Tag Archives: omicron

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday signed off on the approval from the agency’s independent vaccine advisers that recommended an updated coronavirus vaccine booster this fall. The CDC recommended boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for those who are 12 years old and older and from Moderna for …

Prakash Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina and Mitzi Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina A new omicron subvariant of the virus that causes COVID-19, BA.2, is quickly becoming the predominant source of infections amid rising cases around the world. Immunologists Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti of the University of South Carolina …

As the omicron variant surges and hospitals are pushed to capacity, the White House announced a new program Wednesday to give 400 million nonsurgical N95 masks to Americans free of charge. According to a White House official, Americans will be able to receive the masks at tens of thousands of …

The Biden Administration is planning to distribute 10 million COVID-19 tests per month to schools around the country in a bid to keep them open amid the record-breaking surge in cases related to the Omicron variant. The White House will send out 5 million free rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests to perform individual …

The Omicron variant was estimated to be 95% of the coronavirus strains circulating in the United States as of Jan. 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday. The CDC said the variant accounted for an estimated 77% of cases in the week ended Dec. …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday issued an advisory urging all travelers — vaccinated and unvaccinated — to avoid cruise ship travel amidst a record-breaking Covid surge driven by the omicron variant in many states across the United States. “Even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk …

The United States recorded a new record high Tuesday, with more than 500,000 new COVID-19 cases reported, according to Johns Hopkins University. According to the database, the U.S. recorded 512,553 positive COVID-19 cases, breaking the all-time record of 294,015 that was set on Jan. 8. CNN and The Washington Post reported that the …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is shortening the recommended time period for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of …

Both United and Delta Airlines announced Thursday that an increase of COVID-19 infections had forced them to cancel hundreds of Christmas Eve flights. The cancellations came as the Transportation Safety Administration reported that Christmas traffic is returning to pre-pandemic levels. “The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had …

President Joe Biden on Tuesday addressed the nation about how his administration plans to fight a surge in omicron cases raging around the United States, and he doubled down on his firmest warning yet to unvaccinated Americans about the risk they take by not getting the vaccine. “How concerned should …

President Joe Biden will announce today that his administration will distribute 500 million free at-home Covid-19 tests, mobilize military medical personnel if needed and increase vaccination capacity, a senior White House official said Tuesday. The moves come as the Omicron COVID-19 variant has bypassed the Delta variant as the most …

A tweet posted on Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s official Twitter account confirmed that she had tested positive for COVID-19. Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, has been vaccinated and received a booster shot. She says she is experiencing mild symptoms. Warren was on the Senate floor last week before the chamber went on …

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded its COVID-19 vaccine booster recommendations on Monday to include all adults, regardless of health status or occupation, as uncertainty surrounding the newly detected omicron variant swells. “The recent emergence of the omicron variant (B.1.1.529) further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters …

The White House said Friday the U.S. will impose travel restrictions from South Africa and seven other countries in the region beginning Monday due to a new COVID-19 variant. A World Health Organization panel named the variant “omicron” and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same …