COVID-19

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Omicron Is in at Least 5 States
Omicron Is in at Least 5 States
Dec 3, 2021 12:34 AM CST

Omicron Is in at Least 5 States

Cases reported in New York, Minnesota, Colorado, Hawaii, California

(Newser) - The omicron variant of COVID-19, which had been undetected in the US before the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by the end of Thursday, showing yet again how mutations of the virus can circumnavigate the globe with speed and ease. Just a day...

Second Omicron Case Detected in US
Second Omicron Case
Detected in US
Dec 2, 2021 12:15 PM CST

Second Omicron Case Detected in US

This time, it's in a Minnesota man who had recently visited New York City

(Newser) - A not-so-surprising development about the omicron variant: It has now turned up in a second state. One day after health authorities in California detected the first known case in the US, authorities in Minnesota announced the second, reports NPR . The person infected is described as a man from Hennepin County,...

In Case of Surgeon With Omicron, Cause for Optimism

So far, just one of his many contacts has also tested positive

(Newser) - Dr. Elad Maor returned to Israel from a cardiology conference in London last week, thrice testing negative for COVID-19 before leaving the UK and after arriving back home. So he worked as usual, attending a hospital staff meeting, seeing patients, attending another cardiology conference, eating with colleagues, visiting with relatives,...

White House 'Pulling Out the Stops' With New COVID Plan

Strategy includes focus on at-home testing, booster shots

(Newser) - President Biden is set to roll out his administration's winter COVID strategy Thursday—and he says the nation will fight the virus "not with shutdowns or lockdowns but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing, and more." The White House says the new strategy, which Biden will unveil...

Japan Does a 180 on Controversial Omicron Policy

And more on what omicron means around the globe

(Newser) - Update: Just one day after announcing a recommendation that quickly became quite controversial, Japan is changing its tune. The country's transport ministry on Thursday said it was retracting its request that airlines stop taking reservations for people coming in to Japan until the new year, the AP reports. Our ...

Alternative COVID Treatments Fail Daystar Founder

Marcus Lamb dies of coronavirus infection at age 64

(Newser) - Marcus Lamb, founder of one of the world's largest Christian television networks and a vocal vaccine opponent, has died of COVID-19 at age 64. Lamb's widow, Joni, confirmed during a broadcast on the evangelical TV network that "the love of my life went to be with Jesus"...

Fauci: First Omicron Case Has Been Detected in US

Fauci says person in California returned from South Africa trip on Nov. 22

(Newser) - A person in California is the first in the US to have an identified case of the COVID-19 omicron variant, the White House announced Wednesday as scientists continue to study the risks posed by the new strain of the virus. "This is the first case of COVID-19 caused by...

LeBron James Tests Positive for COVID-19

Lakers superstar is said to be asymptomatic, will miss several games

(Newser) - LeBron James, fresh off a suspension, is now sidelined by the NBA's health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar, who has said he is fully vaccinated, took a lateral flow test that returned a positive COVID-19 result on Tuesday, per TMZ Sports...

Shuttered in March 2020, Fiji Celebrates a 'Momentous Day'

Fiji is once again open to tourists, for first time in nearly 2 years

(Newser) - Since March 2020, the island nation of Fiji has had its doors shuttered to tourists, in an attempt to keep COVID from overwhelming the limited medical services available to its 1 million residents. On Wednesday, nearly two years after the tourism-dependent country's shutdown, locals once again started to welcome...

Omicron Was in Europe Before South Africa Raised the Alarm

First cases reported in Brazil, Japan

(Newser) - Brazil and Japan joined the rapidly widening circle of countries to report cases of the omicron variant Tuesday, while new findings indicate the mutant coronavirus was already in Europe close to a week before South Africa sounded the alarm. The Netherlands' RIVM health institute disclosed that patient samples dating from...

Quarantine Hotel Unusable After Guest Allegedly Sets Fire

31-year-old has been charged with arson

(Newser) - An hotel quarantine facility that was home to 163 occupants as of Sunday had one guest who stood out—and who allegedly set fire to the hotel that day. "We did have some issues with that female occupant that we were managing," the Queensland Police Acting Chief Superintendent...

BioNTech Founder: Omicron Unlikely to Cause Severe Cases

Ugur Sahin says vaccinated people should have protection against new variant

(Newser) - The seesawing of sentiment on the omicron variant continues. The co-founder of BioNTech, the company that partnered with Pfizer on a COVID vaccine, has weighed in with comments that are relatively optimistic. Ugur Sahin tells the Wall Street Journal that the company's existing vaccine should prevent serious illness among...

CDC Strengthens Booster Advice
CDC Strengthens
Booster Advice
Nov 29, 2021 6:07 PM CST

CDC Strengthens Booster Advice

Agency now says everyone over 18 who is eligible should get another shot

(Newser) - While much is unknown about the new omicron COVID variant—including how effective existing vaccines are against it—the CDC is urging people not to take any chances. The agency strengthened its advice Monday to say that people over 18 should get a booster shot, New York Times reports. Earlier...

Couple Arrested After Leaving Quarantine Hotel

They tested positive after arriving in Amsterdam from South Africa Friday

(Newser) - Dutch military police arrested a husband and wife Sunday who had left a hotel where they were being quarantined after testing positive for COVID-19 and boarded a plane to fly home to Spain. A spokeswoman for the local security authority that covers Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport said Monday that an...

New Theme in Omicron Coverage: Missed Promises
New Theme
in Omicron
Coverage:
Missed Promises
the rundown
Nov 29, 2021 2:16 PM CST

New Theme in Omicron Coverage: Missed Promises

Wealthier nations aren't meeting pledges to supply vaccine to developing countries

(Newser) - Stories about the emergence of the Omicron variant frequently point to the same stat: Only about 6% of Africa, where it was first detected, is vaccinated against the coronavirus. As a result, critics are pointing fingers at wealthy nations for failing to fulfill promises to get vaccines to developing countries:...

Biden Shares His Thinking on Omicron
Biden Shares
His Thinking
on Omicron
Nov 29, 2021 11:45 AM CST

Biden Shares His Thinking on Omicron

It's a 'cause for concern, not panic,' president says of new variant

(Newser) - President Biden on Monday spoke about the emerging Omicron variant , calling it "a cause for concern, not a cause for panic." And he reiterated familiar advice from Dr. Anthony Fauci and the White House: Get vaccinated, including booster shots. "Dr. Fauci believes that the current vaccines provide...

More Hopeful Scenarios Emerge on Omicron Variant
Omicron Variant Detected
in North America
the rundown
Nov 29, 2021 6:52 AM CST

Omicron Variant Detected in North America

It's in Canada, though not (officially) in US yet; so far, vaccinated patients are getting mild cases

(Newser) - As health officials around the world watch the Omicron variant, the first wave of headlines about actual patients appears to have a common theme: It's spreading quickly, but not necessarily leading to more severe cases, especially among vaccinated people. Coverage:
  • Early cases: A top Israeli health official, Dr. Sharon
...

South Africa President: Omicron Travel Bans Are Discriminatory

Cyril Ramaphosa says they won't stop the spread, must be lifted now

(Newser) - Travel bans are increasingly being put into place against South Africa amid fears related to the COVID-19 variant newly identified there, and the president of the country is not happy. The bans, which have been implemented in places including the US, Canada, UK, Israel, EU, and Japan, are not backed...

This Is Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year

'Vaccine' wins out for 2021

(Newser) - With an expanded definition to reflect the times, Merriam-Webster has declared an omnipresent truth as its 2021 word of the year: vaccine. “This was a word that was extremely high in our data every single day in 2021,” Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor-at-large, told the AP ahead of...

Outbreak Shuts Team Down
Outbreak Shuts Team Down
Nov 27, 2021 2:55 PM CST

Outbreak Shuts Team Down

NHL postpones 2 Islanders games to fight spread

(Newser) - The NHL has postponed two more games for coronavirus-related reasons, making it five so far this season. Upcoming New York Islanders games Sunday at the Rangers and Tuesday at the Philadelphia Flyers were postponed after additional players went into the NHL's COVID-19 protocol on Saturday. The Islanders would have...

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