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1 hour ago

Globe races to contain omicron variant as COVID-19 cases rise

ABC News contributor Dr. Darien Sutton explains why we’re seeing more mandates as COVID-19 cases rise, and why it is possible the omicron variant overtakes delta.
1 hour ago
VIDEO: Globe races to contain omicron variant as COVID-19 cases rise
1 hour ago

Nevada jury: Health insurers owe ER doctors $60M in damages

One of the nation’s largest health insurance companies and its branches in Nevada have been found liable for $60 million in punitive damages for underpaying out-of-network emergency medical providers
1 hour ago
1 hour ago

High court to hear pastor’s case against virus charges

Louisiana’s Supreme Court has decided to hear arguments in a pastor’s fight against criminal charges he faces for violations of 2020 pandemic gathering limits
1 hour ago
FILE - Tony Spell, pastor of the Life Tabernacle Church of Central City, La., greets supporters outside the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Monday, June 7, 2021. Louisiana’s Supreme Court announced Tuesday, Dec. 7 that it will hear arguments in the pastor’s fight against criminal charges he faces for violations of pandemic gathering limits that were in effect last year. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
3 hours ago

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes faces cross-examination

The fraud trial of fallen Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is set to resume Tuesday with continued cross-examination of Holmes and possible expert psychological testimony
3 hours ago
Elizabeth Holmes, center, leaves federal court in San Jose, Calif., Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. Elizabeth Holmes, the one-time medical entrepreneur now charged with building a fraudulent company based on promises of a revolutionary technology, returned to the witness stand Monday. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
3 hours ago

South Korea's daily virus jump exceeds 7,000 for 1st time

New coronavirus infections in South Korea exceeded 7,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic as hours-long lines snaked around testing stations in the capital Seoul amid a worsening virus crisis
3 hours ago
People queue in line to wait for the coronavirus testing at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon).
3 hours ago

If Roe falls, some fear ripple effect on civil rights cases

The new line of thinking has some LGBTQ advocates deeply concerned.
3 hours ago
This artist sketch depicts Mississippi Solicitor General Scott Stewart, standing while speaking to the Supreme Court, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, in Washington. Center for Reproductive Rights Litigation Director Julie Rikelman is seated right. Justices seated from left are Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)
December 07

Race to contain omicron variant

ABC News’ James Longman dives into the surge of cases in Europe while COVID-19 fatigue has people taking to the streets to protest vaccine mandates and restrictions.
December 07
VIDEO: Race to contain omicron variant
December 07

Spain approves COVID vaccine for children in 5-11 age group

Spain has given the go ahead to vaccinate children between ages 5 and 11.
December 07
People wearing face masks ride a tram in downtown Lisbon, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. Despite having one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe, with 86.6% of its 10.3 million people inoculated, Portugal is scaling up its pandemic response amid the emergence of the omicron variant. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
December 07

Poland to require vaccine shots for teachers, medics, police

Poland is introducing mandatory vaccination by March 1 for teachers, medical workers and uniformed security workers like police, the military, firefighters and security guards
December 07
A person is administered a vaccination against COVID-19 in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday Nov. 26, 2021. Poland is facing skyrocketing COVID-19 infections and deaths but for now the government does not plan any new lockdowns or other restrictions. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
December 07

Belgian health workers rally to oppose mandatory vaccines

Thousands of Belgian health care workers have rallied in Brussels to voice their opposition to mandatory COVID-19 vaccines and to demand better working condition as a surge in new virus cases weighs heavily on hospitals
December 07
December 07

WHO advises against use of survivors' plasma to treat COVID

WHO recommend against using blood plasma to treat COVID-19.
December 07
December 07

European drug regulator backs mixing COVID-19 vaccines

The European Union drug regulator has given its backing to mixing different types of vaccines in initial vaccination and booster campaigns to battle the coronavirus
December 07
Pedestrians wear masks to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 as they walk past a store decorated as part of Christmas lightings, in Paris, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. The new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries just days after being identified in South Africa, leaving governments around the world scrambling to stop the spread. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
December 07

WHO Europe: Kids in 5-14 age group show highest COVID rates

The World Health Organization’s office for Europe says that children in the 5 to 14 age group now account for the highest rates of reported COVID-19 infection in the region
December 07
December 07

Canadian drugmaker says its COVID-19 vaccine is effective

A Canadian drugmaker says its plant-based COVID-19 vaccine showed strong protection against the coronavirus
December 07
This Sept 10, 2021, photo provided by Medicago, shows a tray of N. Benthamiana sprouts inside a Medicago greenhouse, in Quebec City. On Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, the Canadian drugmaker says its plant-based COVID-19 vaccine showed strong protection against the coronavirus. (Louise Leblanc/Courtesy of Medicago via AP)
December 07

German parliament to debate job-specific vaccine mandate

Germany’s parliament is set to debate a proposed vaccine mandate for hospital and nursing home staff, among other measures meant to help break the country’s biggest wave so far of coronavirus infections
December 07
People line up at a vaccination center to get vaccinated against the coronavirus in a subway station in Duesseldorf, Germany, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
December 07

Navy halts use of fuel storage complex above Hawaii aquifer

The U.S. Navy is suspending use of World War II-era fuel storage complex above a Hawaii aquifer that supplies nearly 20% of Honolulu’s drinking water
December 07
This photo shows a tunnel inside the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Jan. 26, 2018. The state of Hawaii says a laboratory has detected petroleum product in a water sample from an elementary school near Pearl Harbor. The news comes amid heightened concerns that fuel from the massive Navy storage facility may contaminate Oahu's water supply. (U.S. Navy via AP)
December 07

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes faces cross-examination

The fraud trial of fallen Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is set to resume Tuesday with continued cross-examination of Holmes and possible expert psychological testimony
December 07
Elizabeth Holmes, center, leaves federal court in San Jose, Calif., Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. Elizabeth Holmes, the one-time medical entrepreneur now charged with building a fraudulent company based on promises of a revolutionary technology, returned to the witness stand Monday. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
December 06

NYC to impose vaccine mandate on private sector employers

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says all private employers big and small in the city will have to require their workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 27
December 06
In this image taken from video, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during a virtual press conference, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, in New York. Multiple cases of the omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in New York, health officials said Thursday, including a man who attended an anime convention in Manhattan in late November and tested positive for the variant when he returned home to Minnesota. (AP Photo)
December 06

Cruise ship with COVID-19 infections has new passengers

A cruise ship that carried at least 17 passengers and crew members with breakthrough COVID-19 infections  when it docked in New Orleans has set sail again with new passengers
December 06
FILE - People pause to look at Norwegian Cruise Line's ship, Norwegian Breakaway, on the Hudson River, in New York, on May 8, 2013. Ten people aboard the cruise ship, approaching New Orleans, have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Saturday night, Dec. 4, 2021. The Norwegian Breakaway had departed New Orleans on Nov. 28 and is due to return this weekend, the Louisiana Department of Health said in a news release. Over the past week, the ship made stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
December 06

Omicron variant spreads across United States

Dr. Alok Patel discusses travel bans and whether booster shots will protect people from the omicron variant.
December 06
VIDEO: Omicron variant spreads across the United States
December 06

Leaders: Africa's COVID-19 fight is vital for world security

South Africa's president says travel restrictions imposed on South Africa and other African nations for telling the world about the omicron variant are hypocritical, harsh and not supported by science
December 06
December 06

Spain: PM urges Christmas caution as hospital staff infected

Spain’s prime minister is urging people to “remain prudent” about COVID-19 over the holidays as Christmas festivities at one Spanish hospital are suspected of infecting dozens of staff
December 06
FILE - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivers a speech at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, Nov. 12, 2021. Spain’s prime minister is urging people to “remain prudent” about COVID-19 over the holidays as Christmas festivities at one Spanish hospital are suspected of infecting dozens of staff. Sanchez said Monday, Dec. 6 that Spaniards can't “let their guard down” because the coronavirus continues to spread. (Julien de Rosa, Pool Photo via AP, file)
December 06

ABC NEWS LIVE: Omicron variant detected in at least 17 states in the U.S.

Plus, the suspected Michigan school shooter's parents each face four counts of involuntary manslaughter, and Michael Strahan takes us behind the scenes as he prepares for liftoff with Blue Origin.
December 06
VIDEO: ABC NEWS LIVE: Omicron variant detected in at least 17 states in the U.S.
December 06

EU drug agency recommends approving COVID-19 treatment

The European Union’s drugs agency has recommended approving the use of an anti-inflammatory medicine to treat adults hospitalized with severe COVID-19
December 06
December 06

Croatia confirms first 2 cases of omicron variant in country

Croatian health authorities have confirmed the first two cases of the new omicron variant in the country
December 06
December 06

Nigeria slams UK's 'discriminatory' travel ban over omicron

A Nigerian official has criticized a travel ban imposed on the West African nation by the British government amid fears about the new omicron variant as “punitive, indefensible and discriminatory.”
December 06
FILE - A woman receives a coronavirus vaccine in Abuja, Nigeria, Monday, Nov 29, 2021. A pandemic-weary world faces weeks of confusing uncertainty as countries restrict travel and take other steps to halt the newest potentially risky coronavirus mutant before anyone knows just how dangerous omicron really is. (AP Photo/Gbemiga Olamikan, File)
December 06

New York City mayor says he is imposing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on private sector employers

New York City mayor says he is imposing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on private sector employers
December 06
December 06

WHO: No 'doomsday,' but malaria fight disrupted by pandemic

The U.N. says the response to the longtime threat of malaria has been hit.
December 06
FILE - In this photo taken on Dec. 11, 2019, residents of the Malawi village of Tomali wait to have their young children become test subjects for the world's first vaccine against malaria. The U.N. health agency said Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, that the global response to the longtime threat of malaria has taken a hit as the coronavirus pandemic disrupted health services in many countries, leading to 47,000 more deaths worldwide last year – as questions remain on the possible fallout this year. The World Health Organization, in the latest edition of its World Malaria Report, cited a total of 241 million cases of malaria in 2020, up 14 million from the year before, and 627,000 deaths – an increase of 69,000.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
December 06

Unvaccinated Italians face new restrictions as holidays near

Italy is making life more uncomfortable for unvaccinated people.
December 06
FILE - An employee has his certification checked as Italy's new "Green Pass" vaccination requirement for employees to enter their offices became mandatory, at the Trenitalia, Italian train company offices, in Rome, on Oct. 15, 2021. Italy is making life more uncomfortable for non-vaccinated people as the holidays near, excluding them from indoor restaurant dining, theaters and museums into the New Year in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus and encourage vaccine skeptics to get the shot. Starting Monday, Dec. 6, 2021 through Jan. 15, police can control whether diners seated in restaurants or bars have a "super" health pass certifying that they are either vaccinated or have recovered from the virus. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)
December 06

Russia reports its first cases of omicron COVID-19 variant

Russian health authorities on Monday said they have confirmed the first two cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus in travelers who returned from South Africa
December 06
December 06

High school seniors return to classrooms in Vietnam capital

High school seniors are returning to their classrooms in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, for the first time in more than six months as the city eases coronavirus restrictions
December 06
December 05

Cruise ship with COVID-19 infections arrives in New Orleans

At least 10 passengers and crew members are infected with COVID-19.
December 05
FILE - People pause to look at Norwegian Cruise Line's ship, Norwegian Breakaway, on the Hudson River, in New York, on May 8, 2013. Ten people aboard the cruise ship, approaching New Orleans, have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Saturday night, Dec. 4, 2021. The Norwegian Breakaway had departed New Orleans on Nov. 28 and is due to return this weekend, the Louisiana Department of Health said in a news release. Over the past week, the ship made stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
December 05

Putin hopes WHO soon approves Russia's Sputnik V vaccine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced hope for a quick approval of the country’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine by the World Health Organization, saying the move is essential for expanding its global supplies
December 05
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a video conference to address participants in a congress of the United Russia party marking the 20th anniversary of the party founding, in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
December 05

Tunisia records its first case of the omicron variant

Tunisia has recorded its first case of the omicron variant
December 05
December 05

Senegal registers its first cases of the omicron variant

Senegal has recorded its first cases of the coronavirus omicron variant
December 05
December 05

Belgian police use water, tear gas on COVID-19 protesters

Belgian police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse some rowdy protesters.
December 05
Demonstrators light fireworks during a protest against coronavirus measures in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. Hundreds of people marched through central Brussels on Sunday to protest tightened COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Belgian government to counter the latest spike in coronavirus cases. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
December 05

Germany: incoming minister advises against Christmas travel

Germany’s incoming transport minister is advising people against traveling over Christmas as the country tries to stem a wave of coronavirus infections
December 05
Many people wait outside a swimming pool where booster shots against Corona are given in Bad Krozingen, Germany, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. (Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa via AP)
December 05

COVID outbreak on cruise ship approaching New Orleans

Officials say 10 people aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship approaching New Orleans have tested positive for COVID-19
December 05
FILE - People pause to look at Norwegian Cruise Line's ship, Norwegian Breakaway, on the Hudson River, in New York, on May 8, 2013. Ten people aboard the cruise ship, approaching New Orleans, have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Saturday night, Dec. 4, 2021. The Norwegian Breakaway had departed New Orleans on Nov. 28 and is due to return this weekend, the Louisiana Department of Health said in a news release. Over the past week, the ship made stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
December 05

More omicron detected as hospitals strain under delta surge

New York has announced three more cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, bringing to eight the number of state cases linked to the new variant
December 05
A person takes COVID-19 test at mobile testing site near Grand Central Terminal on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in New York. The omicron variant of COVID-19, which had been undetected in the U.S. before the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by the end of Thursday, showing yet again how mutations of the virus can circumnavigate the globe with speed and ease.(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
December 04

UK tightens travel testing rules amid omicron concerns

Britain’s government has tightened travel restrictions.
December 04
A man dressed as Santa Claus gestures as people walk past, in London, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Britain says it will offer all adults a booster dose of vaccine within two months to bolster the nation's immunity as the new omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads. New measures to combat variant came into force in England on Tuesday, with face coverings again compulsory in shops and on public transport. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
December 04

Anti-lockdown protesters march through Dutch city of Utrecht

They held balloons and banners, including ones that said: "It's not right."
December 04
Thousands of demonstrators march in Utrecht, Netherlands, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, to protest against COVID-19 restrictions and the lockdown. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
December 04

Police get complaints over U.K. leader's festive parties

Christmas parties Johnson’s staff held last year broke coronavirus restrictions.
December 04
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks past a Christmas tree whilst leaving 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
December 04

Italian dentist presents fake arm for vaccine to get pass

A dentist in Italy faces possible criminal charges after trying to receive a coronavirus vaccine in a fake arm made of silicone
December 04
FILE - People wait in line at a COVID-19 vaccination center, near Tor Vergata hospital in Rome, on April 24, 2021. A dentist in northern Italy faces possible criminal charges after trying to get the vaccine administered in a fake arm made of silicon. The 57-year-old man acknowledged his attempt at getting the vaccine to obtain a super health pass, which from Monday will be required in Italy to access many leisure activities, including restaurants, cinemas and theaters. He had already been suspended from work because of his refusal to get vaccinated as required for health care workers. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
December 04

Contact tracing revs up in some states as omicron reaches US

The arrival of the omicron variant of the coronavirus has health officials in some U.S. communities reviving contact tracing operations in an attempt to slow and understand its spread
December 04
FILE - This May 13, 2020, file photo taken with a fisheye lens shows a list of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Salt Lake County early in the coronavirus pandemic at the Salt Lake County Health Department, in Salt Lake City. The arrival of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in the U.S. has health officials in some communities reviving contact tracing operations in an attempt to slow and better understand its spread as scientists study how contagious it is and whether it can thwart vaccines. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
December 04

State's hospitals seeing 'tremendous' amount of COVID-19 patients

New cases crossed 10,000 for the first time since Pennsylvania's winter wave.
December 04
A person gets a rapid COVID-19 test during the 2021 Made In America Festival at Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 2021.
December 04

US drugstores squeezed by vaccine demand, staff shortages

The push for shots is expected to grow more intense.
December 04
A sign is posted outside a CVS pharmacy on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021 in Indianapolis. A rush of vaccine-seeking customers and staff shortages are squeezing drugstores around the country. That has led to frazzled workers and even temporary pharmacy closures. (AP Photo/Tom Murphy)
December 04

With so many unknowns about omicron, when will we have answers?

Learning if this version of COVID is deadlier could take many months.
December 04
People queue at a popup COVID-19 testing site in Times Square in New York, Dec. 3, 2021.
December 04

Merkel: Virus death toll 'so bitter because it is avoidable'

Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel has made what is likely her final appeal before leaving office next week for Germans to get vaccinated against COVID-19
December 04
German Chancellor Angela Merkel waves goodbye at the Defence Ministry during the Grand Tattoo (Grosser Zapfenstreich), a ceremonial send-off for her in Berlin on December 2, 2021. (Odd Andersen/Pool Photo via AP)
December 04

SKorea sets daily records for new coronavirus cases, deaths

South Korea has reported daily records in coronavirus infections and deaths and confirmed three more cases of the new omicron variant as officials scramble to tighten social distancing and border controls
December 04
Students wait in line to receive the coronavirus tests at a makeshift clinic set up on a playground of a high school in Gwangju, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. (Jo Nam-soo/Yonhap via AP)
December 03

CDC director talks US omicron variant cases

“We are equipped and prepared to fight the omicron variant,” said Director Rochelle Walensky during a White House COVID taskforce.
December 03
“We are equipped and prepared to fight the omicron variant,” said Director Rochelle Walensky during a White House COVID taskforce.
Amira Hassan, of Burnsville, Minn., plays in the waiting room at the specialty clinic at Children's Minnesota in Minneapolis, May 2, 2017. Hassan went to the hospital's clinic for a routine wellness check, but had to wear a mask to protect her from measles after an outbreak has sickened more than 30 children in Minnesota.
Amira Hassan, of Burnsville, Minn., plays in the waiting room at the specialty clinic at Children's Minnesota in Minneapolis, May 2, 2017. Hassan went to the hospital's clinic for a routine wellness check, but had to wear a mask to protect her from measles after an outbreak has sickened more than 30 children in Minnesota.
In Minnesota's worst measles outbreak, a battle of beliefs over vaccines
May 04
Amy Forliti/AP Photo
A doctor talks to an older patient in this undated photo.
A doctor talks to an older patient in this undated photo.
What patients need to know about new recommendations for prostate cancer screening
Apr 11
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