Underscoring its high transmissibility, in a week, omicron went from a 12.6% share of new COVID infections in the U.S. to a dominant 73.2%, according to the CDC's latest estimates.
The virus is the enemy, NIH Director Francis Collins said. "It's not the other people in the other political party." Omicron, which could soon become the dominant strain, is extremely infectious.
Players are benched after testing positive, games are canceled or postponed and leagues and players' unions are scrambling to figure out how to move forward under a cloud of uncertainty.
Collins is retiring after 12 years of leading the federal health agency. He parts with a warning about the dangers of yielding to pandemic fatigue. "The virus is not tired of us," he says.
Collins is retiring after 12 years of leading the federal health agency. He parts with a warning about the dangers of yielding to pandemic fatigue. "The virus is not tired of us," he says.
Scientists are projecting the surge will peak in January. Just how massive it could be depends on how quickly Americans get boosted and change behavior to slow the spread.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University School of Public Health, about safely navigating the holidays amid rising COVID case numbers.
Military officials say that, after months of warnings, they have begun disciplinary actions. The Army has reprimanded 2,700 soldiers and said it will begin discharge proceedings in the new year.
Pfizer and BioNTech, which produced the first COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S., say they will expand ongoing trials to include a third dose for children as young as 6 months old.
