Summer camps hit with COVID outbreaks -- are schools next?

The U.S. has seen a string of COVID-19 outbreaks tied to summer camps in recent weeks in places such as Texas, Illinois, Florida, Missouri and Kansas, in what some fear could be a preview of the upcoming school year.

Study: COVID causes brain changes

New report says COVID-19 causes significant molecular changes in the human brain, but leaves no molecular trace of itself in brain tissue.

FDA, CDC: More Americans must get vaccinated; too soon for boosters

FDA and CDC, in a joint statement, said that several parts of the U.S. need to focus on getting more Americans vaccinated in the first place.

Several countries in Asia reinstate COVID-19 restrictions amid rapid infections

Several countries around Asia and the Pacific that are experiencing their first major surges of the coronavirus have rushed to implement tough restrictions.

California will still require masks inside schools, despite new CDC guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings, but despite that California said its mask guidance for schools will remain in place.

Current COVID-19 vaccine program has saved nearly 300K lives, researchers estimate

A recent study from the Yale School of Public Health and the Commonwealth Fund estimates that without the current COVID-19 vaccine program, the U.S. would have added nearly 300,000 more people to its death toll.

Fauci says all 3 COVID-19 vaccines effective against delta variant

The delta variant is spreading in the U.S., particularly in areas with low vaccination rates, and has become the most dominant strain in the country.

Fans banned at Tokyo Olympics after officials declare state of emergency

Fans were banned from the postponed Tokyo Olympics set to open in just two weeks after a state of emergency was declared on Thursday.

US unemployment claims tick up to 373,000 from a pandemic low

U.S. unemployment claims rose slightly last week by 2,000 to a total of 373,000, even as the economy and the job market appear to be rebounding.

Free samples are back, but now with safety in mind

When the pandemic was declared in March 2020, retailers worried about the potential spread of the coronavirus so they cut off free sampling of everything from food to makeup to toys

Global COVID-19 death toll passes 4 million people

The global death toll from the novel coronavirus has surpassed a staggering 4 million people, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Pandemic clothing purge boosts secondhand marketplaces

A wardrobe purge is on for some as vaccinations have taken hold, restrictions have lifted, and offices reopen or finalize plans to do so. The main beneficiaries are secondhand clothing marketplaces and brick-and-mortar donation spots. That continues a trend building for the last several years.

Some NYC unions boycott, criticize parade

Some groups are hoping Mayor Bill de Blasio's parade doesn't distract from issues they have with the treatment of city workers. At least two municipal unions said their members boycotted the parade entirely.

Delta variant now most common COVID-19 strain, CDC prediction suggests

The delta variant has likely surpassed the alpha variant as the most common linage of COVID-19 in the United States, according to CDC data.

NYC salutes pandemic essential workers with Hometown Heroes Parade

Thousands marched along the street and waved from floats moving up the Canyon of Heroes on Wednesday as New York City honored all pandemic essential workers with the ‘Hometown Heroes Parade.’

Patio furniture shortage tells US economic tale

It’s almost the mirror opposite of the recovery from the Great Recession of 2007-2009, which was marred by slow growth but also the near-instant delivery of almost every imaginable product.

Smokers can light up again at Atlantic City casinos

Gamblers who smoke are once again lighting up inside Atlantic City's casinos, even as a renewed push is on by smoking opponents to prohibit it permanently. A year-long temporary ban on smoking at the casinos, inspired by the coronavirus outbreak last year, ended on Sunday.