Pfizer: COVID-19 pill remains effective against severe disease, omicron variant

Pfizer said its experimental COVID-19 pill Paxlovid reduced hospitalizations and deaths by 89% among high-risk adults when taken shortly after initial symptoms.

ASU holds first full in-person graduation ceremonies since the pandemic began

Thousands of students walked across the stage in Tempe to finally receive the degrees they've worked hard for during their time at Arizona State University. Making it even more special, it was the first in-person ASU ceremony with family and friends since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Dignity, Valleywise, Honor healthcare systems postpone non-urgent surgeries amid COVID surge

The steady increase of COVID-19 cases in Arizona, and COVID patients needing hospitalizations, continues to strain Phoenix-area hospitals and some are choosing to pause non-urgent surgeries.

Air Force discharges 27 for refusing COVID-19 vaccine

The Air Force has discharged 27 people for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, making them what officials believe are the first service members to be removed for disobeying the mandate to get the shots.

Shrinking capacity forcing some Arizona hospitals to reevaluate surgical schedules
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Data from the Arizona Department of Health Services shows 96% of intensive care unit beds are full, leaving about 70 beds open statewide. Dignity Health says they are working to improve capacity and are evaluating surgeries daily. Elective surgeries were paused statewide earlier this year by an executive order, but that order was ended.

Smelling cat urine, chronic pain, and extreme fatigue: my experience with long-haul Covid

It's been more than seven months since Maurielle Lue was released from the hospital after recovering from COVID-19, but her long-haul symptoms have persisted well past the original illness. This is her story.

Arizona reports 2,391 new COVID-19 cases but no deaths

The state coronavirus dashboard on Dec. 13 reported 2,391 additional confirmed cases. But there were no new virus-related deaths.

South African president tests positive for COVID-19, has mild symptoms

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is self-isolating in Cape Town and is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service.

Arizona: Over 3,000 new COVID-19 cases for 12th day in a row

The 3,231 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases pushed Arizona’s total to 1,316,189 since the pandemic began with 23,040 known deaths so far.

Omicron variant appearing milder than delta, South African doctors say

In the two weeks since omicron first was reported in Southern Africa, other doctors have shared similar stories. All caution that it will take many more weeks to collect enough data to be sure, their observations and the early evidence offer some clues.

Arizona reports 3,775 additional COVID cases, 74 more deaths

The updated figures posted on the Department of Health Services’ coronavirus dashboard increased Arizona’s pandemic totals to 1,312,958 cases and 23,021 deaths.

Newsmaker Saturday - Congresswoman Debbie Lesko & Dr. Richard Carmona
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This week on Newsmaker Saturday, we check in with Congresswoman Debbie Lesko. Plus, we talk with Dr. Richard Carmona to find out more about the Omicron variant that has now been detected in Arizona.

Navajo president: Tribe can’t afford a large COVID-19 surge

Navajo Nation officials reported an additional 61 confirmed infections Friday and one more death. The total number of deaths now stands at 1,558.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court throws out mask mandate for schools

Pennsylvania schoolchildren may soon be attending classes unmasked under a state Supreme Court ruling Friday that threw out the Wolf administration's statewide mandate that face coverings be worn inside K-12 school buildings.

New York indoor mask mandate for places without vaccine requirement

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an indoor mask mandate Friday for all public places that do not require proof of vaccination.

West Valley COVID-19 vaccination activist dies from breakthrough case

Linda Cutright was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to her family, but suffered a breakthrough case that later took her life.

Scientists seek COVID-19 origin nearly 2 years into pandemic

Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the origin of the virus tormenting the world remains shrouded in mystery.

Google, Ford, other companies delay return-to-work plans amid omicron cases

Google and Ford are among those once again delaying their return-to-office plans, while other businesses whose workers are already back to the office are considering adding extra precautions like masks and COVID-19 testing.