With coronavirus cases rising in parts of Europe and Asia, scientists worry that an extra-contagious version of the omicron variant may soon push cases up in the United States too. Experts are also keeping their eyes on another mutant: a rare delta-omicron hybrid that they say doesn't pose much of a threat right now but [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight-year-old Brooklynn Chiles fidgets on the hospital bed as she waits for the nurse at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. The white paper beneath her crinkles as she shifts to look at the medical objects in the room. She's had the coronavirus three times, and no one can figure out why. [...]
NEW YORK (AP) — Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the world has seen a dramatic improvement in infections, hospitalizations and death rates in recent weeks, signaling the crisis appears to be winding down. But how will it end? Past epidemics may provide clues. The ends of epidemics are not as thoroughly researched [...]
NEW YORK (AP) — Jose Collado settled in at a clean white table in a sunlit room, sang a few bars and injected himself with heroin. After years of shooting up on streets and rooftops, he was in one of the first two facilities in the country where local officials are allowing illegal drug use [...]
BOSTON (AP) — Many major school districts around the country are allowing students into classrooms without masks for the first time in nearly two years, eliminating rules that stirred up intense fights among educators, school boards and parents throughout the pandemic. New York City became the latest school district to do away with its mask [...]
As demand for COVID-19 vaccines collapses in many areas of the country, states are scrambling to use stockpiles of doses before they expire and have to be added to the millions that have already gone to waste. From some of the least vaccinated states, like Indiana and North Dakota, to some of the most vaccinated [...]
CHICAGO (AP) — Grace Thomas is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but is still not ready to take off her mask, especially around the kids at the home day care she runs in Chicago. But whether the children continue to wear masks remains to be seen after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that [...]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California became the first state to formally shift to an "endemic" approach to the coronavirus with Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement Thursday of a plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mandated masking and business shutdowns. The milestone, nearly two years in the making, envisions a return to a [...]
A study by the Center for the Future of Forensic Science found a connection between federal economic stimulus checks directly deposited into Ohioans’ bank accounts during the height of the pandemic and the record increase in opioid overdose deaths. The peer-reviewed study, titled “COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments and Opioid Deaths,” was undertaken by the center, [...]
Trying to work while caring for an aging loved one can be difficult, stressful and at times overwhelming. Many people feel they must quit, take a leave of absence or at least reduce their hours in order to cope. Sometimes, caregivers have little choice. But often people don't realize the heavy financial toll they'll pay [...]