FDA authorizes breath test that can detect COVID-19 in 3 minutes

The FDA has granted emergency use authorization to a new COVID-19 test that can detect infections with only a sample of a patient’s breath, using a device that can yield results in less than three minutes. The agency says the InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer will only be available for tests “by a qualified, trained operator under […]

Pfizer to seek COVID booster for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds

Pfizer said Thursday it wants to expand its COVID-19 booster shots to healthy elementary-age kids. U.S. health authorities already urge everyone 12 and older to get one booster dose for the best protection against the newest variants — and recently gave the option of a second booster to those 50 and older. Now Pfizer says […]

Homeschooling surge continues despite schools reopening

The coronavirus pandemic ushered in what may be the most rapid rise in homeschooling the U.S. has ever seen. Two years later, even after schools reopened and vaccines became widely available, many parents have chosen to continue directing their children’s education themselves. Homeschooling numbers this year dipped from last year’s all-time high, but are still […]

US jobless claims rise but remain near a half-century low

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits ticked up last week but remained at a historically low level, reflecting a robust U.S. labor market with near record-high job openings and few layoffs. Jobless claims rose by 18,000 to 185,000, the Labor Department said Thursday, after nearly touching the lowest level since 1968 in the previous […]

Court backs Miami Dade College in COVID-19 shutdown case

In one of the numerous cases stemming from campus shutdowns during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, an appeals court Wednesday rejected a potential class-action lawsuit against Miami Dade College over fees collected from students in 2020. A three-judge panel of the 3rd District Court of Appeal ordered the dismissal of the lawsuit filed […]

AP source: CDC to extend travel mask requirement for 2 weeks

The Biden administration will extend for two weeks the nationwide mask requirement for public transit as it monitors an uptick in COVID-19 cases, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was set to extend the order, which was to expire on April 18, by two weeks to […]

COVID-19, overdoses pushed US to highest death total ever

2021 was the deadliest year in U.S. history, and new data and research are offering more insights into how it got that bad. The main reason for the increase in deaths? COVID-19, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work on death statistics. The agency this month quietly updated its […]

Trust & Verify: Does the omicron COVID-19 variant produce false negatives on tests?

Do the omicron variants of COVID-19 produce false negatives on rapid COVID-19 tests? That’s the rumor circulating on social media, but is it true? Trust and Verify reporter Lisa Hutson has the answer. The omicron variants of covid 19 began popping up in late 2021 and brought with them a flurry of questions about testing. […]

Appeals court OKs Biden federal employee vaccine mandate

President Joe Biden’s requirement that all federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 was upheld Thursday by a federal appeals court. In a 2-1 ruling, a panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court and ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the mandate. The ruling, a rare win for the administration […]

US jobless claims stay at historically low levels last week

Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs remain at historically low levels. Jobless claims fell by 5,000 to 166,000 for the week ending April 2, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The previous week’s number was revised down by a whopping 31,000 claims. Last week’s claims match the figure from two weeks ago, […]