 | | | | Nearly a year after COVID-19 vaccines were first administered in the United States, the country is returning to many of the hallmarks that defined earlier pandemic life: mask mandates, mass vaccination sites, crowded hospitals and a rising death toll. | | | | | | U.S. President Joe Biden is "very concerned" by the Supreme Court's decision to leave in place a ban on most abortions in Texas, the White House said on Friday, adding that he is deeply committed to the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized the procedure nationwide. | | | | | | The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. | | | | | | The numbers of nurses around the world are falling further just as the Omicron coronavirus spreads, and there is a also an imbalance as Western countries step up recruitment of healthcare workers from African and other poorer countries, the International Council of Nurses said on Friday. | | | | | | Most of the 43 COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant identified in the United States so far were in people who were fully vaccinated, and a third of them had received a booster dose, according to a U.S. report published on Friday. | | | | | | New limits on abortion rights are being pursued in the United States and other countries. | | | | | | Booster COVID-19 shots significantly restore protection against mild disease caused by the Omicron variant, in part reversing an otherwise steep drop in vaccine effectiveness, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday. | | | | | | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not planning further restrictions in England to contain the significant growth of the Omicron coronavirus variant, his spokesman said, as Scotland warned it could become dominant within days. | | | | | | Singapore will start COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 years before the end of this year, its health ministry said late on Friday. | | | | | | COVID-19 cases in Canada have started to increase and severity trends could also rise, Ottawa warned on Friday, saying the rapid spread of the Omicron variant abroad should be a "serious alarm bell" for those wanting to travel. | | | | | |
