Health officials are still waiting to see what effect the holiday weekend will have on transmission, but they expect cases to surge again.
Health
NYC approves safe sites for drug use, aiming to curb overdoses
While opponents say the move creates hubs of drug use, supporters say it provides a space for users to avoid a fatal overdose.
Need for faster mental health care is focus of Augusta summit addressing ‘cracks in the system’
The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified longstanding problems with mental health care as the demand for treatment has increased, experts say.
FDA panel narrowly backs first-of-a-kind COVID-19 pill from Merck
If authorized, the pill would be the first that doctors could prescribe for patients to take on their own to ease symptoms and speed recovery, a major step toward reducing hospital caseloads and deaths.
Infections, deaths and hospitalizations mount as Maine braces for post-holiday rise in COVID-19
Maine set a new hospitalization record as health officials gear up for the possible arrival of a new variant, omicron, that has the world on edge.
New variant cause for ‘concern, not panic,’ Biden says
The president urges 80 million unvaccinated Americans to get their shots, for the vaccinated to get boosted and for everyone to mask up.
Maine officials, scientists monitoring new omicron variant as governor urges vaccinations
As of Monday, 322 individuals were in the hospital with COVID-19, including 99 in critical care.
What we know and don’t know on new COVID-19 variant
On Friday, the WHO designated it as a “variant of concern,” naming it “omicron” after a letter in the Greek alphabet.
Children and teens lead surge in COVID-19 cases
Although younger people are at lower risk for hospitalization or death, health experts say they can still be affected and they can often be silent carriers.
South African scientists brace for wave propelled by omicron variant
In the space of two weeks, the omicron variant has sent South Africa from a period of low transmission to rapid growth of new confirmed cases.