Start your day here: Chicago teachers refuse to work in person; CDC holds firm on isolation guidance; Macron gets harsh on the unvaccinated
2 years, 11 months ago

Start your day here: Chicago teachers refuse to work in person; CDC holds firm on isolation guidance; Macron gets harsh on the unvaccinated

NPR  

Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images / AFP People walk past a COVID-19 testing station on Tuesday in New York. Here's what we know: The CDC is holding firm on its isolation recommendations The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention got pushback from public health experts last week when it revised its recommended isolation time for COVID-19 patients from 10 to five days. "But they're pretty confident about one thing: The eye-popping trajectory of this surge is still accelerating, and because so many people are catching omicron so fast all at once, we haven't seen the worst of it yet, even if omicron tends to be somewhat milder." "The good news is that the surge is hitting so ferociously, it could well peak relatively quickly like it did in South Africa," Stein said. "But very importantly, for the people that chose not to be vaccinated — I think a very terrible choice — but who made that choice, there's a pretty good chance they're going to get a case of omicron, which will give them some immunity.

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History of this topic

Here’s why Covid cases are spiking again and how it could affect you
4 months ago

Here’s why Covid cases are spiking again and how it could affect you

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The American Hospital Association said that the 18.1 percent test positivity rate for that week …

CBS News poll finds less concern about new COVID variants now than with Omicron
1 year, 3 months ago

CBS News poll finds less concern about new COVID variants now than with Omicron

CBS News  

Despite a recent rise in COVID cases and new variants, most Americans aren't concerned about getting COVID. There is less concern specifically about new variants today than there was about the Omicron variant as it was emerging in late 2021. As has long been the case with the coronavirus, concern, attention and action are all connected: 40% report following news …

Conspiracy theorist spreads false information about the return of COVID-19 mandates
54 years, 11 months ago

Conspiracy theorist spreads false information about the return of COVID-19 mandates

Associated Press  

CLAIM: Transportation Security Administration managers were told on Aug. 15 that by mid-September they, along with airport employees, will again be required to wear face masks and by mid-October the policy will apply to travelers as well. A spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issued a now-expired travel mask mandate in 2021, confirmed that such rumors …

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the US are on the rise again, but not like before
1 year, 4 months ago

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the US are on the rise again, but not like before

Associated Press  

Here we go again: COVID-19 hospital admissions have inched upward in the United States since early July in a small-scale echo of the three previous summers. But it’s a far cry from past peaks, like the 44,000 weekly hospital admissions in early January, the nearly 45,000 in late July 2022, or the 150,000 admissions during the omicron surge of January …

US CDC endorses updated Covid boosters, shots to begin soon
2 years, 3 months ago

US CDC endorses updated Covid boosters, shots to begin soon

India Today  

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday endorsed updated Covid-19 boosters, opening the way for a fall vaccination campaign that could blunt a winter surge if enough Americans roll up their sleeves. The CDC’s advisers struggled with who should get the new boosters and when because only a similarly tweaked vaccine, not the exact recipe, has been …

Omicron BA.5 dominant subvariant, Covid hospitalisations rising, says WHO expert
2 years, 4 months ago

Omicron BA.5 dominant subvariant, Covid hospitalisations rising, says WHO expert

Hindustan Times  

Omicron, the latest variant of concern, is dominant worldwide, the World Health Organization’s infectious disease epidemiologist, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, has said, underlining that about half of the cases are linked to BA.5 sublineage. It’s the fifth or sixth week in a row where we’re seeing increases in the reported number of cases,” the world health body expert said in …

This new California coronavirus wave isn’t sticking to the script: Big spread, less illness
2 years, 6 months ago

This new California coronavirus wave isn’t sticking to the script: Big spread, less illness

LA Times  

Palisades Charter High School students ride the Metro Expo line after school in Los Angeles on April 21. “I think, deep in my heart, unless we see a new variant that evades our current vaccine protection, we are not going to need to go back to the more drastic tools we had to use early on the pandemic when we …

It’s not over: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in US
2 years, 8 months ago

It’s not over: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in US

Associated Press  

Yet again, the U.S. is trudging into what could be another COVID-19 surge, with cases rising nationally and in most states after a two-month decline. “We don’t know how high that mountain’s gonna grow,” said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University. Some states, such as Rhode Island and New Hampshire, saw the average of …

It’s not over: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in the U.S.
2 years, 8 months ago

It’s not over: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in the U.S.

LA Times  

A sign advises visitors to don face coverings at a hospital in Aurora, Colo. COVID-19 cases are rising again in the United States, with numbers up in most states and up steeply in several. “We don’t know how high that mountain’s going to grow,” said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Eric Topol, …

US Covid-19: As BA.2 subvariant grows, experts look to other countries to predict its impact here
2 years, 9 months ago

US Covid-19: As BA.2 subvariant grows, experts look to other countries to predict its impact here

CNN  

CNN — After weeks in free fall, new Covid-19 cases are starting to level off in the US, as the BA.2 subvariant continues its ascent. On Tuesday, the University of Washington’s Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, said their model does not predict a new surge in Covid-19 cases “similar to what we have seen in parts of Europe,” said …

CDC’s updated metrics to guide Covid-19 restrictions expected Friday
2 years, 10 months ago

CDC’s updated metrics to guide Covid-19 restrictions expected Friday

CNN  

CNN — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will announce new metrics to guide Covid-19 restrictions such as mask-wearing on Friday, according to a senior CDC official. “We still need to be worried about but maybe not all the time.” The CDC currently advises people who live in counties with substantial or high levels of Covid-19 transmission to …

U.S. virus cases and hospitalizations continue steady decline
2 years, 10 months ago

U.S. virus cases and hospitalizations continue steady decline

LA Times  

Average daily COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are continuing to fall in the U.S., an indicator that the Omicron variant’s hold is weakening across the country. “I think what’s influencing the decline, of course, is that Omicron is starting to run out of people to infect,” said Dr. Thomas Russo, professor and infectious disease chief at the University of Buffalo’s Jacobs …

Hospitals begin to limp out of the latest COVID-19 surge
2 years, 10 months ago

Hospitals begin to limp out of the latest COVID-19 surge

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “What we want to see …

US COVID death toll, sped by Omicron, surpasses 900,000
2 years, 10 months ago

US COVID death toll, sped by Omicron, surpasses 900,000

Al Jazeera  

The United States hits grim milestone as new cases are declining, but deaths are at more than 2,400 per day on average. Propelled by the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant, the US COVID-19 death toll hit 900,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, less than two months after the country surpassed 800,000 fatalities. “If you had told most Americans …

WHO: In 10 weeks, omicron surge causes COVID cases to soar
2 years, 10 months ago

WHO: In 10 weeks, omicron surge causes COVID cases to soar

Associated Press  

GENEVA — The World Health Organization chief said Tuesday that 90 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the omicron variant was first identified 10 weeks ago — amounting to more than in all of 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. With many countries easing their restrictive measures amid public fatigue about them, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom …

Coronavirus cases since Omicron exceed those in all of 2020, WHO says
2 years, 10 months ago

Coronavirus cases since Omicron exceed those in all of 2020, WHO says

LA Times  

The head of the World Health Organization says 90 million coronavirus cases have been reported since the Omicron variant was first identified 10 weeks ago. The World Health Organization chief said Tuesday that 90 million coronavirus cases have been reported since the Omicron variant was first identified 10 weeks ago — amounting to more cases than in all of 2020, …

Covid-19 is less severe with Omicron than Delta, suggests US study
2 years, 10 months ago

Covid-19 is less severe with Omicron than Delta, suggests US study

Live Mint  

The Omicron variant appears to result in less severe COVID-19 than seen during previous periods of high coronavirus transmission including the Delta wave, with shorter hospital stays, less need for intensive care and fewer deaths, according to a new U.S. study. Despite the steep spike in COVID cases, the percentage of hospitalized patients admitted to intensive care units during the …

Optimism as Omicron peaks in California, but new BA.2 subtype raises questions
2 years, 10 months ago

Optimism as Omicron peaks in California, but new BA.2 subtype raises questions

LA Times  

There is growing optimism that the overall Omicron surge has peaked in California, but progress across the state remains uneven. “This downward trend is encouraging, and it signals that we’re likely to have passed the peak of Omicron transmission and are beginning to see a real decline in the number of newly infected individuals,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara …

Top Infectious Disease Expert Fauci Optimistic Omicron Cases in US to Peak in February
2 years, 11 months ago

Top Infectious Disease Expert Fauci Optimistic Omicron Cases in US to Peak in February

News 18  

Anthony Fauci, top US infectious disease expert, has said he is confident that most states in the country will reach a peak of Omicron infection cases by mid-February. Fauci added that there are states in the northeast and in the upper midwest where cases have already peaked and declined “rather sharply.” But cases are still rising in southern and western …

Pandemic may become more manageable after Omicron wave ends, WHO says
2 years, 11 months ago

Pandemic may become more manageable after Omicron wave ends, WHO says

LA Times  

Workers walk over the London Bridge toward the London’s financial district during the morning rush hour. World health officials are offering hope that the ebbing of the Omicron wave could give way to a new, more manageable phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, even as they warn of difficult weeks ahead and the possibility that another, more dangerous variant will arise. …

Is it true that everyone will get Omicron? WHO answers
2 years, 11 months ago

Is it true that everyone will get Omicron? WHO answers

Live Mint  

Omicron is less severe than Delta but it's still a dangerous virus, Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization's technical lead on Covid-19, said on Sunday while addressing a programme. Replying to a query on why are people ending up in the hospital and dying from it if the Omicron variant is less severe, the WHO Covid-19 technical head said, …

WHO counts 18 million Covid-19 cases last week as Omicron spread slows
2 years, 11 months ago

WHO counts 18 million Covid-19 cases last week as Omicron spread slows

India Today  

The number of new coronavirus cases globally rose by 20 per cent last week to more than 18 million, marking a slowdown in the surge caused by the Omicron variant's spread, according to the World Health Organization. In its weekly report on the pandemic, the UN health agency said the number of new Covid-19 infections increased in every world region …

‘We’re all frustrated’ on COVID: Biden to boost test availability and send military to help hospitals
2 years, 11 months ago

‘We’re all frustrated’ on COVID: Biden to boost test availability and send military to help hospitals

LA Times  

As the Omicron variant swamps hospitals with new coronavirus cases, President Biden on Thursday said he would reinforce the country’s healthcare system and make more COVID-19 tests available. However, Biden said his administration wouldn’t announce until next week its plans to make high-quality masks available for free even as he encouraged Americans to continue covering their mouths and noses indoors. …

Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in US and Britain
2 years, 11 months ago

Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in US and Britain

Hindustan Times  

Scientists are seeing signals that Covid-19′s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the US, at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically. Shabir Mahdi, dean of health sciences at South Africa’s University of Witwatersrand, said European countries that impose lockdowns won't necessarily come through the omicron wave with fewer …

Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in US and Britain
2 years, 11 months ago

Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in US and Britain

India Today  

Scientists are seeing signals that Covid-19s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the US, at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically. Shabir Mahdi, dean of health sciences at South Africa’s University of Witwatersrand, said European countries that impose lockdowns won’t necessarily come through the omicron wave with fewer …

‘They underestimated this virus.’ Omicron cuts through U.S. defenses despite Biden’s efforts
2 years, 11 months ago

‘They underestimated this virus.’ Omicron cuts through U.S. defenses despite Biden’s efforts

LA Times  

President Biden plans to speak about the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday as he faces rising criticism during the Omicron wave. “The big tragedy here is that we came through last winter and even the summer, and never did the work to address the structural issues that are putting us back in the situation that we’re in right now,” said Dr. …

Editorial: Officials have been relaxing some COVID protocols, leaving the public dazed and confused
2 years, 11 months ago

Editorial: Officials have been relaxing some COVID protocols, leaving the public dazed and confused

LA Times  

Even as COVID-19 cases spiked last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut in half the amount of time that people should remain in isolation after infection if they are without symptoms — and eliminated the recommendation that they get a negative test before they start interacting with other people. We’re told that our old loose-fitting cloth …

Omicron pushing COVID out of pandemic phase: EU agency
2 years, 11 months ago

Omicron pushing COVID out of pandemic phase: EU agency

Raw Story  

The spread of the Omicron variant is pushing Covid towards being an endemic disease that humanity can live with, although it remains a pandemic for now, the EU's drug watchdog said Tuesday. The European Medicines Agency also expressed doubts about giving a fourth vaccine shot to the general population, saying repeated boosters were not a "sustainable" strategy. "Nobody knows exactly …

Biden’s COVID response comes under fire in Senate hearing
2 years, 11 months ago

Biden’s COVID response comes under fire in Senate hearing

LA Times  

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, left, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during a hearing Tuesday on Capitol Hill. The administration’s booster rollout and the recent update to the quarantine and isolation guidance were a “mess” and a “disaster,” Burr said in the hearing. Omicron …

Vaccine skeptics slammed across Europe as Omicron rages
2 years, 11 months ago

Vaccine skeptics slammed across Europe as Omicron rages

Deccan Chronicle  

From Boris Johnson to Emmanuel Macron, Europe’s leaders are increasingly going after anti-vaxxers as the battle against the fast-spreading omicron variant deepens the region’s pandemic fatigue. French President Macron took the rhetoric to a new level this week when he said his government’s strategy was to “p--- off” those who have refused shots. In the U.K., Johnson accused anti-vaxxers of …

US sees record hospitalisation of kids under 5, UK says 4th Covid jab not needed
2 years, 11 months ago

US sees record hospitalisation of kids under 5, UK says 4th Covid jab not needed

India Today  

Covid-19 infections continue to gallop across the world even as measures have been imposed to curb the spread of the virus led by the more contagious Omicron variant. The total number of Covid-19 cases registered worldwide passed 300 million on Friday, with the Omicron variant's rapid spread setting new infection records in dozens of countries over the last week. Since …

Column: ‘Everybody’s getting COVID.’ That doesn’t mean you should try to get it, too
2 years, 11 months ago

Column: ‘Everybody’s getting COVID.’ That doesn’t mean you should try to get it, too

LA Times  

The latest statistics are terrifying. “I don’t believe we’ve seen the peak,” Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the “Today” show on Friday, adding that “hospitals right now are full of people who are unvaccinated.” And yet, in Dr. Roberto Vargas’ corner of California in South L.A., where he’s been helping lead an …

Omicron is surging. But for the L.A. Phil and Center Theatre Group, the shows must go on
2 years, 11 months ago

Omicron is surging. But for the L.A. Phil and Center Theatre Group, the shows must go on

LA Times  

The Grammys have been postponed. But as the Omicron surge worsens in Los Angeles County, many of the region’s largest performing arts organizations, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Center Theatre Group, are going ahead with plans to stage concerts and shows in the coming days and weeks. The Los Angeles Philharmonic — which has a capacity of more than …

Top US expert warns against complacency as Omicron strains hospitals
2 years, 11 months ago

Top US expert warns against complacency as Omicron strains hospitals

India Today  

Top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned on Wednesday against complacency about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, saying the sheer number of cases could strain hospitals despite signs of lower severity. In Ohio, the state with the second-highest per capita rate of Covid-19 hospitalizations in the country after Delaware, staff at a small community hospital said they are …

Health care workers hit by Omicron in US, Covid jab must for 50+ in Italy | TOP POINTS
2 years, 11 months ago

Health care workers hit by Omicron in US, Covid jab must for 50+ in Italy | TOP POINTS

India Today  

Covid cases are rising across the world, straining health care systems, caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant. HEALTH CARE WORKERS HIT IN US Hospitals across the US are feeling the wrath of the omicron variant and getting thrown into disarray that is different from earlier Covid-19 surges. SINGAPORE MUST BRACE FOR 'MUCH BIGGER' COVID WAVE, SAYS GOVT Singapore must …

Biden urges concern but not alarm in US as omicron rises
2 years, 11 months ago

Biden urges concern but not alarm in US as omicron rises

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden urged concern but not alarm as the United States set records for daily reported COVID-19 cases and his administration struggled to ease concerns about testing shortages, school closures and other disruptions caused by the omicron variant. In remarks Tuesday before a meeting with his COVID-19 response team at the White House, Biden aimed to convey …

COVID case counts may be losing importance amid omicron
2 years, 11 months ago

COVID case counts may be losing importance amid omicron

India TV News  

Highlights Focus should be on COVID hospital admissions in United States, says experts Omicron accounted for 95% of new coronavirus infections in US last week Deaths have been stable over past 2 weeks at an average of about 1,200 per day The explosive increase in US coronavirus case counts is raising alarm, but some experts believe the focus should instead …

Soaring Omicron could lead to more dangerous COVID-19 variants, warns WHO
2 years, 11 months ago

Soaring Omicron could lead to more dangerous COVID-19 variants, warns WHO

Firstpost  

But WHO senior emergencies officer Catherine Smallwood sounded an ominous note of caution, telling AFP that the soaring infection rates could have the opposite effect. Stockholm: Soaring Omicron cases around the globe could increase the risk of a newer, more dangerous variant emerging, the World Health Organization in Europe warned on Tuesday. Now, Omicron is lethal, it can cause death …

Outbreak team says lockdown extension likely; Retailers angered
2 years, 11 months ago

Outbreak team says lockdown extension likely; Retailers angered

NL Times  

Due to uncertainties about the "important characteristics" of the Omicron variant, the Outbreak Management Team is not in favor of a quick relation of Covid-19 measures, apart from reopening schools. According to OMT, the hospital admissions resulting from the wave could remain relatively limited. Although Omicron appears to be milder than delta, there is still a risk it could overload …

US sets global record of 1 million COVID-19 cases in a single day
2 years, 11 months ago

US sets global record of 1 million COVID-19 cases in a single day

Raw Story  

The United States recorded more than 1 million Covid-19 cases on Monday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, as the Omicron variant continues to spread at a blistering pace. Johns Hopkins, which has been tracking case numbers since the start of the pandemic, also reported 1,688 deaths for the same period, a day after top US pandemic advisor Anthony …

Can Omicron's ‘immunity’ end Covid-19 pandemic? Experts hint at ‘silver lining’
2 years, 11 months ago

Can Omicron's ‘immunity’ end Covid-19 pandemic? Experts hint at ‘silver lining’

Hindustan Times  

A string of new studies has confirmed the silver lining of the omicron variant: Even as case numbers soar to records, the numbers of severe cases and hospitalizations have not. “The virus is always going to be with us, but my hope is this variant causes so much immunity that it will quell the pandemic.” The omicron variant was discovered …

Omicron upends return to US schools and workplaces
2 years, 11 months ago

Omicron upends return to US schools and workplaces

Associated Press  

Some school systems around the U.S. extended their holiday break Monday or switched back to online instruction because of the explosion in COVID-19 cases, while others pressed ahead with in-person classes amid a seemingly growing sense that Americans will have to learn to co-exist with the virus. New York City, home of the nation’s largest school system, reopened classrooms to …

How will pandemic end? Omicron clouds forecasts for endgame
2 years, 11 months ago

How will pandemic end? Omicron clouds forecasts for endgame

Associated Press  

Pandemics do eventually end, even if omicron is complicating the question of when this one will. The newest variant is a warning about what will continue to happen “unless we really get serious about the endgame,” said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health. The omicron crisis shows we’re not there yet but …

Omicron dampens new year celebrations amid COVID restrictions
2 years, 11 months ago

Omicron dampens new year celebrations amid COVID restrictions

Al Jazeera  

Most of the festivities and events cancelled or scaled down as the Omicron variant continues to rapidly spread despite restrictions. The Omicron coronavirus variant dampened new year festivities around much of the world with Paris cancelling its fireworks show, London relegating its to television and New York City scaling down its famous ball drop celebration in Times Square. But in …

Covid experts warn fourth dose of vaccine may be pointless and Omicron might end pandemic
2 years, 11 months ago

Covid experts warn fourth dose of vaccine may be pointless and Omicron might end pandemic

Daily Mail  

The US, the UK and other major economies could be on the brink of over-vaccinating people in the fight against Covid, experts say. The UK is a mid tier performer in the lower cohort of the top 20 performers while the US doesn't even manage to make the cut While only a mid-performer in the top 20 nations for vaccine …

Omicron update: Global cases top 1 million, as WHO urges caution
2 years, 11 months ago

Omicron update: Global cases top 1 million, as WHO urges caution

Live Mint  

Just as the World Health Organization warned that Omicron still poses “very high” risk and could overwhelm healthcare systems across the world, the highly transmissible omicron variant has taken worldwide Covid-19 cases above 1 million for a second straight day This comes two years after reports of a mysterious pneumonia first emerged in Wuhan, the pandemic shows no signs of …

Covid-19 UK: 40% of Omicron hospitalisations are unvaccinated adults, officials finally reveal
2 years, 11 months ago

Covid-19 UK: 40% of Omicron hospitalisations are unvaccinated adults, officials finally reveal

Daily Mail  

Up to 40 per cent of patients hospitalised with the Omicron variant are unvaccinated, health chiefs have finally revealed in the wake of a transparency row. Separate UKHSA data proving how well the vaccines work shows unvaccinated adults are up to eight times more likely to be admitted to hospital than people given two doses Doctors fear London's hospital admissions …

Biden confirms end of Omicron travel curbs for African nations
2 years, 11 months ago

Biden confirms end of Omicron travel curbs for African nations

Al Jazeera  

US president says restrictions are ‘no longer necessary’, as new COVID-19 variant becomes dominant strain. US President Joe Biden has formally ordered an end to travel restrictions on eight southern African countries imposed last month to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, saying that the curbs are “no longer necessary to protect the public health”. The Biden administration …

US coronavirus: The country just hit a record average of daily new Covid-19 cases
2 years, 11 months ago

US coronavirus: The country just hit a record average of daily new Covid-19 cases

CNN  

CNN — The US hit a seven-day average of 265,427 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, blowing past the country’s previous record of about 252,000 daily cases, reported nearly a year ago on January 11. “I would urge people to wear a higher quality mask any time they’re in a place with lots of people and they’re going to be indoors …

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