HEALTH

Japan’s government is preparing social restrictions in Tokyo and other regions as the omicron variant of the coronavirus infects more people.

Australia has reported a record high of COVID-19 deaths, and its second-largest state declared an emergency in hospitals to cope with surging patient admissions and a staffing shortage due to the coronavirus.

Hong Kong authorities say they will kill about 2,000 small animals, including hamsters, after several tested positive for the coronavirus at a pet store where an employee was also infected.

An Israeli hospital says preliminary research indicates a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine provides only limited defense against the omicron variant that's raging around the world.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting for his career and he has one constant refrain: Wait for Sue Gray.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has canceled her in-person appointments at the European Parliament this week after her driver tested positive for COVID-19.

To his critics, Novak Djokovic has been cavalier and reckless in the face of a deadly pandemic.

Scientists warn that omicron’s whirlwind spread across the globe practically ensures it won’t be the last worrisome coronavirus variant.

The White House is pushing ahead with efforts to prod people to get COVID-19 shots after the Supreme Court put a halt to the administration’s sweeping vaccinate-or-test plan for large employers.

Former tennis star Chris Evert says she was diagnosed with an early stage of ovarian cancer.

U.S. health officials have updated their mask guidance, encouraging more Americans to wear N95 or KN95 masks.

The White House says the federal website where Americans can request free COVID-19 tests will begin accepting orders on Wednesday.

The Russian government has decided to delay a controversial bill requiring QR codes confirming vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 to access public places, despite surging cases and warnings from top officials about the highly infectious omicron variant.

Milan fashion houses were charting a path out of the pandemic that included a menswear calendar packed with 22 live runway shows and another 18 physical presentations this month.

Italy, Spain and other European countries are reinstating or stiffening mask mandates as their hospitals struggle with mounting numbers of COVID-19 patients.

The Supreme Court has stopped a major push by the Biden administration to boost the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination rate, a requirement that employees at large businesses get a vaccine or test regularly and wear a mask on the job.

South Korea will slightly ease its coronavirus gathering restrictions starting next week but continue to maintain a 9 p.m. curfew on restaurants and entertainment venues as it braces for a possible surge in infections driven by the contagious omicron variant.

A Maryland hospital is defending its decision to transplant a pig's heart into a dying man following reports that the patient had a criminal record.

People looking for health insurance in the grip of the omicron surge have through Saturday to sign up for taxpayer-subsidized private coverage under the Obama-era Affordable Care Act.

A new study offers stronger evidence that one of the world's most common viruses may set some people on the path to developing multiple sclerosis.

ABC News is under fire for how it edited an interview that CDC Director Rochelle Walensky gave to “Good Morning America.”.

Two brand-new COVID-19 pills that were supposed to be an important weapon against the pandemic in the U.S. are in short supply and have played little role in the fight against the omicron wave of infections.

England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, one of the scientists who led the U.K.’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, will leave his role in March.

President Joe Biden says the government plans to double to 1 billion the rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to be distributed free to Americans.

South Korea has received its first supply of Pfizer’s antiviral COVID-19 pills to treat patients with mild or moderate symptoms.

British scientists hunting down coronavirus variants have a new mission: sharing their expertise with others around the world.

Most access to a major city adjacent to Beijing was suspended Thursday as China tried to contain an outbreak of a highly contagious coronavirus variant.

A federal court has again rejected a Louisiana pastor's lawsuit over Gov. John Bel Edwards' past COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings.

Officials across the U.S. are again weighing how and whether to impose mask mandates as COVID-19 infections soar and the American public grows weary of pandemic-related restrictions.

Former President Donald Trump says politicians who refuse to say whether they’ve received COVID-19 booster shots are “gutless.”.