Coronavirus
WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency
“It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates passes North Carolina House
Under legislation advancing in the North Carolina House, state agencies and local governments could not deny employment to someone who refuses to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Virginia health association to phase out COVID hospitalization dashboard Thursday
On Wednesday, there were 27 hospitalized patients in the Eastern region with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19.
Expelled Tennessee lawmakers both seeking seats again
Two former Black Democratic lawmakers who were expelled by Republican colleagues in Tennessee say they want to be reappointed, then elected back to their seats, following their ouster for a protest on the House floor urging passage of gun-control measures in the wake of a deadly school shooting.
End of COVID emergency will usher in changes across US health system
The Biden administration’s decision to end the COVID-19 public health emergency in May will institute sweeping changes across the health care system that go far beyond many people having to pay more for COVID tests.
Court blocks COVID-19 vaccine mandate for U.S. government workers
President Joe Biden’s order that federal employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 has been blocked by a federal appeals court.
COVID-19 pill Paxlovid moves closer to full FDA approval
The panel of Food and Drug Administration experts agreed Thursday that the drug is safe and effective for preventing severe COVID-19 in adults with health risks.
3 years after COVID arrived in Virginia, case numbers continue to fall
Cases have typically reached their highest points of the year in the first weeks of a new year in the wake of the holiday season, according to VDH data.
COVID test requirement lifted for travelers from China to US
A requirement that travelers to the U.S. from China present a negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flights expired Friday after more than two months as cases in China have fallen.
The coronavirus has infected New York City’s rats. Why that’s bad news for people
Rats, whose populations in cities exploded during the pandemic, have now joined the list of wildlife believed to be capable of catching and transmitting the virus that causes COVID-19, new research finds.
1 in 4 parents misled others about their child’s COVID status earlier in the pandemic, study finds
Roughly 1 in 4 American parents lied to or misled others about their child’s COVID-19 status at the height of the pandemic, according to a study published Monday.
All COVID-19 origin theories remain on the table, WHO leader says
The World Health Organization said all hypotheses for the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic are still on the table, after U.S. authorities this week backed the theory that the virus originated from a lab.
COVID-19 conspiracies soar after latest report on origins
COVID-19′s origins remain hazy. Three years after the start of the pandemic, it’s still unclear whether the coronavirus that causes the disease leaked from a lab or spread to humans from an animal.
North Korea food shortage worsens amid COVID, but no famine yet
There’s little doubt that North Korea’s chronic food shortages worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and speculation about the country’s food insecurity has flared as its top leaders prepare to discuss the “very important and urgent task” of formulating a correct agricultural policy.
FDA experts are still puzzled over who should get which COVID-19 shots and when
At a meeting to simplify the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination policy, the FDA’s panel of experts could agree on only one thing: Information is woefully lacking about how often different groups of Americans need to be vaccinated.
FDA advisers back plan to simplify COVID-19 vaccinations
The Food and Drug Administration's scientific advisers are helping to decide if most Americans may need once-a-year boosters — and how and when to periodically update the shots’ recipe.
Once-a-year COVID shots proposed
U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.
How scientists trained computers to forecast COVID-19 outbreaks weeks ahead
Like the meteorological models that drive weather forecasts, a system to predict COVID-19 outbreaks emerges from a river of data fed by hundreds of streams of local and global information.
China reports 60,000 COVID-related deaths, says peak passed
China on Saturday reported nearly 60,000 deaths in people who had COVID-19 since early December, offering hard numbers for an unprecedented surge that was apparent in overcrowded hospitals and packed crematoriums, even as the government released little data about the status of the pandemic for weeks.
Drugstores make slow headway on staffing problems
A rush of vaccines, virus tests and a busy flu season started overwhelming pharmacies more than a year ago, forcing many to temporarily close when workers weren’t available.
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What we know about the ‘kraken’ COVID variant XBB.1.5 and why it’s causing concern
A new COVID-19 variant that was first detected last year has quickly become the dominant strain in the U.S. — and picked up a creepy moniker along the way.
US to require COVID-19 tests for all visitors from China
The U.S. announced new COVID-19 testing requirements Wednesday for all travelers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections.
Long COVID: Could mono virus or fat cells be playing roles?
Nearly three years into the pandemic, scientists are still trying to figure out why some people get long COVID and why a small portion — including the three women — have lasting symptoms.
Packed ICUs, crowded crematoriums: COVID roils Chinese towns
Yao Ruyan paced frantically outside the fever clinic of a county hospital in China’s industrial Hebei province, 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of Beijing. Her mother-in-law had COVID-19 and needed urgent medical care, but all hospitals nearby were full.
WHO ‘very concerned’ about reports of severe COVID in China
The head of the World Health Organization said the agency is “very concerned” about rising reports of severe coronavirus disease across China after the country largely abandoned its “zero COVID” policy, warning that its lagging vaccination rate could result in large numbers of vulnerable people getting infected.
White House reveals winter COVID-19 plans, more free tests
The Biden administration is again making some free COVID-19 tests available to all U.S. households as it unveils its contingency plans for potential coronavirus surges this winter.
Long COVID has played a role in more than 3,500 deaths in the US, CDC says
Long COVID has caused or contributed to at least 3,500 deaths in the United States, an analysis of death certificates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
Deal with 12 Virginia schools — including 3 in Hampton Roads — could make disabled students’ classmates wear masks
Parents at those 12 schools filed a lawsuit in February to challenge an executive order from Gov. Glenn Youngkin as well as a new state law giving parents the right to exempt their children from mask mandates that were in place at schools at the time.
After nearly 2 years distributing vaccines, clinic at Norfolk’s Military Circle mall will end
Since January 2021, over 155,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed at the site.
Facing COVID surge, China expanding hospitals, ICUs
China is setting up more intensive care facilities and trying to strengthen hospitals as it rolls back anti-virus controls.