Novel Coronavirus

Some retail pharmacies, which are distributing the majority of coronavirus vaccines in the United States, report struggling to cope with the uptick in demand amid labor shortages.

Is it more transmissible? Does it make people sicker? Scientists are working to find answers.

In New York, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 statewide each day for the virus has doubled in the last 30 days, with most cases traced to the delta variant.

As a virus evolves to become more transmissible, it generally “loses” traits that are likely to cause severe disease, researchers said.

The ordinance included a stipulation that it would end before the 60-day mark if two of Anchorage’s three hospitals had stopped operating under crisis standards for 14 consecutive days.

Capstone Clinic, a Mat-Su medical provider with a statewide presence, is the city’s new test provider after municipal officials opted to privatize rather than continue with the prior contractor.

Current hospitalization numbers, at 71 patients with active cases, represent a significant decrease from the average of more than 200 reported in September and October.

One of the study’s authors said coronavirus vaccines are likely to still offer the most effective protection against severe disease and death.

Omicron cases have been identified in at least five people in the New York City area, plus one resident each from Minnesota, Colorado and Hawaii.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services also announced the extension of a contract with almost 500 out-of-state workers into January.

While all eyes are on the omicron variant, the delta variant isn’t finished wreaking havoc in the U.S., sending record numbers of patients to the hospital in the Midwest and New England.

The rare but sometimes deadly clots led to pauses in the vaccine’s rollout last year in Europe, and had public health experts worried it could fuel hesitancy.

A new company, Capstone Family Medicine, will conduct testing at a new site on C Street, part of a larger overhaul that officials say is more cost-effective.

Alaska on Wednesday reported one death and 336 new cases of COVID-19 as state health officials said they’re continuing to monitor for the omicron variant.

The U.S. recorded its first confirmed case of the omicron variant Wednesday — a person in California who had been to South Africa — as scientists around the world raced to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus is more dangerous than previous ones.

As officials wait to learn more about the new omicron variant, Alaska health officials continue to stress the importance of getting vaccinated.

It will take weeks and months — and the work of a legion of scientists across the globe — to begin to know whether the omicron variant will change the course of the pandemic, and how.

Economic powerhouses Japan and France reported their first cases of the omicron variant Tuesday, while new findings indicated the mutant coronavirus had already slipped into Europe close to a week before South Africa sounded the alarm.

The omicron variant has not yet been detected in the U.S., although experts say they fully expect it. Confirmed cases already have been reported in the Canadian province of Ontario.

The new variant has not yet been detected anywhere in the United States, including Alaska.

The World Health Organization says it could still take some time to get a full picture of the threat posed by omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus as scientists worldwide scramble to assess its multiple mutations.

The preliminary assessment says the variant’s mutations could make it more transmissible and better able to evade the body’s immune defenses, but many questions remain.

That campaign is likely to involve messages urging people to get boosters and efforts to make sure the shots are available in as many locations as possible.

Many governments have rushed to close their borders even as scientists cautioned that it’s not clear if the new variant is more alarming than other versions of the virus.

The new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries on Saturday, just days after being identified in South Africa, leaving governments around the world scrambling to stop the spread.