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COVID-19

Tue. 10:29 a.m. US expected to authorize mix-and-match COVID booster shots

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators are expected to authorize the mixing and matching of COVID-19 booster shots this week in an effort to provide flexibility for those seeking to maintain protection against the coronavirus. The upcoming announcement by the Food and Drug Administration is likely to come along with authorization for boosters of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots and follows the authorization of a third dose for the Pfizer vaccine for many Americans last month. The move was previewed today by a U.S. health official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to ...

Tue. 9:31 a.m.: New Zealand hits virus high, pushes vaccination as way out

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand counted its most new coronavirus cases of the pandemic today as an outbreak in its largest city grew and officials urged vaccinations as a way out of Auckland's two-month lockdown. Health officials found 94 new local infections, eclipsing the 89 ...

Mon. 8:55 a.m.: Russia’s coronavirus infections exceed 8 million

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's total number of coronavirus infections has topped 8 million, more than 5 percent of the population, and the daily infection toll hit a new record. The national coronavirus task force said today that 34,325 new infections over the past day raised the pandemic-long total to 8,027,012. It also said 998 people died of COVID-19 in the previous day, bringing the total number of deaths to 224,310. The death toll is minutely lower than the record 1,002 tallied on Saturday, but shows the country continuing to struggle with the virus as vaccination rates remain low. ...

COVID-19 rates fall for third consecutive week

For the third straight week, the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Ohioans declined even though the state is more than five times above what is considered to be a high-transmission area. The 507.4 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents for the period between Sept. 30 and Wednesday is down from 560.5 cases last week. Ohio was at 616.7 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 two weeks ago and at 698.7 cases three weeks ago. The state was at 683.3 cases per 100,000 four weeks ago and 582.4 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents five weeks ago. The state’s number this week is more than 26 times ...

Hospitals still filled while COVID-19 cases decline

The number of COVID-19 cases in the state is declining, but hospitals remain filled with patients with the virus, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the Ohio Department of Health’s director. “It is far too early for us to claim victory,” he said Thursday. “While cases are declining, the situation in our hospitals remains very serious.” Vanderhoff said: “It appears the delta surge has in fact plateaued. Nevertheless, we continue to see very high numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.” Hospitals in the state “continue to face capacity challenges,” he said. About ...

Fri. 10:31 a.m.: India reopens for foreign tourists as virus infections ebb

NEW DELHI (AP) — India reopened to fully vaccinated foreign tourists traveling on chartered flights today in the latest easing of its coronavirus restrictions as infection numbers decline. Foreign tourists on regular flights will be able to enter India starting Nov. 15. It is the first ...