas, Arkansas and the Lower Mississippi Valley.

How fears driven by years of anti-immigrant rhetoric are complicating vaccine rollout

By Sarah Varney, Kaiser Health News

The confluence of aggressive attitudes and a highly contagious virus has prompted concerns in some states that lackluster vaccination of people in the country without legal permission will short-circuit efforts to achieve herd immunity for the broader community.

COVID-19 bill would scale up ability to spot virus mutations

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press

Scientists would gain vastly expanded capabilities to identify potentially deadlier mutations of the coronavirus under legislation advancing in Congress.

Israel allows vaccines into Gaza Strip after delaying delivery

By Fares Akram, Joseph Krauss, Associated Press

Israel has allowed the Palestinian Authority to deliver the first shipment of vaccines to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

WATCH: White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds news briefing

By Associated Press

The White House said Wednesday it remains in "close contact" with states hard hit by the winter weather and frigid temperatures that have knocked out power to millions.

How will we know we've reached herd immunity for COVID-19?

By Candice Choi, Aniruddha Ghosal, Associated Press

Health officials around the world are racing to vaccinate enough people to stop the spread of COVID-19, but what qualifies as “enough” is still an open question.

WATCH: White House COVID-19 response team holds briefing

By Associated Press

Officials said Wednesday that the administration is spending $200 million for the CDC and contract labs to increase genomic sequencing to about 25,000 samples a week, or three times more.

Japan launches COVID-19 vaccination campaign

By Associated Press

Japan's rollout lagged behind other places because it asked vaccine maker Pfizer to conduct clinical trials with Japanese people, in addition to tests already conducted in six other nations.