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Health Wire

Inslee: COVID hospital capacity a key measure as state prepares for omicron variant

December 17, 2021, 9:03am Health

Washington’s hospital capacity is a key measure to watch as the state prepares for a surge in the omicron variant, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday. Read story

FILE - A member of the Philadelphia Fire Department prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site setup in Philadelphia, on March 26, 2021. A government advisory panel is meeting Thursday, Dec. 16, to determine if any restrictions are needed to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine because of rare but serious blood clots.

CDC panel recommends Pfizer, Moderna vaccines over J&J shot

FILE - A member of the Philadelphia Fire Department prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site setup in Philadelphia, on March 26, 2021. A government advisory panel is meeting Thursday, Dec. 16, to determine if any restrictions are needed to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine because of rare but serious blood clots.

December 16, 2021, 2:16pm Health

Most Americans should be given the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead of the Johnson & Johnson shot that can cause rare but serious blood clots, U.S. health advisers recommended Thursday. Read story

In this June 8, 2021, photo provided by the The Ohio Channel, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny speaks at a Ohio House Health Committee in Columbus, Ohio. The Cleveland-based osteopathic doctor testified that COVID-19 vaccines cause magnetism. "They can put a key on their forehead; it sticks," said Tenpenny.

Pressure builds against doctors peddling false virus claims

In this June 8, 2021, photo provided by the The Ohio Channel, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny speaks at a Ohio House Health Committee in Columbus, Ohio. The Cleveland-based osteopathic doctor testified that COVID-19 vaccines cause magnetism. "They can put a key on their forehead; it sticks," said Tenpenny.

December 16, 2021, 11:18am Health

They have decried COVID-19 as a hoax, promoted unproven treatments and pushed bogus claims about the vaccine, including that the shots magnetize the human body. Read story

A woman wears a face mask as she walks in Covent Garden market, in London, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. The U.K. recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections Wednesday since the pandemic began, and England's chief medical officer warned the situation is likely to get worse as the omicron variant drives a new wave of illness during the Christmas holidays. The U.K. recorded 78,610 new infections on Wednesday, 16% higher than the previous record set in January.

British surge seen as warning on omicron but responses vary

A woman wears a face mask as she walks in Covent Garden market, in London, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. The U.K. recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections Wednesday since the pandemic began, and England's chief medical officer warned the situation is likely to get worse as the omicron variant drives a new wave of illness during the Christmas holidays. The U.K. recorded 78,610 new infections on Wednesday, 16% higher than the previous record set in January.

December 16, 2021, 9:57am Health

Spiraling infections in Britain driven in part by the new omicron variant of the coronavirus rattled many in Europe on Thursday, fueling a familiar dread that tighter restrictions will scuttle holiday plans again this year. Read story

FILE - People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site in Times Square, New York, Dec. 13, 2021. The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row.

U.S. faces a double coronavirus surge as omicron advances

FILE - People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site in Times Square, New York, Dec. 13, 2021. The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row.

December 15, 2021, 3:18pm Health

The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row. Read story

FILE - People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site in Times Square, New York, Dec. 13, 2021. The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row.

U.S. faces a double coronavirus surge as omicron advances

FILE - People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site in Times Square, New York, Dec. 13, 2021. The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row.

December 15, 2021, 12:29pm Health

The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row. Read story

The healthcare.gov website is seen, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021 in Fort Washington, Md. Consumers seeking government-subsidized health insurance for next year have through Wednesday to sign up if they want their new plan to start Jan. 1.

Deadline time for HealthCare.gov coverage that starts Jan. 1

The healthcare.gov website is seen, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021 in Fort Washington, Md. Consumers seeking government-subsidized health insurance for next year have through Wednesday to sign up if they want their new plan to start Jan. 1.

December 15, 2021, 10:33am Health

Consumers seeking government-subsidized health insurance for next year have through Wednesday to sign up if they want their new plan to start Jan. 1. Read story

A boy receives a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 5 - 11, in Rome, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. Italy has started vaccinating children aged 5-11 against COVID-19 as the government braces for the spread of the omicron variant during the holiday season.

Omicron to be dominant variant in EU by mid-January

A boy receives a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 5 - 11, in Rome, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. Italy has started vaccinating children aged 5-11 against COVID-19 as the government braces for the spread of the omicron variant during the holiday season.

December 15, 2021, 10:27am Health

Omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the European Union’s 27 nations by mid-January, the bloc’s top official said Wednesday amid concerns that a dramatic rise in infections will leave Europe shrouded in gloom during the holiday season. Read story

FILE - Boxes of BinaxNow home COVID-19 tests made by Abbott are shown for sale on Nov. 15, 2021, at a CVS store in Lakewood, Wash. The Biden administration's plan for health insurers to reimburse consumers for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests is recalling the model of a bygone era when the companies processed large volumes of claims from individuals -- with paper receipts. (AP Photo/Ted S.

A retro feel to Biden’s plan for covering OTC virus testing

FILE - Boxes of BinaxNow home COVID-19 tests made by Abbott are shown for sale on Nov. 15, 2021, at a CVS store in Lakewood, Wash. The Biden administration's plan for health insurers to reimburse consumers for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests is recalling the model of a bygone era when the companies processed large volumes of claims from individuals -- with paper receipts. (AP Photo/Ted S.

December 15, 2021, 9:58am Health

The Biden administration’s plan for health insurers to reimburse consumers for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests echoes a bygone era when the companies processed large volumes of claims from individuals — with paper receipts. Read story

FILE - Medical staff move a COVID-19 patient who died onto a gurney to hand off to a funeral home van, at the Willis-Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport, La., Aug. 18, 2021. The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 topped 800,000, a once-unimaginable figure seen as doubly tragic, given that more than 200,000 of those lives were lost after the vaccine became available practically for the asking.

U.S. COVID death toll hits 800,000, a year into vaccine drive

FILE - Medical staff move a COVID-19 patient who died onto a gurney to hand off to a funeral home van, at the Willis-Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport, La., Aug. 18, 2021. The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 topped 800,000, a once-unimaginable figure seen as doubly tragic, given that more than 200,000 of those lives were lost after the vaccine became available practically for the asking.

December 14, 2021, 6:01pm Health

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 topped 800,000 on Tuesday, a once-unimaginable figure seen as doubly tragic, given that more than 200,000 of those lives were lost after the vaccine became available practically for the asking last spring. Read story