The Biden administration on Tuesday quietly launched its website for Americans to request free at-home COVID-19 tests, a day before the site was scheduled to officially go online.
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“The faster omicron spreads, the more opportunities there are for mutation, potentially leading to more variants,” Leonardo Martinez, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Boston University, said.
A new federal website to request free test kits launches Wednesday, with the first shipments going out to Americans by the end of the month.
The Supreme Court has stopped the Biden administration from enforcing a requirement that employees at large businesses be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing and wear a mask on the job.
Shortages at U.S. grocery stores have grown more acute in recent weeks as new problems — like the fast-spreading omicron variant — have piled on to the supply chain struggles and labor shortages.
Hospitals in California and around the U.S. are increasingly taking the extraordinary step of allowing nurses and other workers infected with the coronavirus to stay on the job if they have mild symptoms or none at all.
California’s indoor mask mandate was extended into mid-February to help prevent the astonishing spike in coronavirus cases from overwhelming hospitals
Boosters already were encouraged for all Americans 16 and older, but Wednesday the CDC endorsed an extra Pfizer shot for younger teens.
The CDC’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, will weigh the panel’s advice before making a final decision soon.
Classes in Chicago’s public schools will be canceled Wednesday after the teachers union voted to switch to remote learning due to the latest COVID-19 surge, officials announced Tuesday.
COVID-19 infections are rising across Mexico, especially in two states home to major tourism destinations on the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean that were busy during the holiday season.
Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and federal regulators on Monday decided they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds.
The newest variant is a warning about what will continue to happen “unless we really get serious about the endgame,” said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health.
During the week of Dec. 21-27, an average of 334 children 17 and under were admitted per day to hospitals with the coronavirus, a 58 percent increase from the week before.
More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to the highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average
