After more than two years dodging the Covid-19 bullet, I have been struck down. This is particularly galling because throughout the pandemic I’ve tried to reduce my risk by avoiding packed places, such as pubs, and wearing a mask on public transport and in shops. But the cunning virus finally got to me via my … Read more
New York state COVID hospitalizations are now nearing 3,000, more than doubling in the last month as an omicron subvariant believed to be the most transmissible strain yet fuels soaring infection rates across the country, health department data shows. The statewide admission total stands at 2,705 as of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s latest report, the highest … Read more
With the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants spreading, Portugal has been experiencing an upswing in … [+] Covid019 cases. (Photo by Jorge Mantilla/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images When something goes from being of interest to being of concern, it’s usually taken a turn for the worse. That would apply to a date, … Read more
Bay Area health officers recommend masking indoors; region has highest infection rate in California Twelve Bay Area health officers on Friday recommended that people wear masks indoors amidst a new swell of COVID cases and hospitalizations. The Bay Area now has California’s highest COVID infection rates fueled by omicron subvariants, according to a joint news … Read more
Americans are starting to care less-and-less about the COVID-19 pandemic, even as cases begin to rise once again in some parts of the country and officials in the White House warn that the country could be in for a rough fall and winter months. A Gallup poll published Wednesday found that only 31 percent of … Read more
Earlier in the pandemic, contact tracing data showed us where COVID-19 was predominantly spreading. Unfortunately, because our contact tracing efforts have slowed down, we don’t have as clear of a picture regarding where people are mostly likely to contract omicron and its subvariants. What we do know is that, while the virus has evolved to … Read more
New York City’s top health official says mask mandates and vaccine checks could make a comeback as the city battles a slight uptick in cases and hospitalizations from the omicron BA.2 subvariant. But one small business association says the return of pandemic restrictions would be a step ‘backwards’ that bars and restaurants ‘cannot afford’ as … Read more
A coronavirus subvariant experts believe is more contagious than the currently-dominant BA.2 strain has been detected in Minnesota. The latest weekly data from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention shows BA.2.12.1 – the latest omicron variant taking hold across the country — accounted for nearly 37% of new cases nationwide last week. So far, … Read more
New York COVID-19 hospitalizations topped 2,000 for the first time since late February on Tuesday, rising nearly three-fold in just a month as highly contagious subvariants of omicron trigger pleas for renewed caution from officials locally and nationally. The upward trend continued Wednesday. Ace of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s latest update, 2,119 New Yorkers were hospitalized … Read more
The COVID-19 subvariant estimated by New York state health officials to be even more contagious than the first descendant of the potentially infectious omicron strain now accounts for up to 70% of all virus circulating in the region that encompasses the Empire State, according to new CDC data released Tuesday. The prevalence of BA.2.12.1, which … Read more