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FDA loosens restrictions on blood donations
Moderna to seek FDA emergency authorization
Congress returns with virus aid, federal funding unresolved
Pope elevates cardinals; ceremony marked by COVID
Airlines prepare to transport COVID vaccine
Turkey's new virus figures confirm experts' worst fears
Vitamin D, fish oil don't benefit the heart
Trump science adviser Scott Atlas leaving White House job
How climate change is already hurting your health

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38 minutes ago

European regulator could OK 1st COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 29

European regulators say they may approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech within four weeks
38 minutes ago
Potential COVID-19 vaccine vials from Pfizer, Oct. 31, 2020.
41 minutes ago

Asia Today: Vietnam reports 1st local infection in 89 days

Vietnamese authorities are conducting intensive contact tracing after discovering the country’s first confirmed local transmission of the coronavirus in 89 days
41 minutes ago
Women wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk along a pedestrian bridge in Beijing, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
44 minutes ago

Americans face new COVID-19 restrictions after Thanksgiving

Americans returning from Thanksgiving break are facing strict new coronavirus measures around the country as health officials brace for a disastrous worsening of the surge because of holiday gatherings over the long weekend
44 minutes ago
A health care worker direct a person to use a swab for a self administered test at the Miami-Dade County Youth Fairgrounds at Tamiami Park, on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Miami. (David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP)
1 hour ago

At tiny rural hospitals, weary doctors treat friends, family

The coronavirus pandemic is devastating rural hospitals, including the tiny 25-bed facility in Memphis, Missouri
1 hour ago
1 hour ago

Glimmers of hope for world economy, but dangers lurk

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicts that the world economy will bounce back to its pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year
1 hour ago
People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk through China Town in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture, near Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
2 hours ago

The Latest: Tokyo taking steps to limit coronavirus cases

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike is asking senior citizens 65 or older and those with underlying health conditions not to use the government’s GoTo discount campaign to travel in and out of Tokyo
2 hours ago
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a vial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine Covid-19 candidate vaccine, known as AZD1222, at Wockhardt's pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Wrexham, Wales, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. (Paul Ellis/PA via AP)
2 hours ago

Without patients or staff, Madrid opens new $119M hospital

Authorities in Spain's capital have held a ceremony to open part of a 1,000-bed emergency hospital for COVID-19 patients
2 hours ago
A security guard walks in the empty Isabel Zendal new hospital during the official opening in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Authorities in Madrid are holding a ceremony to open part of a 1,000-bed hospital for emergencies that critics say is no more than a vanity project, a building with beds not ready to receive patients and unnecessary now that contagion and hospitalizations are waning. Spain has officially logged 1.6 million infections and over 45,000 deaths confirmed for COVID-19 since the beginning of the year. (AP Photo/Paul White)
2 hours ago

76 Franciscan nuns test positive at monastery in Germany

Church authorities say 76 Catholic nuns have tested positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak of coronavirus at a Franciscan convent in northwestern Germany
2 hours ago
3 hours ago

CORRECTS: BioNTech and Pfizer ask European regulator for expedited approval of their COVID-19 vaccine

CORRECTS: BioNTech and Pfizer ask European regulator for expedited approval of their COVID-19 vaccine
3 hours ago
4 hours ago

EU medicines regulator says first coronavirus vaccine could be approved by Dec. 29

EU medicines regulator says first coronavirus vaccine could be approved by Dec. 29
4 hours ago
December 01

Hong Kong leader urges people to stay home as cases rise

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam is urging residents to stay home as the city grapples with a resurgence of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 600 people in the last week
December 01
People wearing face masks to protect against the spred of the coronavirus, walk along a street in Hong Kong, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
December 01

Non-essential shops reopen in Belgium as virus numbers drop

Non-essential shops in Belgium are reopening on Tuesday in the wake of encouraging figures about declining daily coronavirus infection rates and hospital admissions
December 01
FILE - In this Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020 file photo, healthcare workers perform tests in a tent at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site in Antwerp, Belgium. With nothing on their agendas for months to come, organizers of music festivals in Belgium want to use their know-how to help the coronavirus vaccination campaign. The Belgian government has set up the goal to vaccine about 70 percent of the country's population, the equivalent of eight million people, when efficient COVID-19 shots become available. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)
December 01

As the virus resurges, mental health woes batter France

The lockdowns that France has used to fight the spread of coronavirus have come at considerable cost to residents' mental health
December 01
A patient walks on a corridor of the Rouvray psychiatric hospital, in Rouen, western France, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020. Lockdowns that France has used to fight the coronavirus have come at considerable cost to mental health. Surveying points to a surge of depression most acute among people without work, in financial hardship and young adults. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
December 01

Nobel laureate says pandemic raising violence, trafficking

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad says the coronavirus pandemic has increased trafficking of women and gender-based violence, leaving the health and safety of women “on the line.”
December 01
FILE - In this Nov. 26, 2018, file photo, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad talks during a joint statement along with Nobel Peace Laureat Denis Mukwege and European Union Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini, at European Council's Europa building in Brussels. Murad says the coronavirus pandemic has increased trafficking of women and gender-based violence, leaving the health and safety of women “on the line.” The 27-year-old activist, who was forced into sexual slavery by Islamic State fighters in Iraq, says curfews, lockdowns and travel restrictions imposed by governments to slow the spread of the virus “have had unintended consequences on women worldwide.” (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
December 01

UN: Pandemic to fan surge in humanitarian needs in 2021

The U.N. humanitarian office says needs for assistance have ballooned to unprecedented levels this year because of COVID-19, projecting that a staggering 235 million people will require help in 2021
December 01
November 30

The Latest: Vietnam has 1st local transmission in 89 days

Vietnamese authorities are conducting intensive contact tracing after the country’s first confirmed local transmission of the coronavirus in 89 days
November 30
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a bi-weekly news conference outside Rideau cottage on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa, Ontario, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
November 30

FDA loosens restrictions on gay, bisexual men to donate blood amid coronavirus crisis

Officials encouraged people to donate during the coronavirus emergency.
November 30
A man donates blood at a temporary blood bank set up in a church's fellowship hall, March 24, 2020, in Tempe, Ariz.
November 30

Third Georgia congressman tests positive for COVID-19

U.S. Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia has tested positive for COVID-19
November 30
File-This Jan. 9, 2006, file photo shows Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, Chairman of the House Committee on Governmental Affairs listens as the committee took up discussion on SB:84, the Voter ID bill, in Atlanta. Scott has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the third Georgia congressman to contract the virus. Scott's chief of staff Jason Lawrence confirmed the positive test results in a statement on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020, and said the Republican is “following guidance from the House Attending Physician as well as his personal physician.” (AP Photo/Ric Feld, File)
November 30

Trump science adviser Scott Atlas leaving White House job

Dr. Scott Atlas, a science adviser to President Donald Trump who was skeptical of measures to control the coronavirus outbreak, is leaving his White House post
November 30
FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2020, file photo White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Scott Atlas speaks during a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
November 30

AP source: Trump science adviser Scott Atlas, skeptic of measures to control coronavirus, leaves White House post

AP source: Trump science adviser Scott Atlas, skeptic of measures to control coronavirus, leaves White House post
November 30
November 30

VIRUS TODAY: Vaccine gains momentum, NFL season in chaos

The rush to develop a vaccine gained steam with the news from Moderna Inc. that it would ask U.S. and European regulators to allow emergency use of its vaccine
November 30
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson runs with the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
November 30

Moderna asking US, European regulators to OK its virus shots

Moderna Inc. says it will ask U.S. and European regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine as new study results confirm the shots offer strong protection
November 30
November 30

Congress returns with virus aid, federal funding unresolved

Congress is returning to Washington for one last attempt at deal-making this year
November 30
FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2020, file photo the morning sun illuminates the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington. After months of shadowboxing amid a tense and toxic campaign, Capitol Hill's main players are returning to Washington for one final, perhaps futile, attempt at deal making on a challenging menu of year-end business. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
November 30

Philip Green's retail empire Arcadia calls in administrators

British retail empire Arcadia Group, which owns well-known fashion chains including Topshop, has gone into bankruptcy protection, putting 13,000 jobs at risk
November 30
People wearing face masks to try to curb the spread of coronavirus walk past the temporarily closed Topshop flagship store on Oxford Street, during England's second coronavirus lockdown, in London, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Arcadia Group, the retail empire of tycoon Philip Green, which owns well-known British fashion chains like Topshop and employs around 15,000 people, appears to be on the brink of collapse following the economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
November 30

UN: Skiing may not spread coronavirus but slopes still risky

As several European countries have suspended access to the ski slopes to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief said the risk of catching COVID-19 while skiing is likely minimal
November 30
FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 file photo, people ride ski lifts as other skiers slide down the hill on a sunny day at the Faraya-Mzaar ski resort, in Faraya, northeast of Beirut, Lebanon. As several countries have suspended access to the ski slopes to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief said the risk of catching COVID-19 while skiing is likely minimal. “I suspect many people won’t be infected barreling down the slopes on their skis,” said Dr. Michael Ryan at a WHO news briefing on Monday, Nov, 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, file)
November 30

Turkey toughens curfew measures amid coronavirus surge

Turkey’s president has announced the most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and putting full lockdowns in place over the weekends
November 30
FILE - In this Friday, May 15, 2020, file photo, a team of Turkey's Health Ministry's coronavirus contact tracing team, clad in white protective gear, masks and face shields are briefed in Istanbul. When Turkey changed the way it reports daily COVID-19 infections, it confirmed what medical groups and opposition parties have long suspected — that the country is faced with an alarming surge of cases that is fast exhausting the Turkish health system. The official daily COVID-19 deaths have also steadily risen to record numbers in a reversal of fortune for the country that had been praised for managing to keep fatalities low. With the new data, the country jumped from being one of the least-affected countries in Europe to one of the worst-hit.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File)
November 30

Greece: Critics warn virus test price caps may slash testing

Greece’s largest medical association has criticized a decision by the country’s center-right government to impose price caps on coronavirus tests at private labs, warning that the measure could disrupt testing during a spike in infections
November 30
A woman wearing face mask to curb the spread of the coronavirus, walks at an empty Syntagma square, in central Athens, on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. Greece's government spokesman on Thursday announced a weeklong extension to the country's current lockdown, due to the continued spread of the. COVID-19. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
November 30

First blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer's goes on sale

A company has started selling the first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease
November 30
This Wednesday, July 22, 2020, photo provided by C2N Diagnostics shows equipment in a lab that analyzes blood samples at the company's facility in the Center for Emerging Technologies in St. Louis. C2N Diagnostics has started selling the first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, a leap for the field that could make it much easier for people to learn whether they have dementia. It also raises concern about the accuracy and impact of such life-altering news. (Jerry Naunheim Jr./C2N Diagnostics via AP)
November 30

COVID-19 travel safety and the latest on Moderna’s vaccine

Experts warn of a post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 surge following record-breaking holiday travel and Moderna files for an emergency use authorization for its vaccine.
November 30
VIDEO: COVID-19 travel safety and the latest on Moderna’s vaccine
November 30

Beware of COVID-19 scams as vaccine approaches FDA approval

The coronavirus vaccine inching toward approval in the U.S. is desperately anticipated by Americans longing for a path back to normal life
November 30
Director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center Steve Francis, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
November 30

How to watch out for scams as a coronavirus vaccine nears

Federal investigators have some tips to help people avoid being scammed in the coronavirus pandemic once a vaccine arrives and as treatments grow
November 30
An illicit website selling unapproved treatments and preventions for the coronavirus is displayed at the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
November 30

Asia Today: 8 dead in pandemic unrest at Sri Lanka prison

Inmates unhappy about the coronavirus threat at an overcrowded prison near Sri Lanka’s capital have clashed with guards who opened fire, leaving eight prisoners dead and 59 others injured
November 30
Visitors wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk through the colorful autumn leaves at the Kenchoji temple in Kamakura, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
November 30

Sri Lankan prison riot leaves 8 inmates dead, 59 injured

Sri Lankan officials say eight inmates were killed and 59 others were injured when guards opened fire to control a riot at a prison on the outskirts of the capital
November 30
A family member of an inmate cries demanding the authorities reveal the condition of her relative as others console her outside the Mahara prison complex following an overnight unrest in Mahara, outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Sri Lankan officials say six inmates were killed and 35 others were injured when guards opened fire to control a riot at a prison on the outskirts of the capital. Two guards were critically injured. Pandemic-related unrest has been growing in Sri Lanka's overcrowded prisons. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
November 30

Fauci: US may see 'surge upon surge' of virus in weeks ahead

The nation’s top infectious disease expert says that the U.S. may see a “surge upon a surge” of the coronavirus over the coming weeks, and he does not expect current recommendations around social distancing to be relaxed before Christmas
November 30
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a news conference with the coronavirus task force at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
November 30

Hong Kong closes government offices in new anti-virus curbs

Hong Kong has imposed sweeping curbs to stop a fresh spike in coronavirus infections, closing government offices and swimming pools and limiting public gatherings to two people
November 30
People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus wait outside a bakery in Hong Kong, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
November 30

Moderna says new results show its COVID-19 vaccine works well, and it will seek emergency regulatory OK in U.S., Europe

Moderna says new results show its COVID-19 vaccine works well, and it will seek emergency regulatory OK in U.S., Europe
November 30
November 30

Moderna to seek FDA emergency authorization for COVID-19 vaccine

It's on track to produce 20 million doses for the U.S. by the end of December.
November 30
In this undated still image from video, a researcher works in a lab run by Moderna, Inc.
November 30

Source: Pa. lawmaker gets a positive test at Trump meeting

A Pennsylvania state senator abruptly left a West Wing meeting with President Donald Trump after being informed he had tested positive for the coronavirus
November 30
Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, center, speaks to supporters of President Donald Trump as they demonstrate outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Harrisburg, Pa., after Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump to become 46th president of the United States. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
November 29

NYC to reopen schools, even as virus spread intensifies

New York City will reopen its school system to in-person learning and increase the number of days a week many children attend class even as the coronavirus pandemic intensifies in the city
November 29
West Brooklyn Community High School principal Malik Lewis, left, bumps elbows with former student Jason Cardoso after Cardoso came to pick up the diploma he earned when he graduated in March, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Cardoso, along with many West Brooklyn students who graduated in the spring, was unable to get back to the school because he's working during school hours. The school has been forced to close three times since spring due to coronavirus. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
November 29

Source: Pa. lawmaker gets a positive test at Trump meeting

A Pennsylvania state senator abruptly left a West Wing meeting with President Donald Trump after being informed he had tested positive for the coronavirus
November 29
Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, center, speaks to supporters of President Donald Trump as they demonstrate outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Harrisburg, Pa., after Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump to become 46th president of the United States. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
November 29

The Latest: Virus hospitalizations hit record in California

More than 7,400 people are hospitalized for coronavirus in California, the state’s highest number yet
November 29
Church-goers wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus attend a church service at Saint-Francois-Xavier church in Paris, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. French churches, mosques and synagogues can open their doors again to worshippers - but only a few of them, as France cautiously starts reopening after a second virus lockdown. Some churches may defy the 30-person limit they feel as too unreasonable, and other sites may stay closed until they can reopen for real. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
November 29

Federal judges uphold Kentucky governor's virus school order

A federal appeals panel has upheld Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s order to stop in-person classes at religious schools during the coronavirus pandemic
November 29
November 29

UK stocks up on vaccines, hopes to start virus shots in days

Britain says it has secured 2 million more doses of a promising coronavirus vaccine as the country aims to launch an inoculation program within days
November 29
FILE - In this file photo dated Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine lab technician processes blood samples from volunteers taking part in testing the NIH funded Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Miami, USA. Britain said Sunday Nov. 29, 2020, it has secured 2 million more doses of a promising coronavirus vaccine developed by US firm Moderna, as the country aims to launch an inoculation program within days. (AP Photo/Taimy Alvarez, FILE)
November 29

UK stocks up on vaccines, hopes to start virus shots in days

Britain says it has secured 2 million more doses of a promising coronavirus vaccine as the country aims to launch an inoculation program within days
November 29
FILE - In this file photo dated Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine lab technician processes blood samples from volunteers taking part in testing the NIH funded Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Miami, USA. Britain said Sunday Nov. 29, 2020, it has secured 2 million more doses of a promising coronavirus vaccine developed by US firm Moderna, as the country aims to launch an inoculation program within days. (AP Photo/Taimy Alvarez, FILE)
November 29

VIRUS TODAY: Black Friday shoppers stay home

Black Friday crowds are thin at shopping malls and stores across the U.S. as a national surge in coronavirus cases moves shoppers online and keeps them at home
November 29
November 29

Court orders France to rethink 30-person limit on worship

France’s highest administrative court has ordered a rethink of a 30-person attendance limit for religious services put in place by the government to slow down the spread of coronavirus
November 29
Church-goers wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus lineup outside the Notre-Dame-des-Champs church in Paris, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. French churches, mosques and synagogues can open their doors again to worshippers - but only a few of them, as France cautiously starts reopening after a second virus lockdown. Some churches may defy the 30-person limit they feel as too unreasonable, and other sites may stay closed until they can reopen for real. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
November 29

How state health departments might receive Biden's COVID plans

Health officials say local offices take fed guidance seriously.
November 29
President-elect Joe Biden looks on as Vice president-elect Kamala Harris delivers remarks following a meeting with the Governors and Covid team on Nov. 19, 2020 in Wilmington, Del.
November 29

German far-right airs divisions over leader's criticism

A leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party has defended a speech in which he denounced “provocateurs,” called for discipline and questioned talk of a “corona dictatorship.”
November 29
Joerg Meuthen, federal spokesman, speaks at the Federal Party Conference of the AfD in Kalkar, Germany, Sunday, Nov.29, 2020. (Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa via AP)
November 29

Turkey's new virus figures confirm experts' worst fears

Turkey has changed the way it reports daily COVID-19 infections, confirming what medical groups and opposition parties have long suspected
November 29
FILE - In this Saturday, March 21, 2020, file photo, a municipality worker wearing a face mask and protective suit disinfects the area outside the historical Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as Blue Mosque, amid the coronavirus outbreak, in Istanbul. When Turkey changed the way it reports daily COVID-19 infections, it confirmed what medical groups and opposition parties have long suspected — that the country is faced with an alarming surge of cases that is fast exhausting the Turkish health system. The official daily COVID-19 deaths have also steadily risen to record numbers in a reversal of fortune for the country that had been praised for managing to keep fatalities low. With the new data, the country jumped from being one of the least-affected countries in Europe to one of the worst-hit.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File)
November 29

With no action by Washington, states race to offer virus aid

Governors and state lawmakers are racing to get pandemic relief to small-business owners, the unemployed, renters and others whose livelihoods have been upended by the widening coronavirus outbreak
November 29
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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