Health Jan 05 Watch 6:34 Unvaccinated children among those driving COVID surge in Louisiana hospitals The omicron variant now accounts for 95 percent of COVID cases in the United States. Public health officials say its effects are milder than the delta variant, but omicron’s high transmissibility is still sending large numbers of people into the… By William Brangham
Education Jan 04 Watch 6:49 Newark schools temporarily return to virtual learning to avoid post-holiday COVID spike Out of nearly 100,000 public schools in the United States, more than 90 percent are back to in-person classes. But concerns over the spread of COVID has led some districts to close for the first two weeks of this new… By Geoff Bennett, Karina Cuevas
Health Dec 29 Watch 8:24 U.S. sees rise in pediatric COVID patients as WHO warns of global ‘tsunami’ of cases The World Health Organization is warning of a global "tsunami" of COVID cases as the omicron surge builds on the delta wave. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting a significant surge in U.S. pediatric hospital admissions in… By Amna Nawaz, Dorothy Hastings
Health Dec 28 Watch 8:45 Understanding the new CDC guidelines for those exposed to, or suffering from, COVID-19 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends a shorter isolation period for COVID-19 patients, from 10 days to five — if asymptomatic — followed by five days of mask wearing. The new guidance comes as the U.S. is…
Dec 27 Watch 9:27 Why the CDC reduced COVID quarantine time despite omicron’s spread By Stephanie Sy, Dorothy Hastings The omicron variant of the coronavirus has upended plans to put the pandemic behind us. Instead, average daily U.S. COVID infections are up 80 percent in two weeks. Hospitals are hunkering down, and the White House is scrambling to respond. Continue watching
Dec 24 Watch 3:04 COVID-19 spreads holiday misery, as canceled flights strand thousands on Christmas Eve By Stephanie Sy, Dorothy Hastings The COVID-19 pandemic is once again upending holiday plans around the world, from halting air travel to scaling back festive celebrations. All this as new infections in the U.S. have spiked 55 percent in the last two weeks alone, largely… Continue watching
Dec 23 Watch 9:42 Americans face COVID testing lags ahead of holidays: ‘We’re very, very far behind’ By Stephanie Sy, Dorothy Hastings The new coronavirus variant is driving a surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States. Omicron is now present in all 50 states - just three weeks after it was first detected in the U.S. It has raised questions and… Continue watching
Dec 22 Watch 10:43 Frustrated health workers dread expected rise in COVID hospitalizations: ‘We’re exhausted’ A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found 2020's death toll was worse than previously reported — finalized at nearly 3.4 million people. It also forewarned that 2021 is expected to surpass 2020's record number of deaths by… Continue watching
Dec 21 Watch 8:10 Dr. Walensky on the omicron variant, testing, vaccines and mask rules President Joe Biden is out with new plans and new appeals to control the spread of COVID-19. He spelled them out Tuesday as the new omicron variant sweeps largely unchecked across the country. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers… Continue watching