For months, scientists, public health officials, politicians and the general public have debated whether prior SARS-CoV-2 infection — touted as “natural immunity” — offers protection against COVID-19 that is comparable to vaccines. Yahoo News spoke to two experts about natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity in the time of Omicron. They explain what you can do to maximize your protection against the highly transmissible variant.
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, and just when new cases and hospitalizations in the U.S are on the decline, an Omicron subvariant called BA.2 is gaining significant traction in some parts of the world. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco explains what we know about it.
The government has confirmed it is investigating the BA.2 variant of Omicron, but due to its specific mutations, it is proving to be harder to track.
At this point of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the highly transmissible Omicron variant, it may be an all-too-familiar story: You know of a fully vaccinated household where some people tested positive for COVID — and others in the same household never tested positive at all. How is this possible? Yahoo News Medical Contributor and practicing internist Dr. Lucy McBride explains how people and the virus relate to one another in very different ways depending on various factors.
During the White House COVID-19 response team meeting on Wednesday, Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cited a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study that showed the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has a lower risk of severe illness and death compared with the Delta variant.
A new year is upon us, and with it, more discoveries as scientists race to fully understand potential threats the Omicron variant poses. Dr. Monica Gandhi, infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, sheds light on what is known about Omicron's transmissibility and severity and how current COVID-19 vaccines fare at preventing severe illness from the variant.
A fire station in Hampshire was left with no firefighters in the days after Christmas.
The prime minister said Plan B restrictions would remain in place for the time being.
The government has continued to resist calls to slash the isolation period after testing positive for COVID-19 to five days.
Professor Neil Ferguson said he is 'cautiously optimistic' that COVID cases in London have peaked.
A think tank has warned that the growing cost of living crisis could become catastrophic in 2022.
Modelling by experts at Warwick University suggests there could be 2,890 deaths per day by mid-January under current 'Plan B' restrictions.
Experts have raised concerns about shortages in COVID-19 tests ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations.
The prime minister said New Year's Eve celebrations can still go ahead, but added that the public should take precautions.
Jenny Harries said the government might consider factors including how much of the workforce is having to isolate.
As Boris Johnson rules out new restrictions in England before Christmas, how do current restrictions compare with the rest of Europe?
Some 106,122 people were confirmed to have tested positive in a 24-hour period.
The former prime minister lambasted Brits refusing to get the vaccine.
On Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke with Yahoo News not only to discuss the implications of the now-dominant Omicron variant in the U.S., but also about how he and his family continue to receive death threats that are exacerbated by people like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Fox News hosts.
The chancellor's new COVID 'support package' has been slammed by experts.
Coronavirus cases are rising in young children, the latest government figures have revealed.
No 10 said advice could change for the millions of clinically extremely vulnerable people in the UK.
The prime minister ruled out immediate action, but said the “possibility of taking further action” remains on the table.
In the era of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant, many people may be questioning the safety of gathering even with those who are technically fully vaccinated against COVID but haven’t received a booster shot. So, to gather or not to gather? Yahoo News Medical Contributor Dr. Lucy McBride provides some guidance into how to navigate the holiday season this year at a time when Omicron is expected to become the dominant strain in the U.S. in the coming weeks.
It is the third day in a row that infections have hit a record high, with Omicron continuing to spread at an alarming rate.