Coronavirus

ABOVE PHOTO: Amy Brandwein, chef and owner of Centrolina, prepares a dish in her restaurant kitchen, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, in Washington. While restaurants in the U.S. and United Kingdom are open without restrictions and often bustling, they are entering their second winter of the coronavirus pandemic anxious about what’s ahead. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) By…

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By MATTHEW PERRONE WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators on Wednesday authorized the first pill against COVID-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of the virus. The long-awaited milestone comes as U.S. cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all rising and health officials warn…

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Wednesday extended a student loan moratorium that has allowed tens of millions of Americans to put off debt payments during the pandemic. Under the action, payments on federal student loans will remain paused through May 1. Interest rates will remain at 0% during that period, and debt collection…

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By JOSH BOAK and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR WASHINGTON (AP) — With the omicron variant on the march, President Joe Biden plans to announce 500 million free rapid tests for Americans, increased support for hospitals under strain and a redoubling of vaccination and boosting efforts. In a speech scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Biden is detailing major changes to his COVID-19…

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli ministers on Monday agreed to ban travel to the United States, Canada and eight other countries amid the rapid, global spread of the omicron variant. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office announced the decision following a Cabinet vote. The rare move to red-list the U.S. comes amid rising coronavirus infections in Israel…

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ABOVE PHOTO: (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) AP–Philadelphia will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination to dine indoors at bars, restaurants, indoor sporting events and other food-related establishments starting Jan. 3, city and public health officials announced Monday. Public Health Director Cheryl Bettigole said Philadelphia has seen infection rates double in the last few weeks and hospitalizations increase…

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By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE 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. The strange clotting problem has caused nine confirmed deaths after J&J vaccinations — while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines…

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City of Philadelphia: Starting Monday January 3, Philadelphia establishments that sell food or drink for consumption onsite will require that everyone who enters has completed their COVID vaccinations. Completing vaccinations means that they have received two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.   Employees and children aged 5 years and 3 months through 11 will…

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By MARK SCOLFORO HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A statewide mask mandate for Pennsylvania schoolchildren was thrown out by the state Supreme Court on Friday, raising the prospect that at least some students in the state may soon be allowed to attend classes without a face covering. The justices announced their decision to invalidate the Wolf…

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ABOVE PHOTO: Dr. Sikhulile Moyo, virologist at the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, speaks at a study team meeting for the Botswana Combination Prevention Project (BCPP) in Botswana. Moyo, who may well have discovered the omicron variant, says he’s been through a “rollercoaster of emotions” — the pride of accomplishment followed by dismay over the…

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