National News - Page 154

Desmond Tutu Honored at State Funeral in Cape Town

By Joshua Berlinger and Tara John, Family, friends and dignitaries gathered for Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s official state funeral on New Year’s Day in Cape Town, capping a week of events honoring a man long considered to be the moral compass of South Africa. Tutu died last Sunday at the age of 90, sparking a global outpouring of tributes to the anti-apartheid hero. He had been in poor health for several years. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who delivered the main eulogy during the service at St. George’s Cathedral on Saturday, hailed Tutu as “our national conscience.” Tutu’s widow Nomalizo Leah, known as “Mama Leah,”

Omicron Surge Disrupts Schools, Strains U.S. Hospitals

By Derrick Hinds, After a weekend of muted celebrations, Americans face the uncertainty of a new year as the nation battles another coronavirus wave. And concerns are growing about the impact the virus could have over the next several weeks as students return to school. In Atlanta, at least five metro-area school districts will begin with remote learning this week, as students prepare to return from the holiday break amid rising cases in the region. And in Washington, DC, public schools will be closed until Thursday as a winter storm thwarted plans for students and staff to pick up Covid-19 tests

Biden, Harris to Mark Jan 6 Capitol Riot Anniversary

By Paul LeBlanc and Allie Malloy, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, the White House said Sunday. Their remarks will come alongside a slate of events prepared by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to commemorate the insurrection, including a moment of silence on the House floor and a prayer vigil on the steps of the Capitol. The White House had said last month that it would mark the anniversary, but did not provide further details. “January 6 was one of the darkest days in

CDC Updates Covid Isolation Rules Amid Omicron Surge

By Holly Yan and Aya Elamroussi, Sweeping new Covid-19 isolation and quarantine guidelines were spurred by scientific research and what Americans would likely tolerate, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. They come as doctors expect the holiday coronavirus surge, driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, to get worse following New Year’s Eve. The average number of daily US Covid-19 cases on Tuesday reached 265,427 — a new pandemic high, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In guidance issued this week, the CDC said: • Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19, regardless of vaccination status, can stop isolating after five

J&J Booster Shows Strong Protection Against Omicron

By Maggie Fox, Two reports released Thursday show that people who get booster doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine are well protected against severe disease and hospitalization from the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the company said. Researchers said the findings indicate that most of the Covid-19 vaccines will protect people against the worst outcomes from infection — and show some of the emphasis on how the various vaccines affect immune system components called antibodies may be misleading. One real-life study from South Africa showed vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization from Covid-19 rose to 85% after a booster dose of the J&J vaccine,

Omicron Surge Prompts Shift in Biden’s COVID-19 Strategy

By Stephen Collinson, America is plunging into a fast-worsening and frightening winter bout with Covid-19 that will leave few citizens and communities untouched. But as the highly transmissible Omicron variant roars across the country, the Biden administration is revealing the most tangible signs of a shifting pandemic strategy several weeks in the making. It is preparing a nation exhausted by two years of battling the invisible enemy to live more feasibly alongside it. The new strain of a virus that had already killed more than 800,000 Americans is forcing quick government course alterations. President Joe Biden’s White House faces a dilemma rooted in increasing evidence that Omicron causes more mild

Pandemic-Proof Your 2022: Health Resolutions That Last

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta, It’s almost the new year and along with it comes the admittedly aspirational tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions — ones that we hopefully can stick to and not abandon after Week 3, or even Day 3, of 2022. At the same time, we’re sliding into our third year of battling a novel coronavirus that continues to keep the world in pandemic mode. That’s why it is more important now than ever — as the Delta variant gets squeezed out by Omicron in this country and around the globe, and as Covid-19 haltingly evolves from pandemic to

Global New Year’s Eve 2022 Plans Amid Omicron Surge

By Forrest Brown, For awhile there, it appeared we might be able to ring in New Year’s Eve in major cities across the planet with something resembling the huge celebrations of yore. Another Covid-19 surge and the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus have dashed those hopes — at least in some part of the world. In New York City, the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will be “scaled back,” with fewer revelers and everyone required to wear a mask, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said last week. But some major cities in Europe, where the

CDC Cuts COVID Isolation, Quarantine to 5 Days

By Maggie Fox, The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday shortened the recommended times that people should isolate when they’ve tested positive for Covid-19 from 10 days to five days if they don’t have symptoms — and if they wear a mask around others for at least five more days. The CDC also shortened the recommended time for people to quarantine if they are exposed to the virus to a similar five days if they are vaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated and boosted may not need to quarantine at all, the CDC said. “Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the

Supreme Court Weighs Biden’s Federal Vaccine Mandates

By Tierney Sneed, A Supreme Court that has declined to block several types of vaccine mandates is now considering whether to allow the Biden administration to require millions of Americans to get Covid-19 vaccines. While the court has been tolerant so far of vaccine mandates that have come before it — refusing to halt requirements imposed by local and state entities — those implemented by the federal government pose new legal questions that could draw hostility from the conservative majority. How the 6-3 Supreme Court resolves those cases could have implications for the executive branch’s power to act unilaterally not just on

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