New Omicron COVID boosters coming
Newly updated COVID-19 boosters will be available to teens and adults "in a few short weeks," White House COVID coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said this week.
The new boosters target the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, as well as the original strain of the virus. BA.5 accounts for nearly 90% of new COVID cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Watch Jha discuss the boosters with NBC News' Lester Holt.
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Will masks still be required at schools?
Most students returning to school across the country won't be required to wear a mask in class, but that is not the case for students in several Bay Area school districts.
The Alum Rock Union School District and Franklin-McKinley School District both are mandating students wear masks. The pandemic has hit both districts hard, and school officials say they can't start the school year by taking a chance.
Watch Damian Trujillo's report, where he breaks down the details and what parents think of the decision.
New variants gaining ground across the globe
More cases of omicron subvariants BA.4.6 and BA.2.75, also known as centaurus, are being reported daily around the world.
There have only been a few infections due to centaurus reported across California, but the concern is how fast the subvariant is spreading in other parts of the world. That's because the omicron family is known for its infectious characteristics and its expertise in evading vaccines and our immune system.
Dr. Dean Winslow, a Stanford professor of medicine, spoke to NBC Bay Area's Stephanie Magallon and shared why he the way centaurus is moving reminds him of how fast the delta variant hit us. Watch the interview in Magallon's report on the new variants.
Bay Area church racks up millions in COVID penalties
Despite a recent state appellate court ruling, Santa Clara County continues to seek millions of dollars in penalties against a San Jose church for violating COVID-19 rules not affected by the decision.
Dr. Sara Cody, the county's public health officer, was scheduled Thursday for a deposition in the ongoing case, in which an appellate court earlier this week dismissed $200,000 in fines against Calvary Chapel San Jose.
Catch up on the case in our staff report detailing why the county still wants nearly $3 million in fines.
New COVID isolation, mask guidance from CDC
The CDC has updated its COVID-19 guidance after saying the virus presents a lower risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death than it did at the start of the pandemic.
Assuming you do test positive for COVID, here are the CDC's updated guidelines:
- If you've tested positive and have a healthy immune system, regardless of vaccination status, you should isolate for five days. Isolation can be ended at Day Six if you no longer have symptoms or have not had a fever for 24 hours and your symptoms have improved.
- Once isolation has ended, the agency recommends you wear a high-quality mask through Day 10. If you test negative on two rapid antigen tests, though, you can stop wearing your mask sooner.
- Until Day 11 at least, you should refrain from visiting or being around people who are more likely to have severe outcomes from COVID, including the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
We also have everything else you need to know about the updated guidelines in this breakdown.
Updated FDA recommendations for COVID testing
Exposed to coronavirus? You should now take three home tests instead of two to make sure you're not infected, according to new U.S. recommendations.
The Food and Drug Administration previously advised taking two rapid antigen tests over two or three days to rule out infection. But the agency now says new studies suggest that protocol can miss too many infections, and could result in people spreading the coronavirus to others, especially if they don't develop symptoms.
