National News - Page 155

US Sets New Covid-19 Record as Omicron Drives Surge

By Holly Yan and Amir Vera, The US hit a seven-day average of 265,427 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, blowing past the country’s previous record of about 252,000 daily cases, reported nearly a year ago on January 11. The new peak, according to Johns Hopkins University data, comes amid a rapid acceleration of infections in the United States — and across the world — since last month. And experts predict the Omicron variant — the most contagious strain of coronavirus yet — is going to make the start of 2022 very difficult. “January is going to be a really, really hard month.

Biden Admits COVID Testing Shortfall Amid Omicron Surge

By Stephen Collinson, President Joe Biden and his team repeatedly promised more Covid-19 testing, including at-home kits that deliver rapid results, but they are now admitting a virus that is more adaptable than the politicians who fight it has outpaced them again. For many Americans, this holiday season may be remembered for hours spent in long testing lines, or fruitlessly searching pharmacy shelves for antigen tests as the Omicron variant took over the previous Delta wave. Already patchy testing has been exposed by the latest highly transmissible variant, and the US is being compared unfavorably to other developed nations where citizens have easy access to rapid tests for

Biggest Cultural and Fashion Moments of 2021

By Marianna Cerini, Year two of the pandemic was, in many ways, just as challenging and weird as the first. That said, in-person events made a tentative comeback, as did socializing outside our homes — albeit with masks on our faces and hand sanitizer in our pockets. More so than in 2020, we adapted to living with the virus. So, too, did the creative industries. Art fairs returned, as did the Met Gala, fashion shows, concerts and red carpet events. Likewise, galleries, cinemas and theaters slowly reopened their doors, reminding us of how valuable IRL culture can be. Below are some of the most

Omicron Surge Drives Record US Covid Cases and Disruptions

By Holly Yan and Aya Elamroussi, Covid-19 numbers keep soaring as travelers scatter back across the country after Christmas and Americans prepare for another holiday weekend. The US is now averaging 198,404 new Covid-19 cases each day, according to Sunday data from Johns Hopkins University. That’s 47% higher than a week ago and the highest such number since January 19. “I think we’re going to see half a million cases a day — easy — sometime over the next week to 10 days,” CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner told CNN on Sunday. About 71,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19

Habitat Delivers First 3D-Printed Home in the US

By Sara Smart, One Virginia family received the keys to their new 3D-printed home in time for Christmas. The home is Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D-printed home in the nation, according to a Habitat news release. Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, told CNN it partnered with Alquist, a 3D printing company, earlier this year to begin the process. The 1,200-square-foot home has three bedrooms, two full baths and was built from concrete. The technology allowed the home to be built in just 12 hours, which saves about four weeks of construction time for a typical home.

Omicron Surge Triggers NYC Vaccine Mandate & Travel Chaos

By Jason Hanna and Aya Elamroussi, As the Omicron coronavirus variant spreads across the country, more events are being canceled or postponed, airlines and cruise lines are scrambling to deal with last-minute changes, and New York City’s vaccine mandate for the private sector is set to go into effect Monday. The new requirements begin as the state broke a single-day record with 49,708 new Covid-19 cases reported on Christmas Eve, according to data released on Sunday by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. “As we come home from holiday gatherings, it is as important as ever to take precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19 this season,” Hochul

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Anti-Apartheid Icon, Dies at 90

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By Todd Leopold, Larry Madowo and Jessie Yeung, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Anglican cleric whose good humor, inspiring message and conscientious work for civil and human rights made him a revered leader during the struggle to end apartheid in his native South Africa, has died. He was 90. In a statement confirming his death on Sunday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his condolences to Tutu’s family and friends, calling him “a patriot without equal.” “A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those

DCF Christmas Toy Pop-Up Spreads Joy to Connecticut Families

By Marcy Jones It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and thanks to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, it feels like it too. The DCF hosted a Christmas toy pop-up shop called the “Olive Branch” in Glastonbury and it aimed to alleviate the financial burden for some parents during the holiday season. “We know what it feels like on Christmas morning to be able to have toys under our tree,” said Vanessa Dorantes, commissioner, DCF. “Not every family has that experience, so we wanted to make sure parents had that experience this year.” Many of the children

Biden Announces 250K Paxlovid COVID-19 Treatments for January

By Donald Judd, President Joe Biden on Wednesday pledged more than 250,000 treatment courses of Pfizer’s antiviral pill will be available starting in January after the US Food and Drug Administration authorized it to treat Covid-19. “With today’s action, we add the first-ever oral treatment to our nation’s medicine cabinet and take a significant step forward in our path out of the pandemic,” he added. “As soon as emerging science showed the promise of this antiviral, we acted quickly and aggressively to pre-purchase 10 million treatment courses — more than any other country in the world.” He added, “We will have

Omicron Surge Strains Hospitals as Holidays Near in US

By Travis Caldwell, With the potentially more transmissible Omicron now the most widely detected variant in the US, hospitals are preparing for additional Covid-19 cases as millions of Americans face infection. And for the second year in a row, many doctors and nurses on the frontlines of the pandemic will be treating these patients over the Christmas holiday. Haleigh Seizys, a Covid-19 ICU nurse at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, told CNN’s Ana Cabrera on Wednesday that staff are “very worried about what’s to come after the holidays,” urging people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others against severe illness. “Day to day,

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