The Latest Breaking News from Omicron

Twice as many people currently have covid as have the common cold as cases rocket

Australians admitted to hospitals from COVID-19 neared record levels on Wednesday as authorities urged businesses to let staff work from home and recommended people wear masks indoors and get booster shots urgently amid a major coronavirus outbreak. Australia is in the grip of a third Omicron wave driven by the…

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Fainting and fatigue may signal onset of variant, experts say

Virologists voice concerns about highly-contagious BA.2.75 which is thought to spread faster than its Omicron relatives

Australians admitted to hospitals from COVID-19 neared record levels on Wednesday as authorities urged businesses to let staff work from home and recommended people wear masks indoors and get booster shots urgently amid a major coronavirus outbreak.

SEATTLE — While omicron subvariants have evolved to evade antibody responses from the primary COVID-19 vaccine series, a new laboratory study led by researchers at UW Medicine suggests boosters may offer some protection against serious disease.

DALLAS — Both federal and local health experts have raised Dallas County’s COVID-19 alert levels as the highly contagious COVID-19 variant BA.5 causes both case counts and hospitalizations to climb.

The Biden administration is considering expanding eligibility for a second COVID-19 booster to those under 50 to try to protect more people against the latest omicron surge.

Wednesday: ‘Pretty scary’ hospital admission numbers in several Australian states mean masks mandates will need to return, AMA says. Plus: Australia’s first vulture

The Northern Territory recorded 671 cases on Tuesday — the highest daily caseload since February and a dramatic jump from Monday, prompting calls to reinstate mask mandates.