New COVID-19 variant prompts travel restrictions

Health officials are sounding the alarm about a new COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa this week. Experts worry that the rapidly spreading Omicron variant could be even more contagious than Delta. 

Fauci says omicron variant could be ‘red flag,’ urges COVID-19 boosters for all

“I keep saying it over and over, the next couple of months are going to be up to us. I mean, we, right now, have a tool, a very effective tool,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said, urging vaccination amid news of the worrying new omicron variant.

US, Canada, EU, Japan restrict South Africa travel over Omicron variant

Advisers to the World Health Organization held a special session Friday to flesh out information about the worrying new variant of the coronavirus that has been detected in South Africa.

U.S. will restrict travel from South Africa, 7 other countries over omicron variant

The United States will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries starting Monday over concerns of the "heavily mutated" COVID-19 omicron variant, senior administration officials said.

Moderna testing 3 COVID-19 booster vaccines on omicron variant, Pfizer ready to adapt

Pfizer said if any coronavirus variant ever evades the protection offered by its COVID-19 vaccine, it expects to be able to produce a “tailor-made” adapted version of its vaccine to fight that variant in approximately 100 days, pending approval from federal regulators.

Omicron variant: What to know about the new COVID-19 strain

South African scientists identified a new version of the coronavirus this week that they say is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.

Omicron variant: WHO says new COVID-19 strain shows increased reinfection risk

The World Health Organization called a special session to flesh out information about a worrying new variant of the coronavirus that has been detected in South Africa.

Fears growing over new COVID variant

Originating in South Africa, a new COVID variant has scientists scrambling to figure out how quickly the strain will spread.

FDA finds Merck COVID-19 pill effective, seeks outside experts on safety

U.S. health officials say Merck's experimental COVID-19 pill is effective but they raised questions about its safety during pregnancy.

US families struggle with how to conduct 2nd Thanksgiving amid COVID-19 pandemic

The second Thanksgiving of the COVID-19 pandemic comes as a resurgent virus has pushed new infections in the U.S. to 95,000 daily and caused alarming increases at hospitals in Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado and Arizona.

Survey: Few Americans blame God for COVID-19 pandemic, other tragedies

A large majority of U.S. adults believe that most of the suffering in the world comes from people rather than from God, according to surveys from the Pew Research Center.

Benign polyp in Biden's colon was potentially pre-cancerous

A doctor's report says the polyp removed from President Joe Biden’s colon last week was a benign, slow-growing but potentially pre-cancerous lesion that required no further action.

Child COVID-19 cases in US up 32% ahead of Thanksgiving, AAP reports

Between Nov. 11 and Nov. 18, nearly 142,000 child cases were added — an increase of about 32% from two weeks ago and making up 25.1 percent of all the cases reported that week, AAP reported.

White House: 92% of federal workers vaccinated under mandate with no apparent disruptions

On Tuesday, one day after the deadline for compliance, 92% of the 3.5 million federal workers covered by Biden’s mandate reported to the government that they are at least partially vaccinated, according to White House officials.

Experts: Love for the holidays isn't just within your heart; it's in the brain

It's science! One study says there is actually a 'holiday center' in the brain that can light up when experiencing those tidings of comfort and joy.

US mandating vaccines for all border crossers in January

President Joe Biden plans to require essential nonresident travelers crossing U.S. land borders, such as truck drivers and emergency response officials, to be fully vaccinated beginning on Jan. 22.