COVID

Hong Kong authorities announced a two-week ban on flights from eight countries and held 2,500 passengers on a cruise ship for coronavirus testing as the city attempted to stem an omicron outbreak.

The omicron variant is outpacing the government's ability to make and execute clear pandemic public policy.

The move to shorten the Pfizer booster interval comes as the U.S. shatters daily case records. The recommended interval for those who received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines has not changed.

The burning questions: What makes this newly identified variant so transmissible?. And what does it mean for preventing spread?

More than 1,400 flights canceled worldwide Monday, adding to thousands canceled over the Christmas weekend. And across the country, long lines continued at COVID-19 testing sites.

Alan Hawes hopes his photos of health care workers and COVID patients will show the toll of this pandemic — and persuade the unvaccinated to get their COVID shots.

University of Washington research predicts the omicron wave will infect more than 400,000 people a day in the U.S. when it crests in about six weeks.