Mask mandates could return as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations rise

Increasing numbers of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are putting more of the country under guidelines issued by the CDC.

FDA approves Pfizer COVID-19 booster for children ages 5 to 11

Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shot for U.S. kids ages 5 to 11 has been approved by the FDA. Next, it will need the CDC’s final sign-off.

Biden co-hosts 2nd global COVID-19 summit as US nears 1 million deaths

President Joe Biden appealed to world leaders for a renewed international commitment to attacking COVID-19 and ordered flags lowered to half-staff for the tragic milestone.

Pandemic getting tougher to track as COVID-19 testing plunges

Testing for COVID-19 has plummeted across the globe, making it much tougher for scientists to track the course of the pandemic and spot new, worrisome viral mutants as they emerge and spread. Experts say testing has dropped by 70 to 90% worldwide from the first to the second quarter of this year — the opposite of what they say should be happening with new omicron variants on the rise in places such as the United States and South Africa.

Nearly 15M deaths associated with COVID-19, World Health Organization says

Scientists estimate there were between 13.3 million and 16.6 million deaths that were either caused directly by the coronavirus or were somehow attributed to the pandemic’s impact on health systems.

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations remain low in North Texas

While COVID-19 cases are up in some parts of the country, they are down slightly in North Texas. Hospitalizations are on the very low end of percentages since the pandemic began.

CDC restates transportation mask recommendation

U.S. health officials are restating their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation.

Prepare for a COVID-19 summer surge, medical experts warn

COVID-19 cases have been slowly increasing in nearly every state as the highly contagious BA.2 subvariant spreads in the U.S. Most of those cases have been relatively mild, and experts say vaccination continues to provide strong protection against severe illness. But it's the ability of the virus to change that makes arresting COVID-19 challenging.

Why are vaccines still important if so many kids have already had COVID-19?

A recent CDC report estimated that 75% of U.S. kids have likely had COVID-19. Here’s why experts say vaccines are still important, despite having recovered from a previous infection.

Dr. Fauci says the ‘US is out of the pandemic phase’

Dr. Anthony Fauci said COVID-19 infections and deaths are at a lower level in the U.S., but people should still get 'intermittently' vaccinated.

Ending COVID-19 public emergency may end expanded health programs

The declaration allowed access to free testing and free vaccines for those who needed it most but could afford it least. Telehealth medicine was expanded under the public health emergency declaration and was covered by Medicaid expansion, which also meant more connections between doctors and patients vulnerable to a host of medical problems. But that all could soon come to an end.

Beijing enforces lockdowns, expands COVID-19 mass testing amid outbreak

Residents lined up for throat swabs across Beijing as mass testing was expanded to 11 city districts. Beijing has a total of 92 virus cases since an outbreak was discovered five days ago.

Justice Department to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asks Justice Dept. to appeal ruling that voided federal travel mask mandate.