Health

By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent If the scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had their way, to curb the spread of Covid-19 right now, nearly every US school would cancel football, wrestling, band and loads of other mainstay school activities. In another piece of guidance, the CDC tells people

By Travis Caldwell and Holly Yan, CNN Areas that were among the first to get hit hard by the Omicron variant are starting to see their Covid-19 numbers level off or even improve. But that’s not the case for much of the country, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said. “There are parts of the

CNN By Travis Caldwell and Holly Yan, CNN Areas that were among the first to get hit hard by the Omicron variant are starting to see their Covid-19 numbers level off or even improve. But that’s not the case for much of the country, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said. “There are parts of

By Allison Hope, CNN Refreshed. Renewed. Ready for 2022. NOT. In past years, returning from the holidays came replete with new energy to start the year. There were resolutions (be more active!) and lofty goals (write the book!) and restored energy to commit to them. Staring down the barrel of 2022, though, the thought of

By Kristen Rogers, Parija Kavilanz and Amanda Sealy, CNN The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its mask guidelines to recommend that people “wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently.” The agency describes well-fitting respirators approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety

CNN By Jacqueline Howard and Betsy Klein, CNN Just as free Covid-19 tests are landing in the mailboxes of people who ordered them, the first free N95 masks for the public have started to arrive at US pharmacies, with more on the way in the coming days. The Biden administration seeks to ramp up access

By Katherine Dillinger and John Bonifield, CNN The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask information for the American public on Friday, including clarifying that certain types of masks and respirators offer more protection from the coronavirus than others and offering tips on what consumers should look for when shopping for them.

By Kristen Rogers, CNN As wintry weather whips across the United States, one challenge may be staying warm if you can’t afford or are cutting back on indoor heating. Staying warm is necessary “for a variety of health reasons” in addition to comfort, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health

By Travis Caldwell, CNN As Covid-19 hospitalizations reach new highs, more states and health care systems are cutting back services that aren’t urgent and relying on National Guard personnel to fill staffing gaps as infected health care employees miss work to recover and patient demand grows. While officials have started to call out very early

CNN By Ed Lavandera and Chris Boyette, CNN Oklahoma City hospitals are short of staff and overwhelmed, with no ICU or inpatient beds available as the Omicron variant causes a surge of Covid-19 patients, according to an open letter from leaders of the city’s four major health care systems. “Our emergency departments are overflowing. Our

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN The Omicron surge has driven Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations to record highs in the United States. This week, however, officials have started to call out very early signs that the wave is peaking — or at least plateauing — in parts of the Northeast. But case rates are still higher in

By Katia Hetter, CNN These days, it’s much easier to contract the coronavirus as the highly contagious Omicron variant spreads worldwide. As people face this current reality, it’s important to note that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recently changed its guidelines around isolation and quarantine. Many have questions about what to

By Travis Caldwell and Jason Hanna, CNN As a record number of Americans are infected with Covid-19, largely due to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, some states’ health care systems are beset with nearly full intensive care units. Nineteen states have less than 15% remaining capacity in their ICUs. Four of them have less than