By Kaitlan Collins, CNN The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to broaden eligibility for Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine boosters to youths ages 12 to 15 in the coming days, according to a person familiar with the agency’s plan. People as young as 16 are already eligible to receive boosters of the Pfizer vaccine six
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AUSTIN, Texas — The highly contagious Omicron variant has led to a surge in Texas coronavirus cases. Almost one in four of the Covid-19 tests reported to the state in the last week were positive. Demand is soaring for at-home tests, making Omicron’s spread harder to track. The state’s health service department also warned earlier this week
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EL PASO, Texas– Due to a national shortage, The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said this week that its regional infusion center in El Paso, as well as those in other cities in Texas, have exhausted the supply of sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody that’s effective against the Covid-19 Omicron variant. The federal government
Continue Reading MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s health safety council has approved the use of Cuba’s three-dose Abdala coronavirus vaccine. The council said Wednesday that it has sufficient evidence the vaccine is safe and effective. The approval for emergency use does not necessarily mean the Mexican government will acquire or administer the Abdala vaccine in Mexico. Mexico
Continue Reading WAHSINGTON, DC — The U.S. reported more than 1.9 million new cases this week, which equals about three Americans testing positive for Covid-19 every second. The U.S. is now averaging 277,000 new cases each day, shattering the previous record average from Jan. 11, 2021, which was 250,000 cases each day, according to federal data. Although
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — Sweeping new Covid-19 isolation and quarantine guidelines were spurred by scientific research and what Americans would likely tolerate, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. They come as doctors expect the holiday coronavirus surge, driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, to get worse following New Year’s
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Fewer people are being hospitalized now in New Mexico due to COVID-19. State health officials reported Tuesday there were just over 460 coronavirus patients in hospitals around the state. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the number marks a drop of more than one-third since Dec. 9. That’s when the state hit
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EL PASO, Texas — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s decision to shorten the recommended Covid-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing pushback from El Paso’s City-County Health Authority, who said Tuesday evening that the Borderland should continue to follow the CDC’s previous 10-day isolation and quarantine guidelines. Dr. Hector
Continue Reading BALTIMORE, Maryland — The U.S. reached a seven-day average of 254,496 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest this number has ever been over the course of the pandemic, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Tuesday’s number beat the previous record of 251,989 new cases, set on Jan. 11, 2021. The U.S. has seen
Continue Reading By Tim Lister, CNN Many countries in Latin America were hit with soaring Covid-19 death rates early in the pandemic, as coronavirus raged throughout the region. The tide is turning in many Latin American nations today, where vaccination rates are outpacing countries in Europe and North America and helping drive down deaths. The vaccine rollout
Continue Reading By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. infectious disease expert says the nation should consider a vaccination mandate for domestic air travel. Dr. Anthony Fauci’s comments signal a potential embrace of an idea the Biden administration has previously eschewed. He says such a mandate might drive up the lagging U.S. vaccination
Continue Reading By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials are cutting isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who test positive for the coronavirus and shortening the time that close contacts have to quarantine. People with the virus can leave isolation after five days, down from 10 days. People exposed to the virus
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas – The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said Monday that the infusion center in El Paso – as well as those in Austin, Fort Worth and San Antonio – have exhausted their supply of sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody that’s effective against the Covid-19 Omicron variant. Due to a national shortage, the
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EL PASO, Texas — There were 63 El Paso Covid-19 deaths reported for the past week, the El Paso Department of Public Health announced Monday, marking a huge increase in coronavirus fatalities – although officials indicated some of the deaths, while confirmed last week, actually happened weeks ago. Officials said 62 of the 63 victims
Continue Reading NEW YORK, NY — As pre-pandemic level crowds hit the airports for the holidays, some major U.S. airlines were forced to proactively cancel more than 600 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day flights due to the fast-spreading omicron variant of Covid-19, which drew down staffing levels. As of early evening Friday, Delta canceled 170 flights on Friday,
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UPDATE #3: Twenty-four hours later, it is still not clear whether the Doña Ana County sheriff or county manager has the ultimate authority in deciding when employees can work from home. By Thursday, ABC-7 had reached to state lawmakers, the governor’s office and the secretary of state. No one could give a clear answer as
Continue Reading By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. officials are loosening rules that call on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive for COVID-19. Those workers will be allowed to come back to work after seven days if they test negative and don’t have
Continue Reading By Laura Ly, CNN New York’s governor signed legislation Wednesday criminalizing fake Covid-19 vaccination cards, according to a news release from her office. The new law makes the falsification of cards a misdemeanor and creates a new felony of “computer tampering in the third degree for intentional entering, alteration or destruction of ‘computer material’ regarding
Continue Reading By Jamie Gumbrecht, Amanda Sealy and Jacqueline Howard, CNN The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized Merck’s antiviral pill, molnupiravir, to treat Covid-19 “for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including
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EL PASO, Texas – While Christmas is a time of joy for many, this holiday will be different for families who are grieving the loss of a loved one, including the family of Veronica Villareal. “It’s a shocker,” said Villareal’s uncle, Hector Galaviz. “We just think good things about her, but sometimes you break down.
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EL PASO, Texas — A lab in south-central El Paso is responsible for processing all of the Covid-19 tests that are administered at four city-run testing locations. Exova Diagnostics opened its doors on the third floor of the Caldwell Collaborative building in February of this year. Since then they have been receiving about 4,500 Covid-19
Continue Reading By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says it will hold a special session in just over two weeks to hear arguments on the Biden administration’s vaccine or testing requirement for large employers and a separate vaccine requirement for health care workers. The announcement comes amid rising coronavirus cases. The high
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EL PASO, Texas — El Paso health officials said they expect coronavirus cases and hospitalizations to increase after the holidays with the possibility of the first Omicron variant case very likely to enter El Paso. Public health authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza and public health director Angela Mora spoke to the media Wednesday afternoon to address
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WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with ABC “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir that when it comes to the availability of at-home coronavirus tests in the United States, “nothing’s been good enough.” “We’re nearly two years into this pandemic, you’re a year into the presidency, empty shelves and
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WASHINGTON, DC — An at-home treatment for COVID-19 that can prevent serious illness was authorized by the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, offering a note of optimism for the future of the pandemic as the world faces the omicron variant. When taken early, Pfizer’s pill was 89% effective at reducing the risk of severe
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By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials say COVID-19 transmission rates remain high across the state and they’re urging people to be cautious over the holiday weekend. They also acknowledged during a virtual briefing Wednesday that the public will need to learn to live with the virus and
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden aimed to reassure Americans that if they are vaccinated, they can still proceed with their holiday plans without fear of becoming seriously ill. “I know some Americans are wondering if you can safely celebrate the holidays with your family and friends. The answer is, yes you can if you and those
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EL PASO, Texas — Despite a slight decrease in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, two top El Paso health experts tell ABC-7 it’s still too early to know how the Omicron variant will impact the Borderland and agreed we could see a slight uptick in cases. Infectious disease specialist, Dr. Ogechika Aloize with Sunset I.D. Care
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By JOSH BOAK, RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has announced plans to deliver 500 million free COVID-19 tests to Americans, increase support for hospitals and expand the availability of vaccines to confront a winter surge of coronavirus cases driven by the fast-spreading omicron variant. Biden said in
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EL PASO, Texas – People who were not able to travel for the holidays last year are making up for lost time this year. According to the American Automobile Association, more than 109 million people will travel out of town this holiday season, a 34% increase from 2020. Dr. Ogechika Alozie, an El Paso infectious
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