Jan 08 Chicago mayor, teachers still at odds over COVID protocols By Kathleen Foody, Associated Press Negotiations resumed Saturday to resolve a standoff between Chicago school officials and the city's teachers union over COVID-19 precautions that canceled three days of classes, but the public war-of-words between union leaders and Chicago's mayor showed little sign of easing. Continue reading
Jan 08 Watch 7:30 Documentary provides inside look at COVID-19 conditions in immigrant detention By Ivette Feliciano, Zachary Green A new documentary called “The Facility,'' uses footage from a pay-per-minute video call app inside the now-shuttered Irwin County Detention Center to chronicle the experiences of migrants in the early months of the pandemic. At the time, the positivity rate… Continue watching
Jan 08 Omicron explosion spurs nationwide breakdown of services By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Terry Tang, Associated Press First responders, hospitals, schools and government agencies have employed an all-hands-on-deck approach to keep the public safe, but they are worried how much longer they can keep it up. Continue reading
Jan 02 Fauci: CDC mulling COVID test requirement for asymptomatic By Hope Yen, Aamer Madhani, Associated Press Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now considering including the negative test as part of its guidance after getting significant “pushback” on its updated recommendations last week. Continue reading
Dec 26 France sees over 100,000 daily virus infections for 1st time By Angela Charlton, Associated Press More than 1 in 100 people in the Paris region have tested positive in the past week, according to the regional health service. Most new infections are linked to the omicron variant, which government experts predict will be dominant in… Continue reading
Dec 25 Surging COVID cases, ‘jingle jabs’ make for somber Christmas By Nicole Winfield, Peter Smith, Associated Press In the United States, many churches canceled in-person services, but for those that did have in-person worship, clerics reported smaller but significant attendance. Continue reading
Dec 25 Flight cancellations drag on as airlines short-staffed By Tali Arbel, Associated Press FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, noted 875 flights entering, leaving or inside the U.S. canceled Saturday, up from 689 Friday. About 200 more flights were already canceled for Sunday. FlightAware does not say why flights are canceled. Continue reading
Dec 18 Watch 5:20 Why the U.S. is lagging behind in rapid COVID-19 testing By PBS NewsHour With the holidays approaching and the omicron variant surging in some parts of the U.S., demand for rapid and at-home COVID-19 tests is higher than ever, and the wait at large PCR test sites can be several hours in some… Continue watching
Dec 12 South African president tests positive for COVID, mildly ill By Andrew Meldrum, Associated Press Last week, Ramaphosa visited four West African countries. He and all members of his delegation were tested for COVID-19 in each of the countries during the trip. Some in the delegation tested positive in Nigeria and returned directly to South… Continue reading
Dec 12 Inflation is painfully high, but some relief may be coming By Stan Choe, Cathy Bussewitz, Associated Press Prices have dropped on global markets for crude oil and natural gas, which is filtering into lower prices at the pump and for home heating. That should keep inflation somewhat in check, even if prices keep rising elsewhere in the… Continue reading