News of the week Weeks of declining COVID numbers have had Bay Area residents breathing sighs of relief after a big summer wave. The same can be said for this week, as case numbers dipped to their lowest levels since April. Good news, of course. But as always, health experts remain cautious, reminding the public […]
COVID Today
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CDC advisors endorse booster shots that target Omicron for Americans 12 and up
The CDC’s vaccine advisors meet to consider new COVID-19 shots that are designed to target the BA.5 Omicron strain.
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When can I get my Omicron booster in California? Here’s what we know
The expectation is that eligible residents will be able to get the new Omicron-specific COVID booster shots come mid-September.
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COVID Dashboard: Bay Area COVID trends continue to improve
News of the week COVID numbers are continuing to trend in the right direction in California just weeks before the anticipated release of Pfizer’s updated, Omicron-targeting vaccine, which could be available as soon as shortly after Labor Day. Four Bay Area counties — Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco and San Mateo — have entered the […]
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Free at-home COVID tests, delivered by mail, ending this week
The COVID.gov website says it is suspending the offering ‘because Congress hasn’t provided additional funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile.’
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Omicron subvariants BA.4.6 and BA.2.75 are here. How concerned should California be?
Health officials are watching the two coronavirus subvariants to determine whether they will eventually become worrisome in the state.
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COVID Dashboard: Expect the new Omicron-targeting boosters in late September
News of the week Just a couple of months away from the one-year anniversary of Omicron’s emergence, we’ll finally be getting a jab targeting the ultra-contagious variant and its offshoots. Pfizer’s updated vaccine — which will target both the original COVID strain and the Omicron BA.5 subvariant — is set to be available within weeks, […]
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Omicron-specific COVID-19 booster could be available in a few weeks, officials say
The new booster “will become available by early to mid-September” if the FDA and CDC authorize shots, a top White House official said this week.
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Omicron is considered a milder coronavirus, but scientists aren’t so sure
The conventional wisdom is that Omicron is less likely to cause serious illness, but that might have more to do with better immunity and treatments, not the virus itself.
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Why it’s taking people with COVID-19 so long to finally get a negative test
Health officials recommend that anyone infected with the coronavirus isolate for at least five days — but for many, that timeline might be overly optimistic.