COVID-19 contact tracing takes back seat during latest surge

Health officials say with the overwhelming number of new cases, they’re not able to track every case and instead try to focus on infections that could have exposed large numbers of people or vulnerable groups.

US intelligence agencies remain divided on origins of COVID-19

U.S. intelligence agencies are still divided on the origins of the coronavirus, but believe China’s leaders did not know about the virus before the start of the global pandemic.

Governor’s school mask-mandate ban illegal and unsupported, judge rules

A Florida judge ruled Governor Ron DeSantis's executive order banning mask mandates in schools was unconstitutional, while also rejecting many of the anti-mask claims DeSantis made when issuing the ban back in July.

Brutal benchmark: Arizona passes 1 million COVID-19 cases

The Arizona Department of Health Services on Friday reported 3,707 new cases of COVID-19 and 63 additional deaths. Over 18,000 deaths from the virus have now been reported.

End of eviction ban will allow pandemic lockouts to resume

After the Supreme Court struck down a COVID-19 eviction moratorium that was instituted by the CDC, some are preparing for what could be a wave of eviction requests.

COVID-19 cases jump at Arkansas schools in 2nd week of classes

Arkansas ranks fifth in the country for new virus cases per capita, according to researchers at John Hopkins University.

Rev. Jesse Jackson moved to rehab facility, wife moved to ICU following COVID-19 diagnosis

Rev. Jesse Jackson has been moved to a rehab facility, and his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, has been moved to the ICU following their recent COVID-19 diagnosis, their family announced Friday.

'It's mentally exhausting': Arizona nurse shares highs, lows of 18-months COVID-19 fight

A full 18 months into Arizona’s fight against the coronavirus, 1 million confirmed virus cases and more than 18,000 deaths later, ICU nurse Caroline Maloney is at times upbeat, at times dejected.

Kid Rock cancels Billy Bob’s concerts after he said band has COVID-19

Kid Rock’s shows at Billy Bob’s Texas this weekend have been canceled after he said “over half” of his band members have COVID-19.

Fed to end ultra-low interest rates if hiring keeps improving, Powell says

Should hiring continue to improve, Chair Jerome Powell said the Federal Reserve will dial back its ultra-low interest rates policies later this year.

‘He always followed her’: Polk husband dies a few days after wife’s death; both tested positive for COVID-19

A Polk County husband and wife who were battling COVID-19 for weeks passed away just a few days apart. Both had underlying health conditions and were unvaccinated. "I have such loving and beautiful angels looking over me now," their daughter said.

COVID-19 surge: South Dakota cases increase nearly 4 times over 2 weeks

The number of COVID-19 cases in South Dakota increased significantly over a span of two weeks following one of the most popular motorcycle enthusiast rallies in the country which drew hundreds of thousands of people.

COVID-19 vaccine efficacy wanes under delta variant, study shows

While the COVID-19 vaccines showed to be effective against the delta variant, their protection decreased over time, weakening significantly within three months.

CDC's COVID-19 eviction moratorium blocked by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is allowing evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Half of US workers favor COVID-19 vaccine mandate, AP-NORC poll finds

The poll shows that about 59% of remote workers favor vaccine requirements in their own workplaces, compared with 47% of those who are currently working in person.