The USS Milwaukee is temporarily unable to sail after a COVID-19 outbreak among its "100% immunized" crew, the U.S. Navy said Friday, without specifying how many sailors tested positive.
Driving the news: The Navy has not determined the variant of COVID and the sailors who tested positive are isolated from the rest of the crew. The ship is ported in Cuba's Guantanamo Bay, less than two weeks after its deployment.
New York's essential workers now can return to work just five days after receiving a positive COVID-19 test, so long as they're vaccinated and asymptomatic.
Why it matters: The revised rules cuts quarantine time in half from 10 days and come as New York has struggled to maintain staffing levels within a variety of industries, including health care, food services, and transportation.
India will begin COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 15-18 on Jan. 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday.
Why it matters: India has had the second-most COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began, trailing only the U.S., and appears to be in the beginning stages of an Omicron surge.
Driving the news: The restrictions will end on Dec. 31, according to Munoz. He said the decision to lift travel restrictions was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This data visualization shows what the U.S. has been through in the past year of COVID: from the winter surge to the arrival of the vaccines — and now, sadly, back to the start of a new winter surge.
Between the lines: In a few seconds, you can see the welcome lull as many Americans got vaccinated and cases dropped off — and then their return with the Delta wave, and now the Omicron wave.
Falsifying a COVID-19 vaccination card is now a crime in New York, punishable with a year's prison sentence if convicted of carrying one and up to four years for faking a health passport.
Why it matters: Proof-of-vaccination requirements in N.Y. and elsewhere have spurred a new market for counterfeit certificates.
The CDC on Thursday shortened the recommended isolation time for health care workers who test positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to seven days if they're asymptomatic.
Driving the news: The new guidance follows calls by health officials for the CDC to shorten its recommendation on isolation for fully vaccinated people who test positive due to concerns about the Omicron variant.
