FDA clears COVID booster shot for healthy kids ages 5 to 11
U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized a COVID-19 booster shot for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds, hoping an extra vaccine dose will enhance their protection as infections once again creep upward.
Keiki booster shots could begin soon
Booster shots for keiki ages 5-11 could be coming to the Big Island as early as next week, pending approval by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
US deaths from COVID hit 1 million, less than 2 1/2 years in
The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration.
Meatpackers ignored COVID-19 spread to keep operating, House report says
The nation’s biggest meatpackers ignored warnings that COVID-19 was spreading through their plants, hyped claims of impending shortages and helped draft a Trump administration order to keep the facilities running during the early days of the pandemic, a congressional investigation found.
Char: Graduations could fuel COVID spike
State Health Director Libby Char said Friday she’s concerned the recent statewide rise in COVID-19 cases will become more pronounced during graduation season.
Biden marks COVID ‘tragic milestone’ in US at global summit
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden appealed to world leaders at a COVID-19 summit Thursday to reenergize a lagging international commitment to attacking the virus as he led the U.S. in marking the “tragic milestone” of 1 million deaths in America. He ordered flags lowered to half-staff and warned against complacency around the globe.
COVID spike ‘a cause for concern’ for DOE schools
Masking requirements will remain in place for graduation ceremonies and summer school, according to interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi and State Epidemiologist Sarah Kemble.
Pandemic gets tougher to track as COVID testing plunges
Testing for COVID-19 has plummeted across the globe, making it much tougher for scientists to track the course of the pandemic and spot new, worrisome viral mutants as they emerge and spread.
Rare cases of COVID returning pose questions for Pfizer pill
As more doctors prescribe Pfizer’s powerful COVID-19 pill, new questions are emerging about its performance, including why a small number of patients appear to relapse after taking the drug.
Nearly 1 million COVID-19 deaths: A look at the US numbers
Doug Lambrecht was among the first of the nearly 1 million Americans to die from COVID-19. His demographic profile — an older white male with chronic health problems — mirrors the faces of many who would be lost over the next two years.
71 COVID patients in Hawaii hospitals considered manageable
HONOLULU — There are currently 71 people statewide hospitalized with COVID-19, including five in intensive care units. Less than a month ago, there were no coronavirus cases in intensive care, Hawaii News Now reported.
WHO: Nearly 15 million deaths associated with COVID-19
LONDON — The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 15 million people were killed either by coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems during the first two years of the pandemic, more than double the current official death toll of over 6 million.
FDA restricts J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine due to blood clot risk
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators on Thursday strictly limited who can receive Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine due to the ongoing risk of rare but serious blood clots.
Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved
NEW YORK — An increase in COVID-19 infections around the U.S. has sent more cities into new high-risk categories that are supposed to trigger indoor mask wearing, but much of the country is stopping short of bringing back restrictions amid deep pandemic fatigue.
Public school students face strict COVID rules for year-end events
HONOLULU — Hawaii public schools are enforcing pandemic restrictions that go beyond recommendations from state and federal health officials.
Fauci: US in ‘a different moment’ but pandemic not over
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday the coronavirus is under better control in the United States. but the pandemic isn’t over — and the challenge is how to keep improving the situation.
CDC estimates 3 in 4 kids have had coronavirus infections
NEW YORK — Three out of every four U.S. children have been infected with the coronavirus and more than half of all Americans had signs of previous infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers estimated in a report Tuesday.
Antiviral pills to fight severe COVID available in Hawaii
HONOLULU — Hawaii doctors, like physicians elsewhere in the U.S., have been prescribing antiviral pills to COVID-19 patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms of the disease. But only those at high risk of developing severe illness are eligible to receive the drugs.
COVID shots still work but researchers hunt new improvements
COVID-19 vaccinations are at a critical juncture as companies test whether new approaches like combination shots or nasal drops can keep up with a mutating coronavirus — even though it’s not clear if changes are needed.
COVID-19 cases are rising sharply again — should we worry?
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Here we go again?
