Dec 10 Companies rethink return-to-office plans amid omicron cases By Anne D'Innocenzio The moves are the latest indication of how difficult it is for companies to set firm plans to return workers to the office, with worries about a spike in cases or new variants shifting return-to-office deadlines. Continue reading
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 Pfizer says COVID booster offers protection against omicron variant By Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said lab tests showed a booster dose increased by 25-fold the level of so-called neutralizing antibodies against omicron. Continue reading
Dec 07 As omicron spreads, experts speculate whether it will overtake delta By Associated Press As the omicron coronavirus variant spreads in southern Africa and pops up in countries all around the world, scientists are anxiously watching a battle play out that could determine the future of the pandemic. Can the latest competitor to the… Continue reading
Dec 07 WATCH: White House COVID task force holds news briefing By News Desk and Associated Press U.S. health officials said Sunday that while the omicron variant of the coronavirus is rapidly spreading throughout the country, early indications suggest it may be less dangerous than delta, which continues to drive a surge of hospitalizations. Continue reading
Dec 06 Watch 8:27 Could omicron lead to more breakthrough COVID cases? Here’s what we know By John Yang, Courtney Norris For the first time in nearly two months, the United States is averaging more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases daily. Roughly one-third of states have also now detected the new omicron variant. John Yang reports. Continue watching
Dec 05 Fauci says early reports encouraging about omicron variant By Gene Johnson, Associated Press “Thus far, it does not look like there’s a great degree of severity to it,” Fauci said. “But we have really got to be careful before we make any determinations that it is less severe or it really doesn’t cause… Continue reading
Dec 03 Watch 7:37 NIH director on the spread of the omicron variant amid the ongoing pandemic Maryland, Nebraska and Pennsylvania are the latest states reporting cases of the new omicron variant in the U.S., while it has now spread to more than 40 nations worldwide. And the CDC director said Friday the omicron variant could become… Continue watching
Dec 03 Watch 12:27 Brooks and Capehart on the future of abortion rights, government funding brinkmanship New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including the omicron variant, U.S. government funding, and a major abortion case before the Supreme Court. Continue watching
Dec 02 Watch 5:15 U.S. launches new effort to fight omicron variant’s spread with ‘science and speed’ By Yamiche Alcindor, Dorothy Hastings The United States’ COVID-19 watch has turned up more cases of the omicron variant Thursday. They appeared as President Joe Biden unveiled new initiatives on vaccines, masking and treatment. White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor reports. Continue watching