COVID-19 National Headline Archive

4/14 – A steroid commonly used in inhalers to treat asthma may prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms. Researchers from the University of Oxford discovered that when the drug budesonide was given to COVID-19 patients at the first sign of symptoms, they were less likely to need urgent medical care or hospitalization. (READ MORE)
4/13 – The U.S. government has recommended a pause on the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after a potentially deadly side effect was noted in six women out of the 6.8 million people given the drug. The rare side effect, called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), occurs when clots prevent blood from draining from the brain. (READ MORE)
4/13 – Reports that the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine may, in extremely rare cases, cause blood clots has dealt a fresh blow to the world’s vaccination drive, just weeks after similar concerns were raised over the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. (READ MORE)
4/13 – The U.S. is recommending a “pause” in using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots. (READ MORE)
4/6 – President Joe Biden was set to announce Tuesday that he is shaving about two weeks off his May 1 deadline for states to make all adults eligible for coronavirus vaccines. (READ MORE)
4/7 – To the usual list of foul trash left behind or washed up on beaches around the world, add these: masks and gloves used by people to avoid the coronavirus and then discarded on the sand. (READ MORE)
4/7 – The Treasury Department said Wednesday it has issued more than 156 million payments as part of President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief plan, including 25 million payments that were primarily to Social Security beneficiaries who hadn’t filed 2019 or 2020 tax returns. (READ MORE)
4/6 – Nearly half of new coronavirus infections nationwide are in just five states — a situation that is putting pressure on the federal government to consider changing how it distributes vaccines by sending more doses to hot spots. (READ MORE)
4/2 – Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can enjoy again, according to new U.S. guidance issued Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine afterward. (READ MORE)
4/1 – U.S. health officials have authorized two more over-the-counter COVID-19 tests that can be used at home to get rapid results. (READ MORE)
3/31 – A batch of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine failed quality standards and can’t be used, the drug giant said late Wednesday. (READ MORE)
3/29 – The Biden administration is extending a federal moratorium on evictions of tenants who have fallen behind on rent during the coronavirus pandemic. (READ MORE)
3/15 – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., mocked President Joe Biden for his insinuation his administration had achieved some major milestone with 1 million COVID-19 vaccinations per day when it was a rate he inherited from the Trump administration. (READ MORE)
3/15 – Patients who took small daily doses of aspirin were 29% less likely to test positive for COVID-19 say researchers in Israel. They were also more apt to have a shorter illness and have fewer lingering side effects. (READ MORE)
3/15 – The number of new COVID-19 cases among workers in U.S. nursing homes dropped 83% according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (READ MORE)
3/15 – Fewer smokers are quitting because of COVID-19. Figures from the University of California, San Francisco’s Smoking Cessation Leadership Center showed that calls to smoking hotlines, also called “quit lines,” dropped 27% in 2020 compared to the previous year. (READ MORE)
3/15 – Exactly one year after Broadway went dark due to the pandemic, members of the theater community reunited for a live, pop-up performance in Times Square. (READ MORE)
3/12 – One year after the nation was brought to a near-standstill by the coronavirus, President Joe Biden pledged in his first prime-time address to make all adults eligible for vaccines by May 1 and raised the possibility of beginning to “mark our independence from this virus” by the Fourth of July. (READ MORE)
3/12 – Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb questioned President Joe Biden’s projection that COVID-19 vaccinations could allow small gatherings by Independence Day, saying that Americans won’t be waiting for the July 4 holiday. (READ MORE)
3/8 – Fully-vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing, according to long-awaited guidance from federal health officials. (READ MORE)
3/8 – About 78% of people who have been hospitalized, required a ventilator, or died from COVID-19 have been obese or overweight according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (READ MORE)
3/8 – As the vaccine rollout continues across the country, employers are wondering if they can mandate shots for their workers. In the healthcare field where workers have been given top vaccine priority, this question has already caused legal battles. (READ MORE)
3/5 – California officials will allow people to attend Major League Baseball games and other outdoor sporting events, go to Disneyland and watch live performances in limited capacities starting April 1. Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s top public health official, said the state is acting now because the rates of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are declining. (READ MORE)
3/5 – After growing cobwebs for nearly a year, movie theaters in New York City reopen Friday, returning film titles to Manhattan marquees that had for the last 12 months instead read messages like “Wear a mask” and “We’ll be back soon. (READ MORE)
3/3 – While children are usually spared severe complications from COVID-19, physicians are reporting that a small percentage of them have developed serious symptoms and complications that can last for months. (READ MORE)
3/3 – Walmart has expanded its COVID-19 vaccination program to include 43 new drive-thru locations in 18 states. The retail giant will also offer in-store shots and at several off-site locations. (READ MORE)
2/24 – New studies from the U.K. show that both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines are effective in preventing infection from COVID-19 and protect against the more contagious variant found in Britain. (READ MORE)
2/23 – Researchers at Northern Arizona University have come up with a one-two punch they claim knocks out COVID-19. It combines an ovarian cancer medication with remdesivir to stop the virus from entering cells and inhibit its replication. (READ MORE)
2/23 – The research team from Oxford University that helped develop the COVID-19 vaccine with AstraZeneca is now looking at the possibility of creating nasal sprays or tablets to fight the virus. (READ MORE)
2/23 – Scientists are desperate to find suitable monkeys to serve as test subjects for future vaccine trials. The primates cost $10,000 each, but right now it is not a matter of money that is holding up research. There just are not enough of the specially bred monkeys to supply the demand. (READ MORE)
2/23 – Pharmacists say there is a simple solution to the shortage of COVID-19 vaccine: Use a tried-and-true method of combining leftover vaccine material from used vials to assemble additional doses. (READ MORE)
2/23 – Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson says it will be able to provide 20 million U.S. doses of its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine by the end of March, assuming it gets the greenlight from federal regulators. (READ MORE)
2/23 – People who wear glasses are up to three times less likely to spread to spread COVID-19. A new study from India says that wearing spectacles reduces the frequency of folks touching or rubbing their eyes. (READ MORE)
2/22 – The Democrats’ proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill contains billions of dollars for items that have nothing to do with the disease, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise said Monday. (READ MORE)
2/22 – The massive, nearly 600-page $1.9 trillion COVD-19 relief package that the Democratic Party unveiled this past Friday appears to provide relief to nearly everyone — with the exception the American people. (READ MORE)
2/20 – While some Latin American countries like Nicaragua have yet to receive any vaccine, Chile has already given more than one million vaccine doses by February 9th. It hit two-million Monday and the immunization pace continues to improve. (READ MORE)
2/19 – Extreme winter weather has dealt the first major setback to the Biden administration’s planned swift rollout of coronavirus vaccines, delaying shipment of three days’ worth of shots, or about 6 million doses. (READ MORE)
2/19 – The NCAA will allow a limited number of fans to attend all rounds of its men’s basketball tournament in Indiana and later rounds of its women’s tournament in Texas. (READ MORE)
2/18 – Many Americans are worried that severe weather will impede the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the country. This may delay their second inoculation that is suppose to be given within a certain time frame as directed by the manufacturer. (READ MORE)
2/18 – Just 10 countries have administered 75% of the world’s available Covid-19 vaccine supply, while more than 130 countries haven’t even received their first doses, according to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. (READ MORE)
2/18 – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended wearing two masks to ensure protection against COVID-19, especially as more contagious variants are sweeping the country. But, according to Best Life, the agency does not advocate double masking with two disposable masks. (READ MORE)
2/18 – Joe Biden will use his first big presidential moment on the global stage at Friday’s Group of Seven meeting of world leaders to announce that the U.S. will soon begin releasing $4 billion for an international effort to bolster the purchase and distribution of coronavirus vaccine to poor nations, White House officials said. (READ MORE)
2/18 – Mink farms are at high risk of COVID-19 infections, which can spread to other animals and humans. Infectious disease experts in Europe have called for regular testing of these facilities to prevent outbreaks. (READ MORE)
2/18 – LGBT people of color are two times more likely to contract COVID-19 than white heterosexuals, according to a new study. The UCLA Williams Institute surveyed 12,000 U.S. adults in the fall of last year and also found that LGBT people are at higher risk of serious illness from the disease. (READ MORE)
2/17 – Federal agents have seized more than 10 million fake 3M brand N95 masks in recent weeks, the result of an ongoing investigation into counterfeits sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies. (READ MORE)
2/17 – According to an ABC affiliate in North Carolina, the study leaders want to enroll 1,100 people across the country to see how the immune system is affected by gut health, and how we can boost the immune system to fight COVID-19 by using probiotics. (READ MORE)
2/17 – People hospitalized with COVID-19 who have blood cancers such as leukemia are more likely to die from the disease than those suffering from other types of cancer. (READ MORE)
2/17 – People who are asymptomatic with COVID-19 or have mild side effects might be blessed by a protective genetic mutation that goes all the way back to Neanderthal predecessors. (READ MORE)
2/17 – According to Nature, while participants in the clinical trials of the vaccines reported side effects such as muscle aches, fever, and headaches, we are now learning of rare, allergic reactions to the drugs. The two mRNA vaccines approved in the U.S. made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech triggered 372 non-serious reactions out of a million doses, according to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). (READ MORE)
2/16 – Biden is embarking on his first official trip as president to refocus Congress on coronavirus relief and to cement public support for his $1.9 trillion aid package. (READ MORE)
2/16 – President Joe Biden is extending a ban on housing foreclosures to June 30 to help homeowners struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. (READ MORE)
2/16 – A rare winter storm that dumped a foot of snow on Seattle couldn’t keep a 90-year-old woman from her first appointment for the coronavirus vaccine. (READ MORE)
2/16 – FEMA opened its first COVID-19 mass vaccination sites Tuesday, setting up in Los Angeles and Oakland as part of an effort by the Biden administration to get shots into arms more quickly and reach minority communities hit hard by the outbreak. (READ MORE)
2/16 – The makers of COVID-19 vaccines are figuring out how to tweak their recipes against worrisome virus mutations — and regulators are looking to flu as a blueprint if and when the shots need an update. (READ MORE)
2/16 – Wearing masks in public, social distancing, and washing your hands frequently in the battle against the coronavirus may not protect you from the common cold. (READ MORE)
2/16 – The unique genetic technology of the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines may be applied to treating other diseases, including cancer. (READ MORE)
2/15 – Thousands of middle-aged caregivers tending to elderly parents are terrified that without access to the COVID-19 vaccine, they could become ill, leaving their parents adrift. (READ MORE)
2/16 – The Navy has reported three new cases of COVID-19 on the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt — the same carrier sidelined for weeks last year when the virus infected more than 1,200 crew members, killing one, Military.com reported. (READ MORE)
2/15 – Dr. Anthony Fauci has won the $1 million Dan David Prize for “defending science” and advocating for vaccines now being administered worldwide to fight the coronavirus pandemic. (READ MORE)
2/15 – Basketball legend Michael Jordan is donating $10 million to launch two medical clinics in underserved communities near his hometown in North Carolina, a regional health care system announced Monday. (READ MORE)
2/15 – The World Health Organization has granted an emergency authorization to AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine, a move that should allow the U.N. agency’s partners to ship millions of doses to countries worldwide as part of a U.N.-backed program to tame the pandemic. (READ MORE)
/12 – If you are getting ready for your COVID-19 vaccine, there are certain things you should and should not do to maximize protection from the shot, say experts. (READ MORE)
2/12 – As the vaccine rollout continues across America, families are wondering when their children will be eligible for inoculation against COVID-19. Dr. Juan Salazar, M.D, physician-in-chief at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, says that unless any member of your family is a healthcare or frontline worker, has an underlying medical condition, or is in the high-risk age category, it’s unlikely that your adult household will be vaccinated until the spring of 2021. (READ MORE)
2/12 – With two COVID-19 vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration and several more waiting in the wings, people are questioning which drug is the best for them. (READ MORE)
2/12 – The Canadian government thought it could pay to play in the global race to vaccinate its way back to normal life. But as its vaccine supply slowed to a trickle in February, Canada remains on the sidelines of that race despite buying more vaccines doses per capita than, likely, any other country on Earth. (READ MORE)
2/12 – Former US President Donald Trump’s condition with Covid-19 became so concerning last year that there was talk of putting him on a ventilator, according to what Trump told one person at the time, raising questions over whether the White House downplayed the seriousness of his situation. (READ MORE)
2/12 – The nation’s top public health agency on Friday provided a roadmap for reopening schools in the middle of a pandemic, emphasizing mask wearing and social distancing and saying vaccination of teachers is important but not a prerequisite for reopening. (READ MORE)
2/11 – President Joe Biden visited some of the nation’s leading scientists on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 on Thursday, as he announced the U.S. will have enough supply of the vaccine by the end of the summer to inoculate 300 million Americans.(READ MORE)
2/11 – Republicans are attacking the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package as too costly, economically damaging and overtly partisan, an all-angles attempt to derail new President Joe Biden’s top priority as it starts moving through a Congress his party controls only narrowly. (READ MORE)
2/11 -President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. has finished deals for 100 million additional vaccine doses each from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., and that the companies would deliver new and existing orders quicker than projected. (READ MORE)
2/11 – Experts are concerned that school closures caused by COVID-19 may affect the mental health of our children, especially teenagers and young adults. According to Axios, hospitals have experienced a sharp increase in mental health emergencies among youngsters. Health professionals are concerned about the role social isolation has played on their mental and emotional wellbeing during the pandemic. (READ MORE)
2/11 – The total volume of SARS-CoV-2 in the world is only 160 milliliters, an amount that wouldn’t fill a 12-ounce Coke can. According to The Conversation, Christian Yates, a senior lecturer in mathematical biology at the University of Bath applied his skills to determine just how much SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is present globally. (READ MORE)
2/11 – The Biden administration isn’t saying if it supports mandatory coronavirus testing for migrants entering the country — dodging the issue after Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., called out the risks of allowing migrants into the U.S. who haven’t been tested or vaccinated. (READ MORE)
2/11 – Heavy breathers may account for most of the infectious aerosols that spread COVID-19. That is the result of a new study that also showed older people and those with higher body mass indexes are responsible for the majority of disease transmission. (READ MORE)
2/11 -Some people have reported that a rash appeared on their arm days after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Moderna. The red, welted rash spread five to six inches around the vaccination site. (READ MORE)
2/11 – The Centers for Disease Control endorsed double-masking — wearing one mask on top of another — on Wednesday. Doubling up your face coverings may reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 by 94%, according to the CDC. (READ MORE)
2/10 – U.S. government researchers found that two masks are better than one in slowing coronavirus spread, but health officials stopped short of recommending that everyone double up. (READ MORE)
2/10 – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has officially endorsed sleep as a proven way to get the most benefits from the COVID-19 vaccines. (READ MORE)
2/10 – Some experts thought that children may be less susceptible to COVID-19 because they carry more antibodies to other coronaviruses, like the common cold. That theory would also explain why some people have milder cases of COVID-19. According to The New York Times, a new study published on Tuesday in the journal Cell found that seasonal antibodies have no impact on SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. (READ MORE)
2/10 – There are reports that at least 36 people have developed a rare blood disorder called immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have been cited as potential causes for the deadly disorder. (READ MORE)
2/9 – The coronavirus most likely first appeared in humans after jumping from an animal, a team of international and Chinese scientists looking for the origins of COVID-19 said Tuesday, saying an alternate theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese lab was unlikely. (READ MORE)
2/9 – Experts battling COVID-19 say that three health conditions are the most dangerous when it comes to poor outcomes from the virus. Obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure appear to increase the risk of severe disease and mortality. (READ MORE)
2/9 – Pharmacy giants Walgreens and Uber Technologies, Inc., have joined forces to help underserved Americans get access to COVID-19 vaccines. They have also partnered with the National Urban League to help reduce vaccine hesitancy among communities of color. (READ MORE)
2/9 – Major League Baseball players, on-field staff and non-playing personnel who require access to them at ballparks must wear electronic tracing wristbands from the start of spring training and face discipline for violations. Players will be encouraged to get vaccines but are not required to get them. That was part of upgraded health protocols agreed to by Major League Baseball and the players’ association to deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic. (READ MORE)
2/9 – The coronavirus most likely first appeared in humans after jumping from an animal, a team of international and Chinese scientists looking for the origins of COVID-19 said Tuesday, saying an alternate theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese lab was unlikely. (READ MORE)
2/9 – Harmful chemicals found in drinking water systems may increase the risk for severe COVID-19. A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that elevated levels of these harmful contaminants in COVID-19 patients increased their likelihood to be admitted to intensive care units or die. (READ MORE)
2/9 – You can get reinfected with COVID-19, but because the U.S. is lagging in the field of genetic sequencing, we have little data how frequently this occurs. Fewer than 50 cases of COVID-19 reinfection have been documented by a global reinfection tracker and only five cases have been confirmed in the U.S. (READ MORE)
2/9 – Climate change may be a factor in the pandemic, according to a recent study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. The study examined the changes in bat habitats in Southern China and the nearby regions of Myanmar and Laos, where SARS-CoV-2 is thought to have originated. (READ MORE)
2/9 – People suffering from dementia are twice as likely to get COVID-19. They are also more likely to be hospitalized and die from the disease according to a U.S. study analysis of 61.9 million electronic medical records. (READ MORE)
2/9 – COVID-19 has triggered an uptick in anxiety and stress leading to a condition health professionals are calling “coronaphobia.” Experts say that worry and anxiety over a perceived threat to health can have serious consequences on well-being. (READ MORE)
2/8 – Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will quarantine for 14 days after a member of his security detail tested positive for COVID-19, the department said in a statement Monday. (READ MORE)
2/8 – So much for the mayor’s order requiring masks at Super Bowl parties. Throngs of mostly maskless fans took to the streets and packed sports bars as the clock inside Raymond James Stadium ticked down on a hometown Super Bowl win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (READ MORE)
2/8 – Scientists applaud the development of effective vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccine development represents a “stunning scientific achievement for the world … unprecedented in the history of vaccinology,” Axios reports, quoting Dr. Dan Barouch, an expert on virology and vaccines at Harvard Medical School. (READ MORE)
2/7 – Diabetes puts people at risk for complications and death from COVID-19. Now, evidence suggests that COVID-19 may trigger new cases of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. According to The Washington Post, 14% of people who developed severe cases of COVID-19 also developed diabetes. Many of the newly diagnosed had no previous history of the disorder and some returned to normal after recovery from the infection. (READ MORE)
2/7 – Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was able to neutralize and destroy the highly contagious South African variant according to a new study. (READ MORE)
2/6 – There is not a lot of research data about whether cancer patients should get or would benefit from COVID-19 vaccines. The American Cancer Society states it is safe for most cancer patients to get inoculated but stresses that every case is different, and people should discuss their options with their doctors. (READ MORE)
2/5 – The NFL is telling the federal government it will make the remaining of the league’s 30 stadiums available for COVID-19 vaccination sites. (READ MORE)
2/5 – The Pentagon will deploy troops to assist getting Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House said Friday. (READ MORE)
2/5 – The Senate early Friday approved a measure that would let Democrats muscle President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan through the chamber without Republican support. Vice President Kamala Harris was in the chair to cast the tie-breaking vote, her first. (READ MORE)
2/4 – Pushing through a major initiative like President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID package without it having bipartisan support is “never good government,” and goes against his calls for unity, Rep. Jeff Van Drew said Thursday. (READ MORE)
2/4 – The COVAX initiative for equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines has announced its plan to distribute more than 330 million doses to developing nations in the first half of 2021. (READ MORE)
2/4 – Americans over the age of 65 are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines in numerous states, but trying to get them has become a nightmare for many. Some older citizens have had to travel hundreds of miles to get their shots, and others say even securing an appointment is challenging. (READ MORE)
2/4 – Researchers in the U.K. are beginning human trials to see if it’s possible to boost effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine by using one manufacturer’s initial dose and a booster shot from another drug company. (READ MORE)
2/4 – A single case of Covid-19 at a quarantine hotel in Melbourne will force the Australian Open organizers to isolate up to 600 players, officials and support staff, just four days before the tennis championship is set to begin. (READ MORE)
2/3 – The nation’s top infectious disease expert doesn’t want the Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader. Dr. Anthony Fauci, says when it comes to Super Bowl parties during the pandemic, people should “just lay low and cool it. (READ MORE)
2/3 – New research found that more than 70% of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. last year originated with people between the ages of 20 and 49. British researchers at the Imperial College London gathered the information by tracking cell phone data on more than 10 million Americans. Their findings suggest that healthcare experts target this group for vaccination to help control COVID-19. (READ MORE)
2/2 – Even if you have had your second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, experts say you are still not out of the woods. You need to follow safety precautions to protect yourself and those around you. the most common question people ask is if they still need to wear a face mask. The answer is overwhelmingly yes, say experts. (READ MORE)
2/2 – The Biden administration will begin shipping COVID-19 vaccines to U.S. pharmacies next week, ramping up vaccinations as new and potentially more serious virus strains are appearing, the White House said Tuesday. (READ MORE)
2/2 – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that senators will vote Tuesday on a first step toward eventually approving President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus recovery package on a fast-track with or without Republican support. (READ MORE)
2/1 – The U.S. government says it won’t be making routine immigration enforcement arrests at COVID-19 vaccination sites. Vaccination sites will be considered “sensitive locations” and generally off-limits for enforcement actions, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Monday. (READ MORE)
2/1 – A little more than a third of nursing home workers have been getting COVID-19 vaccines when the shots are first offered, U.S. health officials said Monday. (READ MORE)
2/1 – President Joe Biden is set to meet on Monday with a group of 10 Republican senators who have proposed $618 billion in coronavirus relief, about a third of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking as congressional Democrats are poised to move ahead without Republican support. (READ MORE)
1/29 – The government’s top infectious disease expert said Friday he hopes to see children being vaccinated starting in the next few months. It’s a needed step to securing widespread immunity to the coronavirus. (READ MORE)
1/29 – Johnson & Johnson’s long-awaited vaccine appears to protect against COVID-19 with just one shot – not as strong as some two-shot rivals but still potentially helpful for a world in dire need of more doses. (READ MORE)
1/28 – People with COVID-19 can be contagious for the disease for two days before showing symptoms, and by the time the infection is identified, a person might have spread the disease to others. That is why Jesse Jokerst decided to develop a wearable mask that acts like a “smoke detector” to monitor for COVID-19. The post-doctoral student created a color-changing test strip that can be used on a mask to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in a user’s breath or saliva. (READ MORE)
1/28 – A newly 75-year-old Dolly Parton is eligible to be inoculated against Covid-19 but hasn’t gotten a shot yet, she told CNN, even though she donated $1 million to vaccine development. (READ MORE)
1/28 – Michael Strahan has tested positive for COVID-19. The football Hall of Famer was notably absent from the set of “Good Morning America” this week and on Thursday co-host Robin Roberts explained why. (READ MORE)
1/27 – Answering growing frustration over vaccine shortages, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. is ramping up deliveries to hard-pressed states over the next three weeks and expects to provide enough doses to vaccinate 300 million Americans by the end of the summer or early fall. (READ MORE)
1/26 – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that Democrats are preparing to push ahead quickly on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package even if it means using procedural tools to pass the legislation on their own, leaving Republicans behind. (READ MORE)
1/26 – Researchers in Florida are developing a blood test that could genetically predict whether you are at high or low risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms. (READ MORE)
1/25 – California Gov. Gavin Newsom eased his stay-at-home order to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus statewide Monday, surprising many and hailed by beleaguered businesses, but drawing accusations of political desperation who say it is due to a recall effort nearing its goal. (READ MORE)
1/25 – The COVID-19 virus has developed troubling mutations as it continues to infect people globally. After a highly transmissible variant was detected in the U.K. last December, both Moderna and Pfizer, the two pharmaceutical companies with approved U.S vaccines, began testing their products against the mutation. (READ MORE)
1/25 – People with severe cases of COVID-19 may produce more T cells to protect against reinfection, according to a new study. (READ MORE)
1/25 – The Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines need two shots to achieve the 95% effectiveness against COVID-19 noted in their clinical trials. However, the plodding pace of vaccine distribution due to product shortages and fragmented healthcare systems might delay the timing of the second shot. (READ MORE)
1/25 – Companies nationwide are mostly encouraging their employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but experts say they can legally mandate the shot. (READ MORE)
1/22 – Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly said its antibody treatment, bamlanivimab, was able to prevent COVID-19 infections in nursing homes during late-stage clinical trials. (READ MORE)
1/22 – COVID-19 changed our lives in countless ways, from how we work to how we dress in public to protect ourselves from the virus. According to experts, it has also changed our friendships. (READ MORE)
1/22 – As the numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations begin to taper off after hitting record levels this month, experts warn that the emergence of new variants can change the trajectory of the disease. (READ MORE)
1/22 – The COVID-19 variant identified in England last month could carry a higher risk of causing death although data is limited, according to one of the government’s scientific advisory groups, ITV political editor Robert Peston said on Twitter on Friday. (READ MORE)
1/21 – Dr. Anthony Fauci is back in the White House briefing room. Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, was tasked by President Joe Biden to give an update on the coronavirus pandemic after largely being sidelined in recent months by former president Donald Trump. (READ MORE)
1/21 – With a burst of executive orders, President Joe Biden served notice Thursday that the nation’s COVID-19 response is under new management and he’s demanding progress to reduce infections and lift the siege Americans have endured for nearly a year. (READ MORE)
1/20 – In his first official acts as president, Joe Biden has signed executive orders on a broad range of issues, from the coronavirus pandemic to climate change and immigration, to fulfill campaign promises. (READ MORE)
1/18 – A California man who told police that the coronavirus pandemic left him afraid to fly has been arrested on charges that he hid in a secured area at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for three months. (READ MORE)
1/14 – President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan Thursday to end “a crisis of deep human suffering” by speeding up vaccines and pumping out financial help to those struggling with the pandemic’s prolonged economic fallout. (READ MORE)
1/14 – The results of early trials of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine are promising, and if Phase 3 trials are successful, we could soon have another tool in our pandemic toolbox to use against the virus. (READ MORE)
1/12 – The Trump administration is asking states to speed delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to people 65 and older and to others at high risk by no longer holding back the second dose of the two-dose shots, officials said. (READ MORE)
1/12 – Anyone flying to the U.S. will soon need to show proof of a negative test for COVID-19, health officials announced. (READ MORE)
1/12 – Within a span of about 24 hours, three House Democrats announced they tested positive for COVID-19, prompting concern that last week’s insurrection at the Capitol has also turned into a super-spreader event threatening the health of lawmakers and their staffs. (READ MORE)
1/11 – Experts from the World Health Organization are due to arrive in China this week for a long-anticipated investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, the government said. (READ MORE)
1/11 – The more contagious variants of SARS-CoV-2 coming out of the U.K. and South Africa will make the pandemic worse before mass vaccination can make it better. But take another look at some of these new vaccines. And then contemplate the dawn to come — not just its first rays in the coming months but also the bright light of future years and decades. (READ MORE)
1/11 – January 11 marks the anniversary of China confirming its first death from Covid-19, a 61-year-old man who was a regular at the now-notorious Wuhan wet market. It is the world’s most pressing scientific puzzle, but experts warn there may never be conclusive answers over the source of the coronavirus. (READ MORE)
1/5/20 – The U.S. could soon be giving at least a million COVID-19 vaccinations a day despite the sluggish start, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday, even as he warned of a dangerous next few weeks as the coronavirus surges. (READ MORE)
12/31 – Authorities arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist Thursday suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing it from refrigeration for two nights. (READ MORE)
12/30 – The new and seemingly more contagious variant of the coronavirus that has set off alarm in Britain has been reported for the first time in the U.S., in a Colorado man who hadn’t been traveling, triggering a host of questions about how it got here and adding urgency to the nation’s vaccination drive. (READ MORE)
12/30 – California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced the first known case of the new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus in the nation’s most populated state, following the first reported U.S. case in Colorado. (READ MORE)
12/28 – A huge U.S. study of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate got underway Monday as states continue to roll out scarce supplies of the first shots to a nation anxiously awaiting relief from the catastrophic outbreak. (READ MORE)
12/24 – Bethlehem on Thursday ushered in Christmas Eve with a stream of joyous marching bands and the triumphant arrival of the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, but few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened celebrations in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. (READ MORE)
12/24 – California became the first state to record 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases, reaching the milestone on Christmas Eve as close to the entire state was under a strict stay-at-home order and hospitals were flooded with the largest crush of cases since the pandemic began. (READ MORE)
12/23 – Pfizer and BioNTech will supply the U.S. with an additional 100 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine under a second agreement. (READ MORE)
12/22 – Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said Tuesday she plans to retire, but is willing to first help Joe Biden’s team with its coronavirus response as needed. (READ MORE)
12/22 – The nation’s top infectious disease expert estimates that most Americans will have access to the new COVID-19 vaccines by mid-summer. Dr. Anthony Fauci told Good Morning America on Tuesday that he expects to start vaccinating the general population “somewhere in the end of March, the beginning of April.” (READ MORE)
12/21 – After months of Washington gridlock, Congress is set to act on a $900 billion pandemic relief package, finally delivering long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a frightening surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. (READ MORE)
12/21 – Joe Biden on Monday received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on live television as part of a growing effort to convince the American public the inoculations are safe. (READ MORE)
12/18 – Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, will be getting their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday according to Biden’s incoming press secretary, Jen Psaki. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, will receive their doses the week of Dec. 28. (READ MORE)
12/18 – The legislative branch of government is rapidly moving to receive the coronavirus vaccine, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi getting the shot on Friday and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying he will “in the coming days.” (READ MORE)
12/18 – Vice President Mike Pence became the highest-ranking U.S. official to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the shot is safe. He celebrated the milestone as “a medical miracle” that could eventually contain the raging pandemic. (READ MORE)
12/18 – Bearing down on a midnight shutdown deadline, top negotiators on a must-pass, almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package are committed to sealing an agreement Friday as they resolve remaining differences in hopes of passing the legislation this weekend. (READ MORE)
12/18 – Federal officials said Friday they are seeking civil fines of $15,000 and $7,500 against two airline passengers accused of assaulting flight attendants for telling them to wear face masks. (READ MORE)
12/17 – A second COVID-19 vaccine moved closer to joining the U.S. fight against the pandemic Thursday as government advisers convened for a public review of its safety and effectiveness. (READ MORE)
12/17 – French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday following a week in which he met with numerous European leaders. The French and Spanish prime ministers and EU Council president were among many top officials self-isolating because they had recent contact with him. (READ MORE)
12/17 – It’s a hurry up and wait moment on Capitol Hill as congressional negotiators on a must-pass, almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package struggled through a handful of remaining snags on Thursday. The holdups mean a weekend session now appears virtually certain, along with a stopgap spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday. (READ MORE)
12/17 – A government advisory panel endorsed a second COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, paving the way for the shot to be added to the U.S. vaccination campaign. (READ MORE)
12/16 – Top congressional leaders are nearing agreement on a long-delayed COVID-19 relief package, hoping to seal a deal as early as Wednesday that would extend aid to individuals and businesses and help ship coronavirus vaccines to millions. (READ MORE)
12/15 – The first home test for COVID-19 that doesn’t require a prescription will soon be on U.S. store shelves. (READ MORE)
12/14 – A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled a detailed COVID-19 aid proposal on Monday in hopes it would serve as a model for its battling leaders to follow as they try to negotiate a final agreement on a new round of virus relief. (READ MORE)
12/14 – The biggest vaccination campaign in U.S. history kicked off Monday as health workers rolled up their sleeves for shots to protect them from COVID-19 and start beating back the pandemic — a day of optimism even as the nation’s death toll closed in on 300,000. (READ MORE)
12/14 – Senior U.S. officials will begin receiving coronavirus vaccines this week as part of updated federal continuity of government plans that now include terrorism and pandemics as threats to the nation, and its leaders. (READ MORE)
12/11 – Indoor dining restrictions will be reinstated indefinitely in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue climbing in the city and throughout the state. (READ MORE)
12/11 – A Wichita fitness studio’s owner and his business are suing Kansas for compensation for being forced to shut down and reopen with restrictions this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, arguing that the state essentially used their property in attempting to limit the virus’ spread. (READ MORE)
12/10 – A U.S. government advisory panel has endorsed Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, in a major step toward an epic vaccination campaign that could finally conquer the outbreak. (READ MORE)
12/10 – A U.S. government advisory panel convened on Thursday to decide whether to endorse mass use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to help conquer the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans. (READ MORE)
12/10 – The Trump administration is back in the middle of Capitol Hill’s confusing COVID-19 negotiations, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week unemployment benefit favored by a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators. (READ MORE)
12/10 – The Pentagon’s initial allotment of coronavirus vaccine will be administered at 16 defense sites in the United States and abroad, with health care workers, emergency service personnel and residents of military retirement homes getting top priority, officials said Wednesday. (READ MORE)
12/9 – The pandemic has put many areas of our lives on hold, including delaying regular visits to the doctor. Routine maintenance is important, say experts, who worry that certain diseases such as cancer, may escalate without early detection. (READ MORE)
12/9 – Doctors in Geneva, Switzerland say that 33% of COVID-19 patients suffer lingering symptoms for more than six weeks. (READ MORE)
12/9 – Men infected with COVID-19 are three times more likely to require intensive care than women and are at significantly higher risk of dying from the virus, scientists said Wednesday. (READ MORE)
12/9 – If you have COVID-19, experts advise staying at home in isolation if possible. But if you have symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pain, go straight to the hospital — even if you do not have the coronavirus. (READ MORE)
12/9 – A new study finds that people with allergies are not more susceptible to more severe COVID-19 outcomes or complications than individuals who do not have allergies. (READ MORE)
12/8 – President Donald Trump celebrated the expected approval of the first U.S. vaccine for the coronavirus Tuesday as the White House worked to instill confidence in the massive distribution effort. (READ MORE)
12/8 – Kristen Stewart and several others are believed to have contracted the coronavirus while filming “The Happiest Season” earlier this year. Production on the film had just begun when a “bunch of people” suddenly got sick on the set in Pittsburgh.(READ MORE)
12/7 – White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany Tuesday rebuffed reports the Trump administration rejected an offer from Pfizer to sell the government 100 million more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine last summer. (READ MORE)
12/7 – A proposed COVID-19 relief bill is expected to get backing from President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell but it won’t include $1,200 in direct payments to most Americans, a Republican senator involved in the bipartisan talks says. (READ MORE)
12/7 – The Michigan House canceled its voting session scheduled for Tuesday following an announcement that Rudy Giuliani tested positive for the coronavirus just days after he testified before lawmakers in Lansing without wearing a mask. (READ MORE)
12/6 – A new study reveals that problem drinkers consumed harmful levels of alcohol during the first pandemic lockdowns. Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health studied nearly 2,000 people this spring and found that binge drinkers were consuming twice the amount of alcohol as non-binge drinkers during the initial stay-ay-home orders. (READ MORE)
12/5 – In debates nationwide about opening schools, parents unhappy with distance learning are taking increasingly vocal roles in calling for more in-person instruction through grassroots organizing and legal challenges. (READ MORE)
12/4 – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave an optimistic assessment of the prospects for a mid-sized COVID-19 relief bill and a separate $1.4 trillion governmentwide spending bill on Friday, teeing up expectations for a successful burst of legislative action to reverse months of frustration on pandemic relief. (READ MORE)
12/4 – The NFL is further limiting player access to team facilities as it attempts to enhance safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. (READ MORE)
12/3 – Three former presidents say they’d be willing to take a coronavirus vaccine publicly, once one becomes available, to encourage all Americans to get inoculated against a disease that has already killed more than 275,000 people nationwide. (READ MORE)
12/3 – The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a lower federal court to reexamine California restrictions on indoor religious services in areas hard hit by the coronavirus in light of the justices’ recent ruling in favor of churches and synagogues in New York. (READ MORE)
12/3 – The No. 2 House Democrat told colleagues Thursday morning that the chamber won’t adjourn for the year without delivering at least some measure of COVID-19 relief, as Democrats show greater flexibility after absorbing losses in last month’s elections. (READ MORE)
12/3 – Facebook said Thursday it will start removing false claims about COVID-19 vaccines, in its latest move to counter a tide of coronavirus-related online misinformation. (READ MORE)
12/2 – Don’t travel over the upcoming holidays. But if you must, consider getting coronavirus tests before and after, U.S. health officials urged Wednesday. (READ MORE)
12/2 – Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin urged Congress to approve COVID-19 relief funds without further delay, though Democrats continued to attack a decision by Mnuchin to allow five Fed lending programs to expire during the pandemic. (READ MORE)
12/2 – n owner of a New York City bar that was providing indoor service in defiance of coronavirus restrictions was arrested after a sting in which plainclothes officers went inside and ordered food and beverages, the city sheriff’s office said. (READ MORE)
12/1 – An influential government advisory panel convened on Tuesday to answer one of the most pressing questions in the U.S. coronavirus outbreak: Who should be at the front of the line when the first vaccine shots become available? The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was scheduled to vote on a proposal that would give priority to health care workers and nursing home patients. (READ MORE)
12/1 – A bipartisan group of lawmakers is putting pressure on congressional leaders to accept a split-the-difference solution to the protracted impasse over COVID-19 relief in a last-gasp effort to ship overdue help to a hurting nation before Congress adjourns for the holidays. (READ MORE)
11/30 – The coronavirus vaccine inching toward approval in the U.S. is desperately anticipated by weary Americans longing for a path back to normal life. But criminals are waiting, too, ready to use that desperation to their advantage, federal investigators say. (READ MORE)
11/30 – Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving Republican senator and third in the line of presidential succession, is back in the Senate on Monday after testing positive for coronavirus two weeks ago. (READ MORE)
11/30 – After months of shadowboxing amid a tense and toxic campaign, Capitol Hill’s main players are returning for one final, perhaps futile, attempt at deal-making on a challenging menu of year-end business. (READ MORE)
11/30 – Moderna Inc. said it would ask U.S. and European regulators Monday to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine as new study results confirm the shots offer strong protection — ramping up the race to begin limited vaccinations as the coronavirus rampage worsens. (READ MORE)
11/21 – President Donald Trump said Saturday his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is doing “very well” in quarantine after becoming infected with the coronavirus.(READ MORE)
11/20 – The day after he announced that New York City schools would close to in-person learning, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that other businesses will likely shut down within a week or two, as well, to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (READ MORE)
11/20 – Stocks closed broadly lower on Wall Street Friday following another choppy day of trading as worries about the worsening pandemic undercut growing optimism about a coming coronavirus vaccine. (READ MORE)
11/20 – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing that Congress funnel $455 billion of unspent small business lending funds toward a new COVID-19 aid package. (READ MORE)
11/20 – Joe Biden is calling on Congress to enact billions of dollars in emergency COVID-19 assistance before the year’s end, according to a senior aide who warned Friday that “there’s no more room for delay.” (READ MORE)
11/20 – Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said Friday he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was isolating at home with “very mild symptoms.” (READ MORE)
11/19 – Joe Biden expressed concern Thursday that President Donald Trump’s attempt to block the peaceful transition of power at the White House has hindered the flow of information about programs to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine. (READ MORE)
11/19 – California Gov. Gavin Newsom is imposing an overnight curfew as the most populous state tries to head off a surge in coronavirus cases. (READ MORE)
11/19 – The NFL is placing all teams in intensive protocol starting Saturday to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 as the number of cases rises around the country. (READ MORE)
11/18 – New York City is shuttering schools to try to stop the renewed spread of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday in a painful about-face for one of the first big U.S. school systems to bring students back to classrooms this fall. (READ MORE)
11/18 – U.S. regulators on Tuesday allowed emergency use of the first rapid coronavirus test that can be performed entirely at home and delivers results in 30 minutes. (READ MORE)
11/18 – Pfizer said Wednesday that new test results show its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, is safe and also protects older people most at risk of dying — the last data needed to seek emergency use of limited shot supplies as the catastrophic outbreak worsens across the globe. (READ MORE)
11/17 – Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving Republican senator and third in the line of presidential succession, said Tuesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. (READ MORE)
11/17 – A projected fall in births due to the pandemic will hit baby-product manufacturers hard. According to The Wall Street Journal, with already record low birth rates in America and China, companies which produce infant products have been forced to shift their focus on other areas. (READ MORE)
11/16 – Moderna said Monday its COVID-19 vaccine is proving to be highly effective in a major trial, a second dash of hope in the global race for a shot to tame a resurgent virus that is now killing more than 8,000 people a day worldwide. The company said its vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective, according to preliminary data from Moderna’s ongoing study. (READ MORE)
11/16 – As Americans face the complications of holding holiday celebrations amid the ongoing pandemic, Joe Biden says he and his family are trying to navigate the same issues, with safety measures. (READ MORE)
11/16 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average returned to a record Monday for the first time since plunging nine months ago in despair about the pandemic, riding a swell of optimism that a vaccine may soon control the coronavirus and the economic destruction it’s caused. (READ MORE)
11/16 – From California to Pennsylvania, governors and mayors across the U.S. are ratcheting up COVID-19 restrictions amid a record-breaking resurgence of the virus that is all but certain to get worse because of holiday travel and family gatherings over Thanksgiving. (READ MORE)
11/16 – As coronavirus cases continue to soar with over 150,000 infections daily in the U.S., experts blame small, casual gatherings for contributing to the rise. (READ MORE)
11/16 – The biggest challenge facing healthcare officials worldwide is how to distribute billions of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to remote places on the planet. Many countries do not have widespread electricity and most vaccine candidates must be refrigerated to be effective. (READ MORE)
11/16 – People suffering from tinnitus may be affected by COVID-19. A recent study published Thursday found that 40% of those infected by COVID-19 said that their tinnitus got worse. (READ MORE)
11/16 – As the pandemic wears on, more people are claiming that the virus has infected them twice. Experts are now trying to determine whether these reports are indeed legitimate reinfections or long-term effects of the disease. (READ MORE)
11/14 – Public health experts acknowledge lackadaisical views on COVID-19 are powering soaring infection rates, especially in parts of the rural Midwest where the disease is spreading unabated and threatening to overwhelm hospitals. (READ MORE)
11/13 – The CDC said that coronavirus pandemic may cause further resurgence of measles in many areas because of the challenges healthcare workers are facing to ensure that children are vaccinated. (READ MORE)
11/13 – Microsoft said it has detected attempts by state-backed Russian and North Korean hackers to steal valuable data from leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers. (READ MORE)
11/13 – Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski has tested positive for the coronavirus. Lewandowski recently traveled to Pennsylvania to assist Trump’s efforts to contest the state’s election results. (READ MORE)
11/12 – Dr. Anthony Fauci is recommending masks at Thanksgiving gatherings if the coronavirus status of people is unknown. The nation’s top infectious disease expert told “CBS This Morning” that “even if it’s a very small group, to the extent possible, keep the mask on.” (READ MORE)
11/12 – With many fitness facilities closed or severely restricted, Americans are not exercising the way they should to improve overall health and protect themselves against possible complications from diseases such as COVID-19. (READ MORE)
11/11 – The pandemic wrecked more plans across college football on Wednesday, with No. 12 Georgia at Missouri becoming the fourth game postponed in the Southeastern Conference alone and No. 3 Ohio State’s visit to Maryland canceled because of a coronavirus outbreak among the Terrapins. (READ MORE)
11/11 – Texas on Wednesday became the first state with more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and California closed in on that mark as a surge of coronavirus infections engulfs the country from coast to coast. (READ MORE)
11/9 – Pfizer said Monday that an early peek at the data on its coronavirus vaccine suggests the shots may be a surprisingly robust 90% effective at preventing COVID-19, putting the company on track to apply later this month for emergency-use approval from the Food and Drug Administration. (READ MORE)
11/9 – Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has tested positive for the coronavirus. Carson is the first member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet known to have tested positive. (READ MORE)
11/9 – U.S. health officials have allowed emergency use of the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19, an experimental approach against the virus that has killed more than 238,000 Americans. (READ MORE)
11/9 – University of Notre Dame students are now subject to mandatory coronavirus testing and face strict penalties if they leave town before getting their test results after thousands of fans stormed the football field and threw parties to celebrate a double-overtime upset over Clemson. (READ MORE)
11/3 – In an isolated laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in East Harlem, virologist Benjamin tenOever managed to decode how the virus that causes COVID-19 attacks our immune system, wreaking havoc like no other virus he’s studied before. (READ MORE)
11/2 – Friendly’s Restaurants, the 85-year-old East Coast dining chain known for its Fribble milkshakes and ice cream sundaes, is filing for bankruptcy protection.The pandemic has hit the restaurant sector very hard, particularly chains like Friendly’s that rely on people sitting down at tables. At least 10 chains have filed for bankruptcy protection since the pandemic began this year. (READ MORE)
10/30 – The NFL is recommending that players on the sidelines who are not participating in a game or about to go on the field wear protective masks. In a memo obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, the league’s management council also suggested the 32 teams enhance physical distancing on the sidelines while the NFL considers expanding the bench area. (READ MORE)
10/29 – The major players in Washington’s COVID-19 relief blame game lobbed familiar volleys on Thursday, marking time in the days before an election that promises to change the landscape for talks that have dragged on for months without producing results. (READ MORE)
10/27 – The U.S. casino industry is seeking tax and regulatory relief from the government as it tries to recover from the coronavirus outbreak, which cost states more than $2 billion in lost tax revenue while casinos were shut down for four months this year. (READ MORE)
10/26 – Several Fox News Channel executives and on-air personalities were exposed last week to a person on a private plane who later tested positive for COVID-19. (READ MORE)
10/26 – U.S. stocks fell sharply Monday as a troubling increase in coronavirus counts put investors in a selling mood. The skid came as doubts mount on Wall Street that Washington will come through with more stimulus for the economy before Election Day. (READ MORE)
10/22 – U.S. regulators on Thursday approved the first drug to treat COVID-19: Remdesivir, an antiviral medicine given through an IV for patients needing hospitalization. (READ MORE)
10/22 – Macy’s said Santa Claus won’t be greeting kids at its flagship New York store this year due to the coronavirus, interrupting a holiday tradition started nearly 160 years ago. (READ MORE)
10/21 – U.S. stocks capped another wobbly day of trading with modest losses Wednesday as Wall Street waited for any signs of progress as lawmakers in Washington negotiate over how to deliver more aid for the economy. (READ MORE)
10/21 – The U.S. surgeon general is set to be arraigned Wednesday in a virtual court hearing in Hawaii on charges he illegally entered a public park that was closed because of the coronavirus. (READ MORE)
10/17 – Roughly seven months after the coronavirus cut the ski season short at the height of spring break, resorts across the United States and Canada are slowly picking up the pieces and figuring out how to safely reopen this winter. (READ MORE)
10/16 – A large study led by the World Health Organization suggests that the antiviral drug remdesivir did not help hospitalized COVID-19 patients, in contrast to an earlier study that made the medicine a standard of care in the United States and many other countries. (READ MORE)
10/16 – Federal health officials on Friday unveiled a plan to get yet-to-be-approved coronavirus vaccines to nursing home residents free of charge, enlisting two national pharmacy chains to help. (READ MORE)
10/15 – Dr. Anthony Fauci says Americans should rethink their usual plans for Thanksgiving gatherings, citing increased coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. Fauci told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday that given the rise in cases, “we’ve really got to double down on fundamental public health measures.\”(READ MORE)
10/12 – Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he was released from the hospital Saturday morning following treatment for the coronavirus. (READ MORE)
10/10 – World Homeless Day is October 10, and now more than ever, those experiencing homelessness need to be protected from a two-pronged threat — Covid-19 and cold weather. (READ MORE)
10/6 – The White House has blocked new Food and Drug Administration guidelines on bringing potential vaccines for COVID-19 to market that would almost certainly have prevented their introduction before the Nov. 3 election. (READ MORE)
10/5 – Kamala Harris and Mike Pence will debate with a plexiglass shield between them to guard against coronavirus transmission. The Biden-Harris campaign requested a plexiglass shield for Wednesday’s vice presidential debate, and the Commission on Presidential Debates agreed to it. (READ MORE)
10/5 – Washington, D.C., officials say the White House has rebuffed their offers to assist with contact tracing after President Donald Trump and several others who attended a Rose Garden event to introduce the new Supreme Court nominee tested positive for COVID-19. (READ MORE)
10/5 – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has warned the league’s 32 teams of penalties including potential forfeits of games for violations of COVID-19 protocols that force changes in the regular-season schedule. (READ MORE)
10/2 – A Michigan group on Friday submitted more than 539,000 signatures in a bid to repeal a law that has given Gov. Gretchen Whitmer broad emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic, demanding that the veto-proof initiative be put before the Republican-led Legislature before the year’s end. (READ MORE)
10/1 – Amazon says that nearly 20,000 of its workers have tested positive or been presumed positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. (READ MORE)
10/1 – The NFL postponed Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers game at Tennessee until later in the season after one additional Titans player and one personnel member tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement Thursday came one day after the league said it hoped to play the game on Monday or Tuesday. (READ MORE)
10/1 – The White House is backing a $400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and is dangling the possibility of a COVID-19 relief bill above $1.5 trillion as last-ditch, pre-election negotiations hit a critical phase Thursday. (READ MORE)
9/29 – The Tennessee Titans suspended in-person activities through Friday after the NFL says three Titans players and five other personnel tested positive for the coronavirus. (READ MORE)
9/17 – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday delayed in-person public school openings for most students for over a week amid ongoing concerns over safety and staffing related to the Covid-19 pandemic. (READ MORE)
9/16 – The government outlined a sweeping plan Wednesday to make vaccines for COVID-19 available for free to all Americans, assuming a safe and effective shot is developed, even as top health officials faced questions about political interference with virus information reaching the public. (READ MORE)
9/14 – Local officials and advocacy groups have a lot of concerns that this year’s Census won’t be accurate, because a pandemic and politics got in the way. They’re raising alarm bells that a significant undercount is likely. (READ MORE)
9/12 – Oxford University says trials of a coronavirus vaccine that it is developing with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will resume, days after being paused due to a reported side-effect in a patient in the U.K. (READ MORE via WJLA ABC 7)
9/10 – Senate Democrats scuttled a scaled-back GOP coronavirus rescue package on Thursday, saying the measure shortchanged too many pressing needs as the pandemic continues its assault on the country. (READ MORE)
9/4 – U.S. unemployment dropped sharply in August from 10.2% to a still-high 8.4%, with about half the 22 million jobs lost to the coronavirus outbreak recovered so far, the government said Friday in one of the last major economic reports before Election Day. (READ MORE via WJLA ABC 7)
9/3 – The number of laid-off Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to roughly 880,000 last week, a sign of possible improvement but evidence that the viral pandemic keeps forcing many businesses to slash jobs. (READ MORE via WJLA ABC 7)
9/2 – The federal government has told states to prepare for a coronavirus vaccine to be ready to distribute by Nov. 1. (READ MORE via WJLA ABC 7)
9/2 – Dwayne Johnson said he’s won a fight against Covid-19, but is warning others that the virus was a formidable foe even for him. (READ MORE)
9/2 – The federal budget deficit is projected to hit a record $3.3 trillion as huge government expenditures to fight the coronavirus and to prop up the economy have added more than $2 trillion to the federal ledger, the Congressional Budget Office said. (READ MORE)
9/2 – A top Senate Republican said he is “more optimistic today than I have been” about Congress passing another coronavirus stimulus package before the end of the month, and he cautioned both parties could face political consequences in November if a stalemate over relief funding continues. (READ MORE via WJLA ABC 7)
8/27 – The coronavirus is a \”tornado with a long tail\” and rising infections among young people could spread to more vulnerable older people and cause an uptick in deaths, the World Health Organization\’s top official in Europe warned Thursday. (READ MORE via WJLA ABC 7)
8/26 – The Centers for Disease Control has dropped its 14-day quarantine recommendation for travelers. This applies for international and out-of-state travelers. (READ MORE via WJLA ABC 7)
8/26 – A quick trip to Rhode Island in late July for a bachelorette party led to all but one person there testing positive for coronavirus: 19 out of 20. Seventeen of them were from Massachusetts. (READ MORE via WJLA ABC 7)
8/26 – The Justice Department is seeking data about “orders which may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents,” sending letters Wednesday to the governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. (READ MORE)
8/25 – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf released a legislative agenda Wednesday to assist in the Covid-19 economic recovery, including legalizing recreational marijuana. (READ MORE)
8/15 -Trump’s top coronavirus adviser used a visit to Kansas to urge people to wear masks regardless of where they live.(READ MORE via WJLA ABC 7)
8/14 – Fisher-Price is introducing a new line of toys for babies and toddlers who want to spend more time with mom or dad while they get the job done. (READ MORE via WJLA ABC 7)
8/7 – New York’s governor said Friday that he would allow children statewide to return to classrooms for the start of the new school year, citing the state’s success in battling the coronavirus pandemic. (READ MORE)
8/6 – A total of 66 players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly half of them linemen. (READ MORE)
8/6 – Uber lost $1.78 billion in the second quarter as the pandemic carved a gaping hole in its ride-hailing business, with millions of people staying home to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. (READ MORE)
8/5 – Coronavirus testing results from one of the nation’s top labs were taking days longer to complete than the lab’s publicly reported turnaround time. (READ MORE)
7/31 – Once a coronavirus vaccine is approved as safe and effective, Americans should have widespread access within a reasonable time, Dr. Anthony Fauci assured lawmakers Friday. (READ MORE)
7/31 – The coronavirus forced another change in Major League Baseball’s schedule, bringing the league’s total to eight teams affected in the first nine days of the season. (READ MORE)
7/31 – Two American oil giants lost more than $9 billion in the second quarter as the pandemic kept households on lockdown, cutting a gaping hole into a once-thriving business. (READ MORE)
4/16 – President Donald Trump prepared to unveil national guidelines on when and how the country starts to recover from the sharp economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic as a bipartisan panel of lawmakers urged him to heed the advice of public health experts. (READ MORE)
4/16 – In a shift from his comments earlier this week, President Donald Trump says the final call is up to each governor as he unveiled national guidelines to reopen the country in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. (READ MORE)
4/16 – Nurses Suspended For Refusing COVID-19 Care Without N95 Mask. (READ MORE)
4/16 – Facebook will soon be letting users know if they liked, reacted to, or commented on posts with harmful misinformation about the virus that was removed by moderators. It will also direct those who engaged with those posts to information about virus myths debunked by the World Health Organization. (READ MORE)
4/16 – The government’s paycheck protection loan program for small businesses is on hold. The Small Business Administration said Thursday that it reached the $349 billion lending limit for the program. (READ MORE)
4/15 – A home version of the SAT college entrance exam is being prepared in case schools remain closed into the fall, College Board officials said Wednesday as they announced the cancellation of June testing. (READ MORE)
4/15 – Hundreds of flag-waving, honking protesters drove past the Michigan Capitol on Wednesday to show their displeasure with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders to keep people at home and businesses locked during the coronavirus outbreak. (READ MORE)
4/15 – Apple is releasing a new iPhone that will be vastly cheaper than the models it rolled out last fall when the economy was booming and the pandemic had yet to force people to rethink their spending. (READ MORE)
4/15 – The major banks in the U.S. are anticipating a flood of loan defaults as households and business customers take a big financial hit from the coronavirus pandemic. (READ MORE)
4/15 – Rita Wilson appeared on CBS This Morning on Tuesday to talk about her experience with the coronavirus. “I felt extremely achy, uncomfortable, didn’t want to be touched, and then the fever started,” Wilson told Gayle King, adding that she suffered from “chills like I never had before.” (READ MORE)
4/14 – All 50 US states have recorded at least one coronavirus death, after Wyoming’s governor on Monday announced a man there had died from the pandemic disease. (READ MORE)
4/14 – Three pastors are suing California officials over directives that have prevented worshipers from attending church service during the coronavirus pandemic. (READ MORE)
4/13 – New York, Connecticut and Vermont are asking the Supreme Court to reconsider an earlier decision and block the Trump administration’s controversial “public charge” rule during the pandemic – a rule that makes it more difficult for immigrants to obtain legal status if they use public benefits such as Medicaid, food stamps and housing vouchers. (READ MORE)
4/13 – Americans are beginning to see the first economic impact payments hit their bank accounts. The IRS tweeted Saturday that it had begun depositing the funds into taxpayers’ bank accounts and would be working to get them out as fast as possible. (READ MORE)
4/13 – States on the country’s East and West coasts are forming their own regional pacts to work together on how to reopen from the stay-at-home orders each has issued to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. (READ MORE)
4/10 – NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan have watched the coronavirus pandemic unfold just like the rest of us, but from a very different vantage point aboard the International Space Station. When they return to Earth on April 17 after being gone for seven and nine months, respectively, they will find it a very different place than when they left. (READ MORE)
4/10 – Coronavirus lockdowns across the globe should not be completely lifted until a vaccine for the disease is found, according to a study based on China’s outbreak published in medical journal The Lancet. (READ MORE)
4/10 – The Disaster Distress Helpline, a federal crisis hotline, has seen a huge spike in calls of people seeking help recently. The national helpline, ran by the at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), provides counseling for people facing emotional distress during times of natural and human-caused disasters. (READ MORE)
4/10 – Democrats want to bolster mail-in voting and take other steps to make balloting easier this November in the next round of congressional efforts to revive the economy and battle the coronavirus pandemic, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. (READ MORE)
4/9 – “Saturday Night Live” will be back on the air this weekend with a show that abides by social distancing rules. The comedy sketch show will include a “Weekend Update” news segment and original content from “SNL” cast members, NBC said Thursday. (READ MORE)
4/9 – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved out of intensive care, his office said Thursday. (READ MORE)
4/9 – The Smithfield pork processing plant in South Dakota will close will temporarily close for cleaning after over 80 employees were confirmed to have the coronavirus, the company announced Thursday. (READ MORE)
4/9 – With a startling 6.6 million people seeking unemployment benefits last week, the United States has reached a grim landmark: More than one in 10 workers have lost their jobs in just the past three weeks to the coronavirus outbreak. (READ MORE)
4/8 – Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is telling House Democrats that direct deposits to Americans will begin next week under the coronavirus aid package. (READ MORE)
4/8 – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering changing its guidelines for self-isolation to make it easier for those who have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus to return to work if they are without symptoms. (READ MORE)
4/7 – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is calling for up to $25,000 “heroes” pay for frontline health care and service industry workers, as Congress pushes ahead with a new coronavirus crisis rescue package. (READ MORE)
4/7 – Three out of four U.S. hospitals surveyed are already treating patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, according to a federal report that finds hospitals expect to be overwhelmed as cases rocket toward their projected peak. (READ MORE)
4/7 – The New York City Police Department has lost its 12th member to a suspected case of coronavirus. The city is a hot spot for the virus, and the NYPD is feeling the effects with nearly 20% of its uniformed workforce is out sick. (READ MORE)
4/7 – Los Angeles has seen a 23% drop in crime in the past month as California has been under a stay at home order to fight the spread of coronavirus, the city’s police chief said. (READ MORE)
4/6 – In an effort to keep customers safe inside its stores, Walmart has announced it’s implementing new guidelines to promote social distancing. (READ MORE)
4/3 – Production of Corona beer is being temporarily suspended in Mexico because of the coronavirus pandemic. (READ MORE)
4/3 – HBO will seek to ease the act of social distancing by making 500 hours of programming available free for a limited time, under the heading #StayHomeBoxOffice. (READ MORE)
4/3 – Ever wonder what it is like to be one of the healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis? Here is what a day in the life of an emergency doctor in New York City is like during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (READ MORE)
4/3 – Should you or shouldn’t you wear a face mask during the coronavirus pandemic? Here’s where health organizations and top experts say. (READ MORE)
4/2 – The federal government expects to begin making payments to millions of Americans under the new stimulus law in mid-April, but according to a memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, some people without direct deposit information may not get checks until mid-August or later. (READ MORE)
4/2 – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, said Thursday he feels safe despite reports he’s received online threats and uncomfortable personal encounters – prompting the Trump administration to assign him a security detail. (READ MORE)
4/2 – More than 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — doubling a record high set just one week earlier — a sign that layoffs are accelerating in the midst of the coronavirus. (READ MORE)
4/1 – Background checks required to buy firearms have spiked to record numbers in the past month, fueled by a run on guns from Americans panicked about their safety during the coronavirus crisis. (READ MORE)
4/1 – US Treasury wants airlines to lay-out plans to pay back loans from coronavirus pandemic relief fund. (READ MORE)
4/1 – Stocks fell Tuesday to close out Wall Street’s worst quarter since the most harrowing days of the 2008 financial crisis. (READ MORE)
3/31 – Small businesses seeking loans through the government’s $2 trillion coronavirus relief package could receive money as soon as Friday. (READ MORE)
3/31 – White House projects 100,000 to 240,000 lives lost from coronavirus. “We really believe we can do a lot better than that” if all Americans take seriously their role in preventing the spread of disease,\” said Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House Coronavirus task force. (READ MORE)
3/31 – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday that the world faces the most challenging crisis since World War II in the Coronavirus Pandemic. (READ MORE)
3/31 – The timetable for a possible coronavirus vaccine is projected to take 18 months but experts say that may be risky. (READ MORE)
3/31 – Walmart will begin taking workers’ temperatures at stores and warehouses before they begin their shifts as protections for retail and grocery store workers come under greater public scrutiny. (READ MORE)
3/30 – Municipalities are now being unintentially pitted against each other as they try to spread of COVID-19 from out-of-town visitors. (READ MORE)
3/30 – The Summer Olympics, originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo this July-August, have been rescheduled for July 23-August 8, 2021. (READ MORE)
3/30 – Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson plans to begin human clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine by September with a goal of the first batches being made available by early next year. (READ MORE)
3/26 – The coronavirus is taking a growing toll on the U.S. military, and commanders and senior officials are bracing for worse. (READ MORE)
3/24 – Dow Jones Industrial Average surges 10% as Congress moves closer to passing COVID-19 aid. (READ MORE)
3/24 – Top congressional and White House officials say they expect to reach ideal on a nearly $2 Trillion Virus Aid Package aimed at easing economic damage inflicted by the Coronavirus Pandemic. (READ MORE)
3/24 – Airline service in the United States is teetering on the brink of collapse, with near-empty planes and Coronavirus outbreaks that have left some air traffic control towers empty. (READ MORE)
3/24 – President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is hoping the country will be reopened by Easter as he weighs how to refine nationwide social distancing guidelines. (READ MORE)

COVID-19 National Headline Archive

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