Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has tested positive for COVID-19, her office confirmed in a statement Sunday evening.
What they're saying: "She is experiencing symptoms and recovering at home. The Congresswoman received her booster shot this Fall, and encourages everyone to get their booster and follow all CDC guidance," the statement read.
Chicago Public Schools and Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Saturday jointly rejected the latest proposal from the Chicago Teachers Union in the ongoing dispute over whether remote learning should resume amid the latest surge in COVID cases fueled by the Omicron variant.
The latest: Lightfoot confirmed via Twitter Sunday evening that negotiations between the two sides are ongoing and that an agreement has not yet been reached.
Officials in the city of Tianjin began mass testing the entire 14 million population for COVID-19 on Sunday after discovering a cluster of cases, AP reported.
Why it matters: Beijing, roughly 70 miles from Tianjin, will host the Olympics in less than a month.
Mass-vaccination sites are returning across the U.S. as officials scramble to address a recent uptick in coronavirus infections, largely driven by the Omicron variant, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Large vaccination sites had served a significant role during the onset of the U.S. vaccine rollout, the Times notes. The re-emergence of these sites may prove to be instrumental in alleviating the toll on smaller clinics.
Japan and the U.S. have reached a "basic agreement" to prohibit U.S. soldiers from leaving their bases in an effort to contain a recent surge in COVID-19 infections, AP reports.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported a 1,066% increase in fentanyl seized in south Texas during fiscal year 2021, the agency said this week.
Driving the news: Border patrol officers at eight ports of entry from Brownsville to Del Rio seized 87,652 pounds of narcotics, including marijuana, cocaine and fentanyl with an estimated estimated street value of $786 million.
BinaxNOW at-home COVID-19 tests at Walmart and Kroger will see a rise in prices after a deal with the White House expired in mid-December.
Driving the news: BinaxNOW, one of the first at-home tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration, has become increasingly popular over the last month due to the highly contagious Omicron variant.
Amazon on Friday cut its paid leave policy for employees infected with COVID-19 from 10 days to 7 following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's change in quarantine guidance.
Driving the news: The new policy is effective immediately and applies to all U.S. employees, regardless of vaccination status, according to a memo sent to employees, which was viewed by Axios.
As America's record Omicron surge continues, cities and states across the country have no cohesive strategy to monitor the results of at-home rapid COVID tests.
Why it matters: This patchwork system means the official COVID case counts are almost certainly a vast undercount. Many cities don't have an accurate sense of just how prevalent COVID is as they make decisions about mask mandates, school closures and other restrictions.
