About 1 in 10 cases of COVID-19 nationwide is caused by an emerging coronavirus strain, XBB.1.16. The World Health Organization has elevated this strain of omicron to one of two “circulating variants of interest.” The variant, which has been called Arcturus, is responsible for a growing share of coronavirus cases in the United States. As […]
Tag: covid
US Life expectancy lowest in 20 years
The average life expectancy for Americans shortened by over seven months last year, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That decrease follows an already big decline of 1.8 years in 2020. As a result, the expected life span of someone born in the U.S. is now 76.4 years — […]
Chinese protesters-‘Xi Jinping, step down’
Protests in China against government’s strict Covid measures have intensified, with some people publicly venting their anger at the Communist Party leaders. Thousands of protesters have turned out in Shanghai, where people bundled into police cars have been seen. Students have also demonstrated at universities in Beijing and Nanjing. The latest unrest follows a protest […]
Thanksgiving gatherings could accelerate a ‘tripledemic’
For each of the last two years, Thanksgiving helped usher in some very unwelcome guests: Devastating waves of COVID-19. No one thinks this year will be anything like the last two dark pandemic winters, at least when it comes to COVID-19. But the country is now dealing with a different kind of threat — an […]
Nation’s Report Card since COVID shows scores are way down
Math and reading scores for students across the country are down following years of disrupted learning during the pandemic. On Monday, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, released a full report for the first time since 2019; the results show a slight dip in reading scores and […]
White House: Prepare for Winter Covid blast
The U.S. should prepare for a spike in COVID cases this winter as more people gather indoors and infections already begin to rise in Europe, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha says. The warning echoes that of some other experts who anticipate a rise in cases in the coming months, while other modelling suggests […]
COVID is now less risky than flu say scientists
Has COVID-19 become no more dangerous than the flu for most people? That’s a question that scientists are debating as the country heads into a third pandemic winter. Early in the pandemic, COVID was estimated to be 10 times more lethal than the flu, fueling many people’s fears. “We have all been questioning, ‘When does […]
New Omicron Booster tested only on mice
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is using a controversial strategy to evaluate the next generation of COVID-19 boosters. The approach is stirring debate as the agency works to make new, hopefully improved, boosters available in September to help prevent severe disease and save lives in the fall and winter. For the first time, the […]
COVID Fades As Major Issue For Americans
President Joe Biden’s victory lap this week to celebrate a string of recent victories in Congress comes as the administration faces a looming deadline to extend the public health emergency for COVID-19. But in a sign of how much has changed since the pandemic began, Biden’s expected extension of the public health emergency may not […]
After 2 weeks, Biden to end Covid isolation
President Biden will end isolation at the White House after a second negative COVID-19 test on Sunday. In a memo for White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the president’s physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said Biden’s SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing “was negative for a second consecutive day.” “He will safely return to public engagement and presidential travel,” […]
Covid Omicron offshoot BA.5 is everywhere
Once again, Covid-19 seems to everywhere. If you feel caught off-guard, you aren’t alone. After the Omicron tidal wave of that washed over the United States in January and the smaller rise in cases in the spring caused by the BA.2 subvariant, it might have seemed like the coronavirus could be ignored for a while. […]
They were vaccinated & boosted. Their virus symptoms were minor. Then they had long Covid.
Linda Timmer wanted to practice what she preached. While working at a domestic violence nonprofit in Arizona during the height of the Covid-19 summer wave in 2020, Timmer wrote pandemic policies for her workplace, encouraging her colleagues to wear masks and, if they had been exposed to the coronavirus or had symptoms, get tested.Timmer herself […]