How Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant, got its name
A new term entered the pandemic lexicon Friday: omicron. The COVID-19 variant that emerged in South Africa was named after the Greek alphabet’s 15th letter. The World Health Organization intentionally skipped two letters before omicron, “nu” and “xi,” because nu is confused with “new” and xi is a common last name. The naming system, announced by the WHO in May, makes public communication about variants easier, experts said. There are now seven “variants of interest” or “variants of concern,” and they each have a Greek letter, although they do not replace the technical names, which are important for scientists.
As COVID infections spread, nursing homes lag behind on booster shots
Several states are experiencing new surges in COVID cases, especially in the Midwest and the Northeast. And fresh outbreaks have been reported this month at nursing homes in Vermont, Virginia and elsewhere despite a monthslong vaccination rate nationwide of about 86% among residents in skilled nursing facilities. Booster programs have taken on more urgency given that nearly 4,000 new COVID cases are reported every week in nursing homes, according to federal data, and experts say many of the case clusters are occurring in homes that have yet to administer the extra doses.
Democrats struggle to energize base as frustrations mount
Democrats across the party are raising alarms about sinking support among some of their most loyal voters, warning the White House and congressional leadership that they are falling short on campaign promises and leaving their base unsatisfied and unmotivated before next year’s midterm elections. President Joe Biden has achieved some major victories, signing a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill and moving a nearly $2 trillion social policy and climate change bill through the House. But some Democrats are warning that many of the voters who put them in control of the federal government last year may see little incentive to return to the polls in the midterms.
$1M raised to help Missouri man exonerated after 43 years
Kevin Strickland left a Missouri prison penniless Tuesday after serving over 40 years for a triple murder he did not commit, but more than 20,000 strangers have donated a total of $1.3 million to an online fundraiser to help his reentry to society. He was exonerated without DNA evidence, which disqualified him from being compensated by the state. Strickland, 62, said Friday the community did not owe him anything for his imprisonment. “The courts failed me, and that’s who should be trying to make my life a little more comfortable,” he said. “I really do appreciate the donations and contributions they made to try to help me acclimate to society.”
As Omicron variant circles the globe, African nations are banned
Nations in southern Africa watched Saturday as more of the world’s wealthiest countries cut them off from travel. A new coronavirus variant called omicron, first detected in Botswana, put governments on edge after South Africa announced a surge of cases this past week. Bearing a concerning number of mutations that researchers fear could make it spread easily, omicron was spotted Saturday in Britain, Germany and Italy. Australia, Thailand and Sri Lanka were among the latest countries Saturday to join the United States, Britain and the European Union in banning travelers from South Africa and nearby countries.
3 bodies found amid violence in Solomon Islands
After days of riots in the Solomon Islands during which protesters called for Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to resign, set buildings ablaze and looted stores, authorities on Saturday said they had found the bodies of three people in a burned-out building. They are the first reported deaths after days of violent protests in Honiara, the nation’s capital. The decision by the Solomon Islands’ central government to switch its diplomatic relationship from Taiwan to China in 2019 was the driving force behind the protests, according to experts, with the move exacerbating social and political fault lines dividing the nation.
Israel and Iran broaden cyberwar to attack civilian targets
For years, Israel and Iran have engaged in a covert war — by land, sea, air and computer — but the targets have usually been military- or government-related. Now the war has widened to target civilians. In recent weeks, a cyberattack on Iran’s nationwide fuel distribution system paralyzed the country’s 4,300 gas stations, which took 12 days to have service restored. That attack was attributed to Israel by two U.S. defense officials. It was followed by cyberattacks in Israel against a medical facility and an LGBTQ dating site — attacks that Israeli officials have attributed to Iran.
By wire sources
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