People who are fully vaccinated no longer need to quarantine after exposure to someone infected with the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.
Yes, but: The CDC's definition of "fully vaccinated" is narrow in scope. The agency urges caution regardless of vaccination status, especially as new variants continue to spread.
Initial findings by a WHO team in China investigating COVID-19's origins appear to echo Beijing's talking points.
The big picture: Identifying the true cause of the COVID-19 pandemic is key to controlling it and preventing the next one, but geopolitical disputes are getting in the way of science.
As both vaccinations and acquired immunity spread, lifewill likely settle into a new normal that will resemble pre-COVID-19 days— with some major twists.
The big picture: While hospitalizations and deaths are tamped down, the novel coronavirus should recede as a mortal threat to the world. But a lingering pool of unvaccinated people — and the virus' own ability to mutate — will ensure SARS-CoV-2 keeps circulating at some level, meaning some precautions will be kept in place for years.
Federal authorities are investigating counterfeit N95 masks that have been sold to hospitals, government agencies and medical facilities in at least five states, AP reports.
Why it matters: "Nearly a year into the pandemic, fraud remains a major problem as scammers seek to exploit hospitals and desperate and weary Americans," AP's Colleen Long writes. The masks, designed to look like they are produced by the global manufacturer 3M, "are becoming increasingly difficult to spot and could put health care workers at grave risk for the coronavirus."
Tennessee's Republican Gov. Bill Lee said Monday that transgender girls should be banned from playing on middle and high school sports teams, claiming trans athletes will "destroy women's sports," AP reports.
Why it matters: His comments come as the Tennessee GOP attempts to pass legislation requiring student-athletes to provide "original" birth certificates in order to participate in school sports. They argue that trans girls have an edge in athletics because they were assigned male at birth, but research has shown there is no automatic advantage.
Wearing two face masks or adjusting a mask to fit more snuggly can better help protect against COVID-19 and its highly transmissible variants, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised in new guidance out Wednesday.
Why it matters: Modeling shows the B.1.1.7 variant from the U.K. could become the dominant strain in the U.S. by the end of March, said Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser, on Wednesday.
A quarter of American workers are either unsure about getting vaccinated against the coronavirus or are planning not to get the shots, according to a new survey from The Conference Board.
Why it matters: Worker vaccinations are key to safely reopening businesses — from offices to restaurants and shops — around the country.
The COVID vaccine campaign can be an opportunity to address long standing disparities in the health care provided to people of color, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said Tuesday in a proposal for how to distribute the vaccines equitably.
Why it matters: People of color have been hit especially hard not just by the pandemic, but also by the disruptions caused by it.
The Chicago Teachers Union approved a tentative agreement with the city to get the nation's third-largest school district on the "path to reopening school classrooms safely," the union announced on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The agreement ends a dispute between the union and Mayor Lori Lightfoot and will likely avert a strike by Chicago's teachers, per AP. Lightfoot had said it was safe to return to school with protocols in place, while the union contended the city was not doing enough to protect teachers.
The highly contagious U.K. variant of COVID-19 has popped up on many college campuses, calling into question their plans to let more students back on campus this spring, The New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The U.K. variant is expected to become the dominant strain within the U.S. relatively soon, and colleges' experience with it could foreshadow what's next for society at large.
Democrats' coronavirus relief proposal includes major changes to the Affordable Care Act, aiming to make health insurance more affordable for the millions of people who have lost their employer-based coverage during the pandemic.
The big picture: These changes would check off a whole lot of moderate Democrats' heath care agenda, at least temporarily. They include some of the biggest changes that President Biden campaigned on.
Knowing someone who has been vaccinated, and seeing that the vaccine does not produce any significant adverse effects, is emerging as the leading reason people are willing to get vaccinated themselves.
Why it matters: This means vaccine hesitancy should diminish naturally as more people are vaccinated.
The first single-use, highly accurate rapid coronavirus test has received the all-clear from the Food and Drug Administration to be used in a wide variety of settings, per its manufacturer, Visby Medical.
Why it matters: Even with vaccines, widespread coronavirus testing is still essential for safely returning to normal life.
Michele Obama announced Tuesday she'll star in a new Netflix cooking show with puppets — which she said "in many ways is an extension of my work to support children's health" in her former role as first lady.
Driving the news: "Waffles + Mochi," which starts streaming next month, is "about good food: discovering it, cooking it, and of course, eating it," Obama said in an Instagram post.
The FDA announced Tuesday it has issued an emergency use authorization for a new combination antibody drug from Eli Lilly that can treat mild to moderate COVID-19.
Why it matters: The treatment contains bamlanivimab and etesevimab which, administered together, can reduce the risk of hospitalizations and death by 70%, per an FDA statement. It can be used on patients at high risk of developing severe illnesses.
The Biden administration announced on Tuesday they will start delivering vaccines directly to community health centers next week in an effort to promote more equity in the vaccine distribution process.
Why it matters: Black and Hispanic people have been disproportionally impacted by the coronavirus, with higher rates of death while being vaccinated at much lower rates compared to white Americans.
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