Health & Safety

Do we still need to "stay home" to stay safe?

It's time to recalculate your COVID 'risk budget'. Here's how

3:21pm December 29, 2021

The omicron situation seems to be changing so fast that it's hard to figure out which activities are safe on any given day. Two experts guide us through how to make a smart risk budget.

Queue Listen Now

Travelers wait in the ticketing line at Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday. There have been thousands of flight delays and cancellations as the omicron variant spreads across the country. Unionized flight attendants are wary of new CDC guideli

Delta's CEO asked the CDC for a 5-day isolation. Some flight attendants feel at risk

2:26pm December 29, 2021

by Deepa Shivaram

Some workers are concerned about new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shortens the isolation period for COVID-19 cases.

Health & Safety

Nurses are disappointed by the CDC easing isolation rules, union says

8:06am December 29, 2021

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks to Jean Ross, co-president of National Nurses United, about why she says now is not the time for the CDC to relax its isolation guidance.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

How are unionized flight attendants responding to the new COVID rules?

8:06am December 29, 2021

The CDC's new isolation guidelines could have big impacts on essential workers. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants about the rule change.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

The CDC relaxes some of its COVID-19 isolation guidelines

7:26am December 29, 2021

As omicron continues to spread, the CDC loosened isolation guidelines. Some infectious disease experts say the revisions should come with stronger mask and testing requirements.

Queue Listen Now

COVID surge in New Hampshire overwhelms the state's hospitals

6:37am December 29, 2021

by Todd Bookman

ICU workers at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, say the COVID-19 spike feels like a never-ending tsunami. Most of the patients in the unit have not been vaccinated.

Queue Listen Now

News brief: isolation guidelines, John Madden, demand for new cars

5:55am December 29, 2021

The new CDC isolation guidelines raise concerns among health experts. NFL Hall of Fame coach and iconic sports broadcaster John Madden dies at 85. Consumers are having a tough time buying new cars.

Queue Listen Now

Commuters wearing face masks ride an escalator at a subway station in the central business district in Beijing. Caseloads of omicron have remained relatively low in many parts in Asia.

Asia is keeping omicron at bay, but a surge may be inevitable

12:51am December 29, 2021

by The Associated Press

Much of Asia has managed to keep omicron in check even as the variant rages elsewhere, but the region that is home to most of the globe's population is bracing for what may be an inevitable surge.

A line forms at a walk-up COVID-19 testing site last week at Farragut Square, just blocks from the White House.

The nation's capital has the highest COVID risk level in the country

9:43pm December 28, 2021

Washington, D.C., is considered the highest-risk place for COVID infection in the nation. Data shows D.C. had 1,192 new cases per day and 169 cases per 100,000 in the seven-day period ending Monday.

A healthcare worker administers a COVID-19 PCR test at a free test site in Farragut Square on Dec. 28 in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, the CDC revised data reflecting the prevalence of the omicron variant in new COVID-19 cases.

The CDC slashes estimates of omicron's prevalence in the U.S.

8:50pm December 28, 2021

by Vanessa Romo

New data from the CDC released on Tuesday, shows that while omicron remains the dominant variant, delta – which is the more severe strain – is still a worrisome driving force behind the current surge.