OMICRON

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/GettyA wave of COVID infections caused by the BA.5 subvariant has crested. All over the world, daily new cases, hospitalizations and deaths are going down.But the SARS-CoV-2 virus is almost certainly here to stay. Another wave is all but inevitable as new variants and subvariants mutate, compete for dominance and find new transmission pathways.How fast that wave comes, and how bad it gets, probably comes down to a genetic competition between different mutati

U.S. regulators say they are no longer considering authorizing second COVID-19 booster shots for all adults under 50 this summer.

No one knows exactly what this will look like—only that it’s guaranteed to keep happening.

With new COVID-19 boosters expected later this year, health experts urge Californians not to put off a first or second booster shot until then.

The BA.5 subvariant of Omicron is reinfecting at record clip. We asked public-health experts to rate how concerned we should be about this COVID wave.

Top U.S. health officials warned Tuesday that an expected surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.5 has arrived, but that the country has the tools to deal with it.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that the Omicron BA.5 subvariant "substantially evades" antibodies from both vaccination and prior COVID-19 infection.

Compared to its ancestors, the latest Omicron subvariant, BA.5, may have an enhanced ability to create a large number of copies of the coronavirus once it gets into human cells.

A subvariant of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, BA.5, is now the dominant strain in the U.S., and its infection rates are even more harsh.

Scientists say the new variant — named BA.2.75 — appears to spread rapidly and may be able to get around immunity from vaccines and prior infection.

Omicron subvariant BA.5 is responsible for more than half of all new cases in the country, according to the CDC.

Viruses evolve, and vaccines should too. That was the big-picture takeaway from a pivotal meeting this week of the FDA’s expert advisory panel. The question before them was simple: Ahead of an expected winter surge, should vaccine manufacturers tweak their forthcoming booster shots to target Omicron, or should they stick with the tried-and-true 2020 recipe?

Advisers to the U.S. government are recommending that COVID-19 booster shots used this fall be modified to better match more recent variants of the coronavirus.

Pfizer's Omicron-only booster sparked the strongest immune response against that variant.

“Jurassic World: Dominion” dominated at the box office over Father’s Day weekend, beating out Disney’s “Toy Story” spinoff “Lightyear.” Meanwhile, "Top Gun: Maverick" is expected to earn $1 billion by July 4.

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/GettyCOVID-19 cases are increasing again in the United Kingdom, potentially signaling a future surge in infections in the United States and other countries.A pair of new subvariants of the dominant Omicron variant—BA.4 and BA.5—appear to be driving the uptick in cases in the U.K. Worryingly, these subvariants seem to partially dodge antibodies from past infection or vaccination, making them more transmissible than other forms of the SARS-CoV-

DOT Secretary met virtually with airline CEOs on Thursday after several waves of flight delays and cancellations.

Some scientists estimate that cases of long COVID from omicron will still rise, however, because of high transmissibility and the misconception that people don't have to worry about catching it.

People who had only two initial doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine fared no better against Omicron than those who were unvaccinated, new study finds.

The FDA's vaccine advisers meet later this month to weigh updating booster shots.

COVID-19 vaccine makers are studying updated boosters that might be offered in the fall to better protect people against future coronavirus surges.

The "bivalent" vaccine — meaning it targets two different antigens — is Moderna's leading candidate to have an effective booster ready for fall of 2022, the company said.

In the winter, COVID cases shot up and plummeted with unprecedented speed. But this surge is dragging on and on in some parts of the country.

Delta said it expects revenue to get back to 2019 levels this quarter.

Our original-recipe vaccines are still doing well against new variants. But we may need to improve them, and soon.

A US judge says the policy that allows migrants to be expelled over Covid fears must stay in place.

The CDC must decide whether to formally recommend the booster for this age group.

For more than a year now, the original COVID-19 vaccines have held up remarkably well — even miraculously so — against a Greek alphabet of new variants: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta. But now experts say something is changing. Since the start of 2022, the initial version of Omicron, known as BA.1, has been spinning off new sublineages — BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, BA.5 — at an alarming pace.

Unvaccinated people who got Covid last winter have little protection from reinfection, and even vaccinated people might be vulnerable after only a few months.

South Africa's new cases have gone from an average of 300 per day in early April to about 8,000 per day in mid-May.

North Korea's leader blames the outbreak on bureaucratic and medical incompetence.

The U.S. will have to decide soon whether to bet big on an Omicron vaccine.

State media report the country's first outbreak, but observers believe the virus has long been present.

The increasing spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has compelled a lot of people to get approved COVID self-testing kits

In the wake of the Omicron variant wave over the winter, more than half of Americans are estimated to have antibodies from a previous infection.

In the wake of the Omicron variant wave over the winter, more than half of Americans are estimated to have antibodies from a previous infection.

The following is a transcript of an interview with Dr. Scott Gottlieb that aired Sunday, April 24, 2022, on "Face the Nation."

Moderna's goal is to produce a combination shot that specifically targets Omicron.

Pfizer tested the kid booster while Omicron was surging this winter.

Citing a "robust response" of antibodies against Omicron in their vaccine trials, the companies said they were planning to submit a request "in the coming days."

As prevalence of the Omicron subvariant nears 90% nationwide, officials around the world are already tracking the rise of dozens of new potential variants.

Shanghai is under strict lockdown, in contrast to the relatively relaxed approach it previously took to the pandemic.

The Chinese leader's comments come as infections rise and residents complain of food shortages.

The World Health Organization says it's tracking an Omicron variant that's a recombination of BA.1 and BA.2 that could be more transmissible, however.

Not much is untouched by COVID-19, and the nation’s blood supply is no exception.

China's financial hub is now subject to indefinite restrictions after Covid cases hit a new high.

Millions of Americans 50 and older are now eligible to receive another booster shot, after the Food and Drug Administration authorized a new round of COVID-19 vaccines for those who want them. But there are questions about both the effectiveness and who will pay for the optional shots. Senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang has the latest.

Scientists say relaxed COVID measures in China and Europe could be behind the recent rise.

Scientists say relaxed COVID measures in China and Europe could be behind the recent rise.

The financial hub will be locked down in two phases, in China's biggest city-wide lockdown yet.

The latest version of the coronavirus is a stark reminder that the pandemic has yet to end.

Florida closed the sites that were distributing COVID-19 antibody drugs that were not effective against omicron, as federal officials distributed treatments to states that were more efficient, officials said.

The stock market is losing crucial support from the Federal Reserve.

Just last week, we asked: If you’re a health care worker, what are you seeing lately on the job?

Look, life as we know it right now is pretty insane. Omicron is raging across the country, it didn’t even feel like 2021 happened and America’s sweetheart, Betty White, is dead.

Why are so many vaccinated people getting COVID-19 lately.

Florida's new daily cases of COVID-19 have once again surpassed previous records.

We might not be able to claim that 2021 was *the* wildest year in recent history (2020 will likely get that credit for quite some time), but it might be a close second.

Greece’s health minister says music will be banned at all commercial venues for New Year’s celebrations as part of new restrictions announced in response to a surge in COVID-19 infections fueled by the omicron variant.

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.

Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S. Federal health officials said Monday that omicron accounted for an estimated 73% of new infections last week.

The new omicron variant took only a few weeks to live up to dire predictions about how hugely contagious it is.

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading so rapidly that it has the potential to overwhelm Britain’s hospitals.

The omicron variant is offering more hints about what it may have in store as it spreads around the globe: A highly transmissible virus that may cause less severe disease, and one that can be slowed — but not stopped — by today’s vaccines.

Sources tell Local 10 that the omicron variant has been detected in a hospital patient in Miami-Dade County.

Cases of the new omicron variant of COVID-19 are now in Florida.

Omicron cases have been confirmed in at least nine African countries, with some officials reporting that initial cases appear to be mild.

To protect yourself against the omicron variant, experts say to do what you would against any other variant.

New rules start Monday, with all inbound travelers needing to test negative for COVID-19 within one day before coming to the United States.

While all eyes are on the new and little-understood omicron variant, the delta form of the coronavirus isn’t finished wreaking havoc in the U.S., sending record numbers of patients to the hospital in some states, especially in the Midwest and New England.

California is reporting its second confirmed case of the omicron COVID variant in as many days.

Scientists say it could be weeks before they better understand how dangerous the omicron variant is.

Greece says residents over 60 will have to undergo mandatory vaccinations against COVID-19 or face monthly 100-euro ($114) fine beginning next year.

Britain says it will offer all adults a booster dose of vaccine within two months to bolster the nation’s immunity as the new omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads.

The new COVID-19 variant named Omicron is causing global concern and travel restrictions.

The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is ending with the beginnings of preparing for another developing Covid variant.

Health experts are concerned about a new COVID-19 variant named omicron.