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Tue. 10:30 a.m.: US expected to authorize mix-and-match COVID booster shots

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators are expected to authorize the mixing and matching of COVID-19 booster shots this week in an effort to provide flexibility for those seeking to maintain protection against the coronavirus. The upcoming announcement by the Food and Drug Administration is likely to come along with authorization for boosters of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots and follows the authorization of a third dose for the Pfizer vaccine for many Americans last month. The move was previewed today by a U.S. health official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to ...

Tue. 9:31 a.m.: New Zealand hits virus high, pushes vaccination as way out

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand counted its most new coronavirus cases of the pandemic today as an outbreak in its largest city grew and officials urged vaccinations as a way out of Auckland's two-month lockdown. Health officials found 94 new local infections, eclipsing the 89 ...

Mon. 8:55 a.m.: Russia’s coronavirus infections exceed 8 million

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's total number of coronavirus infections has topped 8 million, more than 5 percent of the population, and the daily infection toll hit a new record. The national coronavirus task force said today that 34,325 new infections over the past day raised the pandemic-long total to 8,027,012. It also said 998 people died of COVID-19 in the previous day, bringing the total number of deaths to 224,310. The death toll is minutely lower than the record 1,002 tallied on Saturday, but shows the country continuing to struggle with the virus as vaccination rates remain low. ...

COVID-19 cases fall; hospitals remain full

The number of COVID-19 cases in the state is declining, but hospitals remain filled with patients with the virus, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the Ohio Department of Health’s director. “It is far too early for us to claim victory,” he said Thursday. “While cases are declining, the situation in our hospitals remains very serious.” Vanderhoff said: “It appears the delta surge has in fact plateaued. Nevertheless, we continue to see very high numbers of COVID-19 cases and hosptalizations.” Hospitals in the state “continue to face capacity challenges,” he said. About one ...

COVID-19 cases decline in Mahoning County facilities

Mahoning County nursing homes and assisted-living facilities saw a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases this week, dropping from 56 cases last week to 35 this week. But the number of cases doubled at Youngstown’s private prison, the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, from 11 cases to 22. According to data provided to the Ohio Department of Health, there were no additional COVID-19 deaths this week at any of the nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in the Mahoning Valley. No Mahoning County long-term-care facilities have high numbers of cases this week. Last week, ...

Fri. 10:31 a.m.: India reopens for foreign tourists as virus infections ebb

NEW DELHI (AP) — India reopened to fully vaccinated foreign tourists traveling on chartered flights today in the latest easing of its coronavirus restrictions as infection numbers decline. Foreign tourists on regular flights will be able to enter India starting Nov. 15. It is the first time India has allowed foreign tourists to enter the country since March 2020 when it imposed its first nationwide coronavirus lockdown. It is unclear whether arriving tourists will have to quarantine but they must be fully vaccinated and test negative for the virus within 72 hours of their ...