COVID-19

On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance on vaccine dosing intervals for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to be spaced out at least eight weeks apart between the first and second doses.  The decision to update the... Read More

Although the surge in omicron infections has been declining over the past few weeks, leaders at the World Health Organization have issued new warnings regarding another new variant of concern, known as BA.2.  Although still classified as omicron, the BA.2 strain differs... Read More

On Wednesday two companies, Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, said they plan to submit a new COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. and European regulatory approval. This followed Phase 3 efficacy trials that showed promise of protection both as a primary series and a... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 unarmed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital as it prepares for trucker convoys that are planning protests against pandemic restrictions beginning next week. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California became the first state to formally shift to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus with Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement Thursday of a plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mandated masking and... Read More

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Police poured into downtown Ottawa on Thursday in what truckers feared was a prelude to a crackdown on their nearly three-week, street-clogging protest against Canada's COVID-19 restrictions. Work crews in the capital began erecting fences outside... Read More

Two new studies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the effectiveness of booster shots for combatting the omicron variant declines substantially after four months. The first study examines hospitalizations and emergency room and urgent care center visits in... Read More

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued an emergency use authorization for a new monoclonal antibody treatment called bebtelovimab from Eli Lilly, to help reduce the chances of severe illness in high-risk patients with COVID-19. The Department of Health and Human Services... Read More

WINDSOR, Ontario (AP) — The busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing was open Monday after protesters demonstrating against COVID-19 measures blocked it for nearly a week, but a larger protest in the capital, Ottawa, persisted as city residents seethed over authorities' inability... Read More

TORONTO (AP) — The truck blockade by Canadians protesting the country’s COVID-19 restrictions is tightening the screws on the auto industry, forcing Ford, Toyota and General Motors to shut down plants or otherwise curtail production on both sides of the... Read More

BEIJING (AP) — The country where the coronavirus outbreak emerged two years ago launched a locked-down Winter Olympics on Friday, proudly projecting its might on the most global of stages even as some Western governments mounted a diplomatic boycott over the way... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a burst of 467,000 jobs in January despite a wave of omicron inflections that sickened millions of workers, kept many consumers at home and left businesses from restaurants to manufacturers short-staffed. The Labor Department's... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators are urging drugmaker Pfizer to apply for emergency authorization for a two-dose regimen of its COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old while awaiting data on a three-dose course, aiming to clear the way... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of prices that is closely tracked by the Federal Reserve rose 5.8% last year, the sharpest increase since 1982, as brisk consumer spending collided with snarled supply chains to raise the costs of food, furniture,... Read More

Researchers from the Yale School of Public Health recently developed a small, lightweight, inexpensive wearable device — the Fresh Air Clip — that is capable of detecting possible exposure to SARS-CoV-2. The clip was developed to help individuals in high-risk settings to... Read More

On Tuesday, Pfizer-BioNTech announced they will begin a clinical trial to develop an omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine candidate.  “Emerging data indicate vaccine-induced protection against infection and mild to moderate disease wanes more rapidly than was observed with prior strains,” said Prof. Ugur Sahin,... Read More

A recent poll from Goldman Sachs finds that 37% of small businesses say they have been forced to temporarily close or scale back operations because of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases.  The survey included responses from 47 states and two U.S.... Read More

A letter was recently sent by Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., requesting that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission investigate reports of COVID-19 test kit price gouging.  “According to reports from multiple state attorneys general and the media, consumers have recently... Read More

NEW YORK — Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was diagnosed with COVID-19 this weekend, which delayed her defamation lawsuit against The New York Times that was scheduled for a trial beginning Monday. Palin reported her illness to Judge Jed Rakoff... Read More

SAN ANTONIO — Public sentiment regarding COVID-19 mitigation strategies was undermined by polarization from political actors around the globe, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers from around the world contributed to... Read More

WASHINGTON —  The FBI is investigating an Illinois company that has received $124 million from the federal government for COVID-19 testing after reports the owners were using part of the money for lavish lifestyles. FBI agents raided the headquarters in... Read More

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Some conservatives are taking aim at policies that allow doctors to consider race as a risk factor when allocating scarce COVID-19 treatments, saying the protocols discriminate against white people. The wave of infections brought on by... Read More

BEIJING (AP) — A cluster of COVID-19 cases in Beijing has prompted authorities to test millions and impose new measures two weeks ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympics, even as the city of Xi'an in north-central China lifted... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to the highest level in three months as the fast-spreading omicron variant continued to disrupt the job market. Jobless claims rose for the third straight week — by... Read More

ROME (AP) — To mask or not to mask is a question Italy settled early in the COVID-19 outbreak with a vigorous “yes." Now the onetime epicenter of the pandemic in Europe hopes even stricter mask rules will help it... Read More

Recent surges in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations due to the omicron variant are raising concerns among lawmakers about whether another COVID-19 relief package, particularly for restaurants, will be needed.  “We, the undersigned, call on House and Senate leadership to expedite... Read More

The U.S. Department of Defense has recently increased health protection policies at the Pentagon Reservation in response to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region over the past two weeks.  Effective as of Monday, Jan. 10,... Read More

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a new study showing that children and teens up to age 18 who are infected with COVID-19 are more likely than those who are not infected to be diagnosed with diabetes a month... Read More

On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised the public of potential plans to renew its mask guidance from last July.  The move by the CDC follows recent findings from health departments in states like New York and... Read More

Officials from the Virginia Department of Health announced in a recent statement that the Office of Vital Records is experiencing a shortage of workers because of a surge in COVID-19 infections, and the use of live operators in call centers will... Read More