Fauci: US in ‘a different moment’ but pandemic not over

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday the coronavirus is under better control in the United States but the pandemic isn’t over — and the challenge is how to keep improving the situation. “We are in a different moment of the pandemic,” said Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, in an interview with The Associated Press. […]

CDC estimates 3 in 4 kids have had coronavirus infections

Three out of every four U.S. children have been infected with the coronavirus and more than half of all Americans had signs of previous infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers estimated in a report Tuesday. The researchers examined blood samples from more than 200,000 Americans and looked for virus-fighting antibodies made from infections, […]

What do we know about the new omicron mutation?

What do we know about the new omicron mutant? It’s a descendent of the earlier super-contagious “stealth omicron” and has quickly gained ground in the United States. BA.2.12.1 was responsible for 29% of new COVID-19 infections nationally last week, according to data reported Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And it caused 58% […]

White House aims to boost use of COVID drugs, citing plentiful supply

The Biden administration says it is launching a new push to boost the use of several effective COVID-19 treatments nationwide. After months in short supply, federal officials say the medications are now more widely available, yet are being underused. As part of the new effort, the federal government plans to allow thousands of more pharmacies […]

COVID shots still work but researchers hunt new improvements

COVID-19 vaccinations are at a critical juncture as companies test whether new approaches like combination shots or nasal drops can keep up with a mutating coronavirus — even though it’s not clear if changes are needed. Already there’s public confusion about who should get a second booster now and who can wait. There’s also debate […]

Majority of Americans want masks for travelers: AP-NORC poll

A majority of Americans continue to support a mask requirement for people traveling on airplanes and other shared transportation, a new poll finds. A ruling by a federal judge has put the government’s transportation mask mandate on hold. The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that despite opposition to that […]

Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate

The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal the decision handed down by a federal […]

Moderna announces step toward updating COVID shots for fall

Moderna hopes to offer updated COVID-19 boosters in the fall that combine its original vaccine with protection against the omicron variant. On Tuesday, it reported a preliminary hint that such an approach might work. Today’s COVID-19 vaccines all are based on the original version of the coronavirus. But the virus continues to mutate, with the […]

Court ruling creates mishmash of transportation mask rules

A decision by a federal judge in Florida to throw out a national mask mandate for public transportation across the U.S. created a confusing patchwork of rules for passengers as they navigate airports and transit systems. The ruling gives airports, mass transit systems, airlines and ride-hailing services the option to keep mask rules or ditch […]

It’s not over: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in US

Yet again, the U.S. is trudging into what could be another COVID-19 surge, with cases rising nationally and in most states after a two-month decline. One big unknown? “We don’t know how high that mountain’s gonna grow,” said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University. No one expects a peak […]