Much of Shanghai locked down as mass COVID-19 testing begins
BEIJING (AP) — China began locking down most of its largest city of Shanghai on Monday as a coronavirus outbreak surges and amid questions about the economic toll of the nation’s “zero-COVID” strategy.
‘A burst of joy’: Lifting of indoor mask mandate, Safe Travels program restores sense of normality
Hawaii’s indoor mask mandate and the Safe Travels program — the state’s only remaining COVID-19 restrictions — officially ended Saturday.
Affordable housing, long overlooked, getting federal boost
BOSTON — After her home flooded five times in the past year, Tilicia Owens was on edge with every impending storm and ready to leave her Detroit neighborhood behind.
Experts worry about how US will see next COVID surge coming
NEW YORK — As coronavirus infections rise in some parts of the world, experts are watching for a potential new COVID-19 surge in the U.S. — and wondering how long it will take to detect.
Rich countries getting new COVID vaccine before poorer ones
NEW DELHI — The company behind a COVID-19 vaccine touted as a key tool for the developing world has sent tens of millions of doses to wealthy nations but provided none yet to the U.N.-backed effort to supply poorer countries, a sign that inequity persists in the global response to the pandemic.
Pandemic relief money spent on hotel, ballpark, ski slopes
WASHINGTON — Thanks to a sudden $140 million cash infusion, officials in Broward County, Florida, recently broke ground on a high-end hotel that will have views of the Atlantic Ocean and an 11,000-square-foot spa.
Moderna: low-dose COVID shots work for kids under 6
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine works in babies, toddlers and preschoolers, the company announced Wednesday — a development that could pave the way for the littlest kids to be vaccinated by summer if regulators agree.
Scientists worry virus variant may push up US COVID cases
With coronavirus cases rising in parts of Europe and Asia, scientists worry that an extra-contagious version of the omicron variant may soon push cases up in the United States too.
Doctors finding hurdles to using pills to treat COVID-19
High-risk COVID-19 patients now have new treatments they can take at home to stay out of the hospital — if doctors get the pills to them fast enough.
China reports first COVID-19 deaths in more than a year
BEIJING (AP) — China’s health authorities reported two COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, the first since January 2021, as the country battles its worst outbreak in two years driven by a surge in the highly transmissible omicron variant.
Understaffing leaves after-school programs with unmet demand
The return to classrooms for the nation’s schoolchildren has not meant a return to work for many of their parents who, with workdays that outlast school days, are finding crucial after-school programs in short supply.
Biden’s St. Patrick’s Day scrambled by Irish PM’s COVID case
WASHINGTON — Call him a disappointed extrovert. President Joe Biden had to settle for meeting virtually Thursday with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin after the visiting leader’s positive test for COVID-19 scrambled plans to mark St. Patrick’s Day at the White House.
Japanese are eager to visit Hawaii: Lifting of restrictions there removes major barrier to travel
With Japan dropping its emergency COVID-19 restrictions next week, visitors from the country could start to return to Hawaii en masse as soon as next month.
DOH: 1,092 new COVID cases statewide over the past seven days
Just over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Hawaii between March 9 and March 16, according to state Department of Health data.
Just over 1,000 new COVID cases statewide last week, over 100 on Big Island
There have been just over 1,000 new COVID cases over the past week, according to state Department of Health data.
China battles multiple outbreaks, driven by stealth omicron
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China banned most people from leaving a coronavirus-hit northeastern province and mobilized military reservists Monday as the fast-spreading “stealth omicron” variant fuels the country’s biggest outbreak since the start of the pandemic two years ago.
For kids with COVID-19, everyday life can be a struggle
WASHINGTON — Eight-year-old Brooklynn Chiles fidgets on the hospital bed as she waits for the nurse at Children’s National Hospital. The white paper beneath her crinkles as she shifts to look at the medical objects in the room. She’s had the coronavirus three times, and no one can figure out why.
In America, a few days in March 2020 echo two years later
The conversations went like this: It will be just a few days. It can be kept at bay. There will be some inconvenience, sure, but the world will merely be paused — just a short break, out of an abundance of caution, and certainly not any kind of major grinding to a halt. Certainly not for two years.
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:
2 years into pandemic, world takes cautious steps forward
PORTLAND, Ore. — With COVID-19 case numbers plummeting, Emily Safrin did something she hadn’t done since the pandemic began two years ago: She put her fears aside and went to a concert.
