Health News

How former epicenter California is beating COVID

US details new international COVID-19 travel requirements

Day care owner gets 6 years for hiding 26 kids

EU drug regulator OKs booster doses of Moderna's COVID shot

China to start vaccinating children to age 3 as cases spread

Russia marks another daily COVID case record

States with cold weather see uptick in COVID cases

What to know: Religious exemptions from vaccines

Jill Biden: Cancer 'touches every American family'

FDA says Pfizer COVID vaccine looks effective for young kids
Federal scientists say kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections among elementary school children
October 22, 2021

2 hours ago

Jill Biden: Cancer 'touches every American family'

First lady Jill Biden visited South Carolina on Monday, promoting efforts toward finding a cure for cancer and touring a cancer center in the state that played a pivotal role in her husband’s victory in the 2020 Democratic primary

2 hours ago

First Lady Jill Biden, left, presents pink ribbon cookies in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month to Dr. Marvella Ford, left, during a tour of the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

2 hours ago

Moderna says its low-dose COVID shot works for kids 6 to 11

Moderna says its low-dose COVID-19 vaccine is safe and appears to work in 6- to 11-year-olds

2 hours ago

FILE - In this Dec. 29, 2020, file photo a Chester County, Pa., Health Department worker fills a syringe with Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before administering it at the Chester County Government Services Center in West Chester, Pa. Moderna said Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 that a low dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and appears to work in 6- to 11-year-olds. It is the second U.S. vaccine aimed at eventually being offered to children. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

2 hours ago

EU drug regulator OKs booster doses of Moderna's COVID shot

The European Medicines Agency said a booster dose of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine “can be considered” in people aged 18 and above

2 hours ago

FILE - In this Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021 file photo, vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are seen at the Assad Iben El Fourat school in Oued Ellil, outside Tunisa. The European Medicines Agency said a booster dose of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine “can be considered” in people aged 18 and above. In a statement on Monday, Oct. 25, the EU drug regulator said its analysis had shown that a third dose given of Moderna’s vaccine - which is usually given in a two-dose schedule - at least six months after the second dose, led to an increase in antibody levels in adults whose levels were waning. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi, file)

2 hours ago

Biden sued over reversal of Trump-era abortion referral ban

Ohio’s top lawyer has filed suit against the Biden administration seeking to restore a Trump-era ban on abortion referrals by family planning clinics that was reversed earlier this month

2 hours ago

FILE - In this Feb. 20, 2020, file photo, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost speaks in Columbus, Ohio. Yost filed suit against the Biden administration on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, seeking to restore a Trump-era ban on abortion referrals by family planning clinics that President Joe Biden reversed earlier in the month. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth, File)

15 minutes ago

COVID cases falling, but trouble signs arise as winter looms

Tumbling COVID-19 case counts have some schools around the U.S. considering relaxing their mask rules, but deaths nationally have been ticking up over the past few weeks

15 minutes ago

FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2021, file photo, a student listens to the teacher's instructions at iPrep Academy on the first day of school in Miami. Tumbling COVID-19 case counts have some schools around the U.S. considering relaxing their mask rules, but deaths nationally have been ticking up over the past few weeks, some rural hospitals are showing signs of strain, and cold weather is setting in. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

3 hours ago

US details new international COVID-19 travel requirements

Children under 18 and people from dozens of countries with a shortage of vaccines will be exempt from new rules requiring most travelers to the United States be vaccinated against COVID-19

3 hours ago

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer working at the Point Roberts-Boundary Bay border crossing, in Point Roberts, Wash., is seen from Delta, British Columbia, on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. Point Roberts sits on a peninsula and is only accessible by land by travelling through Canada. Beleaguered business owners and families separated by COVID-19 restrictions rejoiced Wednesday after the U.S. said it will reopen its land borders to nonessential travel next month, ending a 19-month freeze. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

October 25

Russia marks another record number of daily COVID-19 cases

Russia has reported another daily record of confirmed coronavirus cases as a surge in infections has prompted the Kremlin to tell most people to stay away from work starting later this week

October 25

Moscow's metro security personnel, right, stops a passenger without a protective mask, with a portrait of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin in the background, in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. Russia reported another daily record of confirmed coronavirus cases Monday as a surge in infections has prompted the Kremlin to tell most people to stay away from work starting later this week. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

October 25

FDA panel set to meet Tuesday to vote on Pfizer vaccine for kids 5 to 11

Chief Innovation Officer at Boston Children’s Health, Dr. John Brownstein, discusses rollout and if parents should have their children get the flu shot at the same time as their COVID vaccination.

October 25

VIDEO: FDA panel set to meet Tuesday to vote on Pfizer vaccine for kids 5 to 11

October 25

China to start vaccinating children to age 3 as cases spread

Several Chinese provinces and cities say they'll start giving COVID-19 vaccines to children as young as 3 after already fully vaccinating 76% of the population

October 25

This photo released by Xinhua News Agency shows an aerial view of residents lining up to receive a swab for the coronavirus test during a mass testing in Lanzhou, capital city of northwest China's Gansu Province, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. China's Gansu has closed all tourist sites following the reporting of new COVID-19 cases in the northwestern province. Gansu lies along the ancient Silk Road and is famed for the Dunhuang grottoes filled with Buddhist images and other ancient religious sites. (Fan Peishen/Xinhua via AP)

October 25

Dutch government looking at reintroducing COVID-19 measures

The Dutch government is seeking advice from a panel of experts on whether it needs to reintroduce COVID-19 restrictions amid sharply rising infection rates

October 25

Estonia tightens virus certificate criteria as cases rise

People in Estonia no longer can use negative test results to obtain the coronavirus certificates needed to attend sporting events, movie showings, indoor public meetings and other events

October 25

Merck asks EU regulator to authorize pill that treats COVID

Pharmaceutical company Merck has asked the European Medicines Agency to authorize its COVID-19 antiviral treatment

October 25

Tokyo eateries return to normal hours as virus cases drop

People in Tokyo can eat and drink in bars and restaurants later in the evening starting Monday as officials ease social distancing rules with the country’s daily coronavirus cases reaching their lowest levels in more than a year

October 25

FILE - In this May 25, 2021, file photo, people consume drinks at a bar after 8 p.m. government suggested closing time under a state of emergency, in Tokyo. People in Tokyo could eat and drink inside bars and restaurants for longer evening hours starting Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 as officials eased social distancing rules with the country’s daily coronavirus cases reaching its lowest levels in more than a year. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

October 25

The Truth Doctor and NAMI CEO on Mental Illness Awareness Week

Dr. Courtney Tracy and CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Dan Gillison, discuss the increase in mental illness amid the pandemic and breaking stigmas that keep many from seeking help.

October 25

VIDEO: The Truth Doctor and NAMI CEO on Mental Illness Awareness Week

October 24

Florida's top doctor refuses mask, is told to leave meeting

Florida's top health official was asked to leave a meeting after refusing to wear a mask at the office of a state senator who told him she had a serious medical condition

October 24

Rep. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, debates during a session Tuesday March 10, 2020, in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida's top health official was asked to leave a meeting after refusing to wear a mask at the office of the state senator who told him she had a serious medical condition, officials have confirmed. Florida Senate leader Wilton Simpson, a Republican, sent a memo to senators Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 regarding the incident at the office of Democratic state Sen. Tina Polsky, asking visitors at the building to be respectful with social interactions. Polsky, who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, had not yet made public her breast cancer diagnosis. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

October 24

How did California go from COVID-19 epicenter to lowest statewide transmission rate?

The state has some of the strictest vaccine mandates and masking policies.

October 24

Tourists walk on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame, Aug. 16, 2021, in Hollywood, Calif.

October 24

African effort to replicate mRNA vaccine targets disparities

A team of young scientists in South Africa is assembling the equipment needed to reverse engineer Moderna's coronavirus vaccine

October 24

October 23

Vaccine mandates create conflict with defiant workers

Some American workers are deciding to quit their jobs in defiance of what they consider intrusive vaccine mandates

October 23

Aromatherapy spray linked to US deaths faces recall

U.S. health officials may have solved the mystery of how four people in different states came down with a serious tropical disease, even though none had traveled internationally

October 23

FILE - In this Friday, March 6, 2020, file photo, the headquarters for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is shown in Atlanta, Georgia. U.S. health officials said Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, they may have solved the mystery of how four people in different states came down with a deadly tropical disease, even though none had traveled internationally. (AP Photo/Ron Harris, File)

October 23

Russian COVID spike persists, setting new death record

Russia is reporting a record high number of coronavirus infections and deaths.

October 23

Virus surge persists in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia

Serbia is set to launch partial COVID-19 passes while Croatia and Slovenia reported high daily rates of infections as countries with low vaccination rates grapple with persisting virus surge

October 23

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 file photo, people wait for a COVID-19 vaccine, at the Belgrade Fair makeshift vaccination center, Serbia. Serbia on Wednesday Oct. 20, 2021, introduced COVID-19 passes for indoor venues late at night following weeks of surging infections and relatively low vaccination rates. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

October 23

Disruptions to schooling fall hardest on vulnerable students

Complications wrought by the pandemic persist in schools and often fall hardest on those least able to weather them

October 23

FILE — In this Sept. 13, 2021, file photo, students board a school bus on New York's Upper West Side. Even as most students return to learning in the classroom this school year, disruptions to in-person learning, from missing one day because of a late school bus to an entire two weeks at home due to quarantine, remain inevitable as families and educators navigate the ongoing pandemic. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

October 23

Austrian chancellor threatens lockdown for unvaccinated

Austria's chancellor has warned that unvaccinated people could face a lockdown

October 23

Austria's Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg arrives for an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. European Union leaders conclude a two-day summit on Friday in which they discuss issues such as climate change, the energy crisis, COVID-19 developments and migration. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

October 23

Ukraine sees new record high in virus deaths, infections

Ukraine’s coronavirus infections and deaths have reached all-time highs for a second straight day, a growing challenge for the country where the share of vaccinated is one of Europe’s lowest

October 23

People wait for their turn at a vaccination center in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. Coronavirus infections and deaths in Ukraine have surged to all-time highs amid a laggard pace of vaccination, which is one of the lowest in Europe. (AP Photo/Andriy Andrienko)

October 23

Frenchman tied to far-right abduction charged with terrorism

A former politician who called for the overthrow of the French government has been charged with terrorism in connection with what authorities have said was a far-right plot to attack vaccination centers, a masonic lodge and other targets

October 23

FILE - In this June 16, 2021 file photo, Remy Daillet-Wiedemann who is accused of inspiring the kidnapping of a young girl, arrives in court in Nancy, eastern France. Remy Daillet-Wiedemann was charged Friday Oct. 22, 2021 with terrorism in connection with what authorities have said was an extreme-right plot to attack vaccination centers, a masonic lodge and other targets. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)

October 23

Ukraine sees new record high in virus deaths, infections

Ukraine’s coronavirus infections and deaths have reached all-time highs for a second straight day, a growing challenge for the country where the share of vaccinated is one of Europe’s lowest

October 23

Sri Lanka gives booster shots to front-line workers, seniors

Sri Lanka has announced plans to offer booster shots to front-line workers followed by the elderly as the island nation gears up to further ease COVID-19 restrictions

October 23

A Sri Lankan school student receives a COVID-19 vaccine in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021. Sri Lanka is vaccinating 18- and 19-year-olds against the coronavirus as it expands the shots to students. After beginning with older people, Sri Lanka has now vaccinated 57% of its 22 million population. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

October 22

FDA says Pfizer COVID vaccine looks effective for young kids

Federal scientists say kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections among elementary school children

October 22

Lydia Melo, 7, is inoculated with one of two reduced 10 ug doses of the Pfizer BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine during a trial at Duke University in Durham, N.C., Sept. 28, 2021.

October 22

Parents of child trial participants say they 'believe in science'

ABC News’ Kayna Whitworth speaks with Renee and Miguel Chavez and their two children on why they decided to enroll their children in the Pfizer vaccine trial for young children.

October 22

VIDEO: Parents of child trial participants say they 'believe in science'

October 22

‘Very optimistic’ vaccines for kids available by early November: Medical expert

ABC News’ Kayna Whitworth speaks with CDC Pediatric Vaccine Advisory panel member Dr. Yvonne Maldonado on the next steps for authorizing the Pfizer vaccine for young children.

October 22

VIDEO: ‘Very optimistic’ vaccines for kids available by early November: Medical expert

October 22

Judge: Certain California prison guards must be vaccinated

A judge in California has ruled that state prison guards who work in and around facilities’ health care settings must be vaccinated against the coronavirus

October 22

FILE - In this Aug 16, 2016, file photo, a guard opens an entrance to the north segregation section of death row at San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, Calif. A judge in California ruled on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, that certain state prison guards — ones who work in and around facilities' health care settings — must be vaccinated against the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

October 22

Supreme Court doesn't block Texas abortion law, sets hearing

The Supreme Court is allowing the Texas law that bans most abortions to remain in place for now, but has agreed to hear arguments in the case on Nov. 1

October 22

Poles protest on anniversary of ruling restricting abortion

Protests are being held in Warsaw and other Polish cities to mark the one-year anniversary of a constitutional court ruling that severely restricted abortion rights in the country

October 22

Protesters gather near the Polish capital's iconic skyscraper, the Palace of Culture, at a protest demanding abortion rights, in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday Oct. 22, 2021. Protests were held Friday in Warsaw and other Polish cities to mark the one-year anniversary of a constitutional court ruling that restricted abortion rights in the country. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

October 22

Day care owner gets 6 years for hiding 26 kids in basement

A Colorado day care owner convicted of keeping 26 children hidden in the basement of her business in 2019 has received a six-year prison sentence

October 22

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the El Paso County, Colo., Sheriff's Office shows Carla Faith. Faith, a Colorado day care owner convicted of misdemeanor child abuse and other crimes for keeping 26 children hidden in a basement was sentenced Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, to six years in prison. Faith was only licensed to care for up to six children and only two of them were allowed to be under the age of 2. (El Paso County Sheriff's Office via AP, File).

October 22

Romania revives restrictions as hospitals struggle, jabs lag

Doctor Petruta Filip is working 100-hour weeks at a hospital in Romania’s capital Bucharest which, like hospitals throughout the country, is struggling under an onslaught of coronavirus patients requiring treatment amid worryingly low vaccination rates

October 22

A member of the medical staff walks in a crowded COVID-19 isolation room at the University Emergency Hospital in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. In Romania, a European Union country of around 19 million, only 35% of adults are fully inoculated against COVID-19 compared to an EU average of 74%.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

October 22

Belarus scraps short-lived mask mandates amid virus surge

Belarusian authorities have abolished mask mandates, less than two weeks after their introduction for the first time in the pandemic and a day after the country registered a record number of new coronavirus infections

October 22

FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021 file photo, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko listens to World Health organization Director for Europe Hans Kluge during their meeting in Minsk, Belarus. Belarusian authorities on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 abolished mask mandates less than two weeks after their introduction for the first time in the pandemic after Lukashenko dismissed them as unnecessary even as the country faced a spike in contagion. (Maxim Guchek/BelTA Pool Photo via AP, File)

October 22

Scientists urge UK to prep rapid return of COVID measures

The British government’s scientific advisers have urged the government to ensure coronavirus restrictions can be introduced rapidly, as the rate of new infections continues to grow

October 22

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets 88-year-old Nitza Sarner as she waits to receive a pfizer booster vaccination as he visits a COVID-19 vaccination centre at Little Venice Sports Centre, in London, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool)

October 22

Spanish govt returns fines for breaking virus lockdown rules

The Spanish government has ordered that all citizens who paid fines during a nearly 3-month state of emergency declared last year to slow the spread of the coronavirus be remunerated

October 22

Russia's infections, deaths soar to new record high

Coronavirus infections and deaths in Russia have climbed to another pandemic record high, putting additional strain on the country’s health care system

October 22

An aerial view shows fresh graves at the Yastrebkovskoe cemetery, which serves as one of the burial grounds for those who died of the coronavirus, outside in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. The government coronavirus task force reported 36,339 new confirmed infections and more than thousand deaths in the past 24 hours. That brought Russia's death toll to 227,389, by far the highest in Europe. Moscow Mayor Sergei said all restaurants, cafes and non-food stores, gyms, cinemas and other entertainment venues in the Russian capital will be shut from Oct. 28 to Nov. 7. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

October 22

More disease, more suicide: Study shows human cost of climate change

"There is no safe temperature rise from a health standpoint."

October 22

Lake Mead is seen in the distance behind a dead creosote bush in an area of dry, cracked earth that used to be underwater near where the Lake Mead Marina was once located on June 12, 2021 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada.

October 22

Amnesty seeks COVID-19 inquiry into Italian nursing homes

Amnesty International is calling for an independent parliamentary inquiry into COVID-19 deaths in Italian nursing homes and reports of retaliation against nursing home staff who spoke out about unsafe conditions there

October 22

FILE - This Wednesday, April 14, 2020 file photo shows the entrance of the Pio Albergo Trivulzio nursing home, in Milan, Italy. In a statement Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 Amnesty International is calling for an independent parliamentary inquiry into COVID-19 deaths in Italian nursing homes and reports of retaliation against nursing home staff who spoke out about unsafe conditions there. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, file)

October 22

As virus cases rise, so do pleas for Russians to get vaccine

In Russia's fifth-largest city, Nizhny Novgorod, seriously ill coronavirus patients at an infectious disease hospital lie in crowded wards with little space between beds

October 22

Thailand easing tourist quarantine rules in November

Thailand is accelerating plans to reopen the country to foreign tourists, slashing mandatory quarantines beginning Nov. 1 for fully vaccinated visitors arriving by air from 46 countries and territories

October 22

Tourists stand on Bang Tao Beach in Phuket, southern Thailand, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. Thailand is accelerating plans to reopen the country to foreign tourists, slashing mandatory quarantines beginning Nov. 1 for fully-vaccinated COVID-19 visitors arriving by air from 46 countries and territories, officials announced Friday. (AP Photo/Patrick Quinn)

October 22

EXPLAINER: Is it time to get a COVID-19 booster? Which one?

Millions more Americans are now eligible for COVID-19 boosters and they can get a different vaccine than their first shots

October 22

FILE - This Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 file photo shows a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up vaccine clinic in Salt Lake City. U.S. regulators expect to rule Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021 on authorizing booster doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, a Food and Drug Administration official said at a government meeting. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

October 22

German governors press to keep nationwide pandemic rules

Germany’s state governors are pressing for a nationwide legal framework for coronavirus rules to be kept in place, after the outgoing health minister suggested that the current legislation be allowed to expire next month

October 22

States with cold weather see uptick in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations

As people head indoors for the winter, coronavirus cases may rise, experts say.

October 22

A healthcare worker administers a Covid-19 test at a testing site in Mifflin Square Park in Philadelphia, Aug. 12, 2021.

October 22

A jab in each arm: France vaccinates against flu and COVID

Worried that the flu and COVID-19 could together trigger a winter-time double-whammy of new infections and deaths, France is forging ahead with a nationwide vaccination and booster-shot program against both diseases

October 22

FILE - In this Sept.24, 2021 file photo, a woman gets a COVID-19 Pfizer booster shot in the "Im Lauesch" nursing home of Strasbourg, eastern France. Worried that the flu and COVID-19 could together trigger a winter-time double-whammy of new infections and deaths, France is forging ahead with a nationwide vaccination program against both diseases, offering simultaneous jabs in both arms to millions of at-risk people. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)

October 22

Qantas moves up flights as Australia expects tourists soon

Qantas Airways has brought forward its plans to restart international travel from Sydney as Prime Minister Scott Morrison predicted tourists would be welcomed back to Australia this year

October 22

Hairdresser Caroline Shamoon of Joey Scandizzo Salon works on a client's hair in Melbourne, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. Melbourne, Australia’s most populous city after Sydney, came out of 77 days of lockdown on Friday after Victoria state reached a benchmark of 70% of the target population fully vaccinated. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)

October 21

Less than half of Hispanic patients able to find lifesaving bone marrow match

ABC News’ Alex Perez reports on the difficulties Latino populations face in receiving stem cell donations, as he follows 9-year-old Alfredo Diaz while he battles a rare genetic disorder.

October 21