Viral News
March 29, 2022 The so-called stealth Omicron variant is now the dominant COVID-19 strain in the United States, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also known as BA.2, the strain comprised nearly 55 percent of domestic coronavirus cases for the week ending March 26. The variant, which has been …
Continue reading “Stealth Omicron Now Dominant COVID Variant in U.S.”
Feb. 9, 2022 With the Omicron variant now accounting for almost 100% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, the seven-day average of daily COVID-related deaths hit 2,600 recently, the highest rate in about a year,The Washington Post reported. That’s higher than the approximately 2,000 daily deaths last autumn during the Delta surge, but less …
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By Robin FosterHealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, Jan. 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Moderna Inc. announced Wednesday that it has launched a trial that will study the power of a redesigned booster shot — one that hones in on the highly contagious Omicron variant. The news comes just one day after Pfizer announced that it has started …
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Jan. 25, 2022 — A new, highly contagious subvariant of Omicron has emerged, which some have begun calling “son of Omicron,” but public health officials say it’s too soon to tell what kind of real threat, if any, this new strain will present. In the meantime, it’s worth watching BA.2, the World Health Organization says. …
Continue reading “Watch, But Don’t Worry Yet, About New Omicron Subvariant”
Jan. 24, 2022 — Booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines appear to be highly effective at preventing hospitalizations due to the Omicron variant, according to three new CDC studies published on Friday. The extra doses were 90% effective at keeping people out of the hospital after infection and 82% effective at preventing …
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“I don’t know, unfortunately, that we can rely on what’s happened in other countries and expect that’s going to happen here, because it hasn’t in the past,” said immunologist Deepta Bhattacharya of the University of Arizona. The US experience with past surges has been a sharp peak and then a gradual decline that instead never …
Continue reading “What Happens After Omicron? 4 Key Questions Answered”
Jan. 19, 2022 — COVID-19 deaths from the Omicron variant are climbing and will likely increase quickly in the upcoming weeks, according to new forecasts. Based on national forecasts, 50,000 to 300,000 more Americans could die by the time the current wave subsides in March. “A lot of people are still going to die because …
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Jan. 13, 2022 — President Joe Biden announced Thursday the U.S. government will make free, upgraded face masks available for ordering online starting next week. In addition, he is ordering 500 million more rapid COVID-19 tests to meet future demand and deploying more military teams to help overwhelmed hospitals in hardest-hit states. These actions are …
Continue reading “More Masks, COVID Tests, and Troops to Battle Omicron”
The paradox of Omicron, now responsible for an estimated 98.3% of all US coronavirus cases, is that while it seems more likely to result in significantly milder outcomes than Delta and previous variants, the health system is as stressed as it’s ever been. Public health officials are warning that Omicron is threatening to overwhelm the …
Continue reading “Omicron Is Milder Than Delta But Still Wreaking Havoc”
Jan. 12, 2022 — The CDC is preparing to update its COVID-19 mask recommendations to emphasize the use of N95 and KN95 masks that better filter the virus, Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said Wednesday. “We are preparing an update to the info on our mask website to best reflect the options that are available to …
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Jan. 12, 2022 — If you’re confused about guidance on the Omicron coronavirus variant — which seems to change almost daily at this point — you are not alone. The widely reported, record-breaking jump in daily cases seems easy to understand. Beyond that, many unanswered questions remain: Are cloth face masks ever OK? How can …
Continue reading “How to Make Sense of Omicron and Changing COVID Protocols”
Early in the pandemic, people discovered a darkly funny way to track COVID-19 outbreaks: When cases spiked, more Yankee Candle customers would complain online about the candles being “scentless.” The most likely explanation was that they’d lost their sense of smell due to COVID-19. Over the past couple of weeks, several TikTokers have noticed a …
