Health News

COVID-19 hybrid immunity could be a game-changer

Florida surpasses 50K COVID deaths

Small agency, big job: Biden tasks OSHA with vaccine mandate

Few medically exempt from getting vaccine: Experts

Vaccine mandates rise, religious exemption grows

Some Mississippi pregnant women denied vaccine

Health care rationed across Idaho as COVID surges

Trial begins over COVID outbreak in ski resort

South Carolina officials want out of mask mandate ban suit

Why you shouldn't rush to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot before your turn
Health experts warn not to jump the gun -- or line -- in taking a third dose.
August 21, 2021

24 minutes ago

FDA panel is first key test for Biden COVID-19 booster plan

Government advisers are debating whether to recommend extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine, a key step toward the Biden administration's plan to dispense COVID-19 booster shots to most Americans

24 minutes ago

FILE - In this March 2, 2021, file photo, Hollie Maloney, a pharmacy technician, loads a syringe with Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at the Portland Expo in Portland, Maine. The Biden administration’s embattled plan to dispense COVID-19 booster shots to most Americans faced its first key hurdle Friday, Sept. 17, as a government advisory panel met to decide whether to recommend extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

24 minutes ago

Latest: FDA panel to offer recommendations on booster shots

Government advisers are debating whether to recommend extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine, a key step toward the Biden administration’s plan to dispense COVID-19 booster shots to most Americans

24 minutes ago

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a health worker collects swab sample from a girl for nucleic acid testing in Xianyou county, Putian city, southeastern China's Fujian Province Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. China has reported another 62 cases of COVID-19, even as the number of Chinese citizens fully vaccinated has topped 1 billion. (Wei Peiquan/Xinhua via AP)

37 minutes ago

WHO director: Lebanon's brain drain threat to health sector

The World Health Organization’s director general is deeply concerned about the impact of Lebanon’s economic meltdown and multiple crises on the people’s wellbeing

37 minutes ago

Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaks during a press conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Ghebreyesus said on Friday he was deeply concerned about the impact of Lebanon's economic meltdown and multiple crises on the people's wellbeing, saying the migration of healthcare workers is particularly worrisome. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

44 minutes ago

Slovenia starts mandatory vaccination for government workers

Slovenia will start mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for all government employees, further tightening anti-virus measures that sparked a major riot in the small Alpine state earlier this week

44 minutes ago

Protesters gather near parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021. Hundreds of anti-vaccination protesters hurled flares at the parliament building in the Slovenian capital on Wednesday to protest a new measure that mandates a COVID pass for entering almost any shop, service or a workplace in the country. (AP Photo)

1 hour ago

NYC restaurant hostess attacked over vaccine status request

Police say a hostess at a popular New York City restaurant was assaulted by three women from Texas after she asked for proof they had been vaccinated against COVID-19

1 hour ago

3 hours ago

Danes take precautions after swine flu crops up in Germany

Authorities in Denmark are urging hunters, truckdrivers and farmers to be extra cautious following recent reports of African swine fever cases among domestic pigs in neighboring Germany

3 hours ago

September 17

Trial begins over COVID outbreak in Austrian ski resort

A civil trial has opened in Austria over the government's handling of a coronavirus outbreak at an Alpine ski resort during the early stages of the pandemic that relatives say resulted in unnecessary infections and deaths

September 17

FILE - In this May 13, 2020 file photo, a barrier blocks the road at the closed border crossing from Austria to the Czech Republic near Reinthal, Austria. European Union countries are set to adopt a common traffic light system to coordinate traveling across the 27-nation bloc, but a return to a full freedom of movement in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic remains far from reach. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak, File)

September 17

How COVID-19 hybrid immunity could be a potential pandemic game-changer

Mixing vaccines could offer a stronger immune boost, preliminary data suggests.

September 17

A syringe is prepared with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic at the Reading Area Community College in Reading, Pa., Sept. 14, 2021.

September 17

Cambodia vaccinating 6-to-11-year-olds before schools reopen

Cambodia is vaccinating 6-to-11-year-olds so students can safely return to schools that have been closed for months due to the coronavirus

September 17

Children wait in front of Samrong Krom health center before receiving a shot of the Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine at outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the start of a nationwide campaign to give COVID-19 vaccinations to children between the ages of 6 and 11 so they can return to school safely after a long absence due to measures taken against the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

September 17

Woman sues for right to freeze her eggs in Beijing

After almost two years, an unmarried Chinese woman suing for the right to freeze her eggs is getting her case heard in a Beijing court in a rare legal challenge against the country’s restrictions on unmarried women in reproductive health

September 17

Teresa Xu prepares to attend a court session at the Chaoyang People's Court in Beijing, China, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. After almost two years, the unmarried woman suing for the right to freeze her eggs in Beijing is getting her case heard in court Friday in a rare legal challenge against the country's restrictions on unmarried women in reproductive health. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

September 16

Latest: SKorea reports more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases

South Korea has reported more than 2,000 new cases of the coronavirus, nearing a one-day record set last month, continuing an alarming surge as the nation enters its biggest holiday of the year

September 16

FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2021 file photo an emergency department sign is photographed at Kootenai Health, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Idaho's public health leaders have expanded health care rationing statewide amid a massive increase in the number of coronavirus patients requiring hospitalization. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare made the announcement Thursday Sept. 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak,File)

September 16

Florida surpasses 50K COVID deaths after battling delta wave

Health officials say the state of Florida has surpassed 50,000 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began

September 16

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, speaks at a news conference alongside Broward Health CEO Shane Strum, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, at the Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. DeSantis was there to promote the use of monoclonal antibody treatments for those infected with COVID-19. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

September 16

Health officials in one state warn some pregnant women were denied COVID vaccines

Eight pregnant women in Mississippi have died of COVID-19 since late July.

September 16

In this Feb. 11, 2021, file photo, Michelle Melton, who is 35 weeks pregnant, receives the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus disease at Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pa.

September 16

Pandemic tie to vision issues seen in Chinese kids' study

Research suggests vision problems increased among Chinese schoolchildren during pandemic restrictions and online learning

September 16

FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2020 file photo, students wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk in line as they arrive at a primary school in Beijing. Research suggests nearsightedness increased among Chinese schoolchildren during pandemic restrictions and online learning, and doctors think the same has happened in U.S. kids. A report on second- and third-graders published Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, in JAMA Ophthalmology is the latest to show the trend and the results echo those of two earlier Chinese studies. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

September 16

Long weekend becomes 9 week lockdown for AP Vietnam reporter

The AP's Hau Dinh set off from Hanoi for the seaside resort of Vung Tau in southern Vietnam for a long weekend in mid-July

September 16

AP's journalist Hau Dinh exercises with a skipping robe during a virus lockdown in Vung Tau, Vietnam on Sept. 13, 2021. Dinh set off from Hanoi for the seaside resort for a long weekend in mid-July. The trip came just as the delta variant began sweeping through Vietnam, sparking harsh lockdown measures that left him trapped away from home. Nine weeks later, he's still there. (AP Photo/Mathieu Le Besq)

September 16

Idled taxis go green in Thailand with mini-gardens on car roofs

Taxi fleets in Thailand are giving new meaning to the term “rooftop garden,” as they utilize the roofs of cabs idled by the coronavirus crisis to serve as small vegetable plots

September 16

Miniature gardens are planted on the rooftops of unused taxis parked in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. Taxi fleets in Thailand are giving new meaning to the term “rooftop garden,” as they utilize the roofs of cabs idled by the coronavirus crisis to serve as small vegetable plots and raise awareness about the plight of out of work drivers. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

September 16

Health care rationed statewide in Idaho as COVID surge drags on

"The situation is dire – we don’t have enough resources."

September 16

FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021 file photo Ann Enderle R.N. attends to a COVID-19 patient in the Medical Intensive care unit (MICU) at St. Luke's Boise Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Idaho's public health officials say crisis standards of care are "imminent" for the state's most populated region as hospitals in the Boise area continue to be overrun with unvaccinated coronavirus patients. Hospitals in the northern half of the state were given permission to begin rationing care last week. (AP Photo/Kyle Green,File)

September 16

EXPLAINER: The Texas abortion law's swift impact, and future

Abortion providers in Texas say a new law banning most abortions in the state will result in clinics permanently closing unless a court acts in the coming weeks

September 16

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021 file photo, Barbie H. leads a protest against the six-week abortion ban at the Capitol in Austin, Texas. Dozens of people protested the abortion restriction law that went into effect Wednesday. (Jay Janner=txaus

September 16

Study: Childhood obesity in U.S. accelerated during pandemic

A new study ties the COVID-19 pandemic to an “alarming” increase in obesity in U.S. children and teenagers

September 16

This Tuesday, April 3, 2018 file photo shows a closeup of a beam scale in New York. A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, ties the COVID-19 pandemic to an “alarming” increase in obesity in U.S. children and teenagers. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

September 16

GOP prosecutors threaten lawsuits over vaccine requirement

Two dozen Republican attorneys general are warning the White House of impending legal action if a proposed coronavirus vaccine requirement for as many as 100 million Americans goes into effect

September 16

President Joe Biden leaves after speaking about the economy in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

September 16

Covered California director to step down in February

The director of Covered California says he will step down early next year

September 16

FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2013, file photo, Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, the state's health insurance exchange, speaks at a news conference in Sacramento, Calif. On Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, Lee announced that he will step down from his position in February of 2022. Lee has been Covered California's only executive director since it was launched in 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

September 16

Small agency, big job: Biden tasks OSHA with vaccine mandate

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration doesn’t make many headlines

September 16

FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2021 file photo, a syringe is prepared with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic at the Reading Area Community College in Reading, Pa. President Joe Biden has directed OSHA to write a rule requiring employers with at least 100 workers to force employees to get vaccinated or produce weekly test results showing they are virus free.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

September 16

Outbreaks strand some students at home with minimal learning

As coronavirus outbreaks driven by the delta variant lead school districts around the U.S. to abruptly shut down or send large numbers of children into quarantine, some students are getting minimal schooling at home

September 16

Emily Goss goes over school work at the kitchen table with her five-year-old son inside their Monroe, N.C., home on Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. The Goss' have decided to homeschool Berkeley after the Union County school district chose not to implement a mask mandate for children. (AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan)

September 16

VIRUS DIARY: Thanks to COVID, an 'anti-first day' of school

What happens when the first day of school isn't the first day of school

September 16

FDA to decide on booster shots as hospitalizations break records in 9 states

Plus, clarifying rapper Nicki Minaj’s viral tweet on unfounded vaccine side effects.

September 16

VIDEO: FDA to decide on booster shots as hospitalizations break records in 9 states

September 16

China says it has vaccinated 1 billion people

Chinese health officials say more than 1 billion people have been fully vaccinated in the world's most populous country

September 16

A woman wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus is silhouetted as she walks by a TV screen showing CCTV reporting number of COVID-19 cases in China, at a shopping mall in Beijing, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

September 16

Zimbabwe orders government workers to get COVID vaccinations

Zimbabwe has told all government employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or they will not be allowed to come to work

September 16

A man smiles while sitting under a tree in Harare, Zimbabwe, Thursday, Sept, 16, 2021. Zimbabwe has told all government employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or they will not be allowed to come to work. It wasn’t made clear what would happen to those who refused to be vaccinated. (AP Photo/Tsvnagirayi Mukwazhi)

September 16

Putin: Dozens in inner circle infected with coronavirus

Putin says dozens of his staff have been infected with the coronavirus.

September 16

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

September 16

Ireland's Ryanair aims to hire another 5,000 new staff

Irish airline Ryanair is planning to create 5,000 jobs over the next five years as part of its recovery from the shock of the coronavirus pandemic

September 16

Chief Executive of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, speaks during a press conference in London, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

September 16

EU earmarks 30 billion euros for health crisis agency

The European Union says it will fund its new health preparedness and rapid response agency to the tune of 30 billion euros over the next six years

September 16

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen puts on her protective face mask after delivering a State of the Union Address at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021. Stung by the swift collapse of the Afghan army and the chaotic U.S.-led evacuation through Kabul airport, the European Union on Wednesday unveiled new plans to develop its own defense capacities to try to ensure that it has more freedom to act in future crises. (Yves Herman, Pool via AP)

September 16

Hospitalized Czech president to return to work next week

Hospitalized Czech President Milos Zeman has undergone medical checks that haven't revealed any problems or disease that would threaten his life

September 16

FILE - In this Thursday, June 10, 2021 file photo, the President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman addresses the media during a joint press conference after their meeting at the Hofburg palace with the Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen in Vienna, Austria. Czech President Milos Zeman was hospitalized on Tuesday Sept. 14, 2021, while his predecessor Vaclav Klaus was undergoing tests in the same hospital. (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner, File)

September 16

Another Australian state legalizes voluntary euthanasia

Voluntary euthanasia has become legal in a fifth Australian state, more than 20 years after the country repealed the world’s first mercy killing law for the terminally ill

September 16

Queensland state Deputy Premier Steven Miles, center, waves to the public gallery after the vote for the Voluntary Assisted Dying bill at Queensland Parliament in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. Voluntary euthanasia became legal in a fifth Australian state more than 20 years after the country repealed the world's first mercy-killing law for the terminally ill. (Darren England/AAP Image via AP)

September 16

Religious exemptions grow as COVID-19 vaccine mandates rise

And it is only likely to grow following Biden's sweeping new vaccine mandates.

September 16

FILE — In this April 27, 2021 file photo, opponents of a bill to repeal Connecticut's religious exemption for required school vaccinations march down Capitol Avenue before the State Senate voted on legislation, in Hartford, Conn. Religious objections, once used only sparingly around the country to get exempted from various required vaccines, are becoming a much more widely used loophole against the COVID-19 shot. (Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant via AP, File)

September 15

Federal judge declines to block Florida ban on mask mandates

A federal judge has declined to block a ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak

September 15

FILE- In this Aug. 23, 2021, file photo, Miami-Dade schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, center, walks with students Oliver Angel, left, and Ariah Olawale, right, outside of iPrep Academy on the first day of school, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Miami. The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students is back in force. The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, that a Tallahassee judge should not have lifted an automatic stay two days ago that halted enforcement of the mask mandate ban. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

September 15

Latest: Alaska has new daily high in coronavirus infections

Alaska is reporting its highest number of new coronavirus cases a day after the state’s largest hospital announced it had entered crisis protocol and started rationing care because of a flood of COVID-19 cases

September 15

FILE - In this March 26, 2021, file photo a member of the Philadelphia Fire Department prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site setup in Philadelphia. Religious objections, once used only sparingly around the country to get exempted from various required vaccines, are becoming a much more widely used loophole against the COVID-19 shot. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

September 15

Alaska records most daily COVID cases amid healthcare strain

Alaska has reported its highest number of new COVID-19 cases, a day after the state’s largest hospital announced it had entered crisis protocol and started rationing care

September 15

FILE - In this March 12, 2020 file photo, Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska's chief medical officer, addresses reporters at a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Alaska on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, reported its highest number of new COVID-19 cases, a day after the state's largest hospital announced it had entered crisis protocol and began rationing care. When many people become ill at the same time, it overwhelms the state's health care system. "And then we start to see excess mortality where more people dying from other things such as heart attacks and strokes and car accidents and bear maulings or whatever else happens," Zink said. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

September 15

World leaders face new rule at UN meeting: vaccination

World leaders will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to speak at the U.N. General Assembly’s big meeting next week

September 15

FILE - In this Tuesday, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, file photo provided by United Nations, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, left, and Volkan Bozkir, right, president of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, applaud as Abdulla Shahid, center, receives the gavel as the new president of the 76th session of the UNGA at U.N. headquarters. World leaders will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to speak at the U.N. General Assembly's big meeting next week, the assembly leader and New York City officials said this week, prompting swift objections from at least one nation.(Evan Schneider/United Nations Photo via AP, File)

September 15

Portland scraps Texas boycott, allocates abortion funds

The City Council in Portland, Oregon, has scrapped a plan to boycott Texas businesses because of a new law that prohibits most abortions there, deciding to instead set aside $200,000 to fund reproductive care

September 15

Los Angeles County to require vaccines in indoor bars

Public health officials in Los Angeles County will begin requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for patrons and workers at indoor bars, wineries, breweries, lounges and nightclubs next month

September 15

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 7, 2021, file photo, patrons enjoy tropical cocktails in the tiny interior of the Tiki-Ti bar as it reopens on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Public health officials in Los Angeles County will begin requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for patrons and workers at indoor bars, wineries, breweries and nightclubs next month. The new initiative in the nation’s most populous county begins Oct. 7, 2021 with proof of at least one vaccine dose required. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

September 15

South Carolina officials want out of mask mandate ban suit

Rising cases forced many schools and entire districts back online after a month.

September 15

FILE - In this April 13, 2021, file photo, South Carolina Education Superintendent Molly Spearman speaks during a news conference as South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina students will again be required to wear masks on school buses starting Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, as COVID-19 cases among children and students are rising rapidly. Spearman said the delta variant of COVID-19 appears to be spreading quickly in children and more must be done to keep students safe and schools open. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)

September 15

Largest colleges push student vaccines with mandates, prizes

An AP analysis shows that 26 of 50 largest public university campuses in the U.S. are not mandating that students receive vaccinations against the coronavirus

September 15

UConn sophomore Sahiti Bhyravavajhala assists students moving into Shippee Hall on the Storrs, Conn. campus, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. UConn is one of many schools across the nation mandating that returning students be vaccinated against COVID-19. An analysis by The Associated Press shows 26 of the nation's 50 largest public universities aren't requiring the vaccination. (AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb)

September 15

Pope questions vaccine skeptics, including cardinals

Pope Francis says he doesn't understand why people refuse to take COVID-19 vaccines

September 15

Pope Francis speaks with journalists on board an Alitalia aircraft enroute from Bratislava back to Rome, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021 after a four-day pilgrimage to Hungary and Slovakia. (Tiziana Fabi, Pool via AP)

September 15

Biden: Nearly 3M get health coverage during COVID-19 sign-up

President Joe Biden says nearly 3 million consumers took advantage of a special six-month period to sign up for subsidized health insurance coverage made more affordable by his COVID-19 relief law

September 15

President Joe Biden speaks during a tour of the Flatirons campus of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, in Arvanda, Colo. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

September 15

Pope Francis questions vaccine skeptics, says 'humanity has a history of friendship with vaccines'

September 15

Most states have cut back public health powers amid pandemic

A review of hundreds of pieces of legislation across the United States shows that Republican legislators in more than half of the states are taking away the powers state and local officials use to protect the public against infectious diseases

September 15

EU pledges 200 million vaccine doses to low-income nations

The European Union is committing 200 million more vaccine doses to Africa and low-income nations to help curb the COVID-19 pandemic on a global scale

September 15

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrive for the Meeting of the College of Commissioners at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Tuesday Sept.14 2021. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver the 2021 State of the Union Wednesday. (Julien Warnand, Pool Photo via AP)

September 15

Unvaccinated French health care workers face suspension

Health care workers in France face suspension from their jobs if they haven't been vaccinated against COVID-19

September 15

A medical worker holds a placard reading : "Money for Hospital, Not for the Capital, Our Solution Hospitals beds, Employs and quick", during a protest gathering outside the Health Ministry, in Paris, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021 against a law requiring them to get vaccinated by Wednesday or risk suspension from their jobs. The law is aimed at protecting patients from new surges of COVID-19. Most of the French population is vaccinated but a vocal minority are against the vaccine mandate. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

September 15

Post-monsoon fever outbreak kills over 100 in Indian state

Officials say infections following monsoon rains have led to a fever outbreak in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state, killing at least 114 people in the past three weeks

September 15