'Waiting To Get Your Booster Is A Bad Idea': Local Experts Weigh In On Omicron COVID Variant
The data is preliminary, but it appears to be highly contagious, possibly more than delta.
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The data is preliminary, but it appears to be highly contagious, possibly more than delta.
"This thing has mutated like crazy," said Dr. Robert Murphy, an infectious disease specialist with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "There's at least 30 mutations in the spike protein. This is like way more than any other variant."
The omicron variant has been detected in at least 14 countries, prompting a travel ban from South Africa and seven other Southern African countries. The travel ban is effective Monday.
But lawyers in Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody's office and the Biden administration indicated they would rather fight it out at a federal appeals court.
The data showed 1,228 inpatients with COVID-19, down from 1,351 a week earlier.
A new COVID-19 variant with an unusually high number of mutations is not just sparking travel restrictions and shaking up global markets, but medical experts have designated it as a "variant of concern."
When people got reinfected with COVID-19, their odds of ending up in the hospital or dying were 90% lower than an initial COVID-19 infection, according to a new study.
The FDA says the products may contain benzene, which is a human carcinogen.
Protection from the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine wanes over time, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal.
CDC ensemble forecast predicts an increase in new COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations over the next four weeks.
According to data posted Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1,406 inpatients had COVID-19, up from 1,382 on Tuesday and 1,351 on Monday.
Heading into Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping rush, Florida had its lowest four-week run of new unemployment claims since before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The data showed that 1,382 hospital inpatients had COVID-19, up from 1,351 in a Monday count.
It's going to be packed in the air if predictions are correct, and that's why doctors are telling people to wear masks, and keep their hands clean.
More than 2.2 million people in Florida have gotten their additional shot. That's less than a quarter of those fully vaccinated.
Disney has suspended its COVID vaccine requirement for employees at Walt Disney World in Florida following a change in state law.
They contend that people who have recovered from the virus have enough immunity and antibodies to not need COVID-19 vaccines, and the concept has been invoked by Republicans as a sort of stand-in for vaccines.
Many families and friends looking to spend Thanksgiving together this year are wondering how to celebrate safely and whether to host a holiday gathering with loved ones who are unvaccinated for COVID-19.
If you are planning to get the COVD-19 booster shot, they will be available at a participating CVS or Walgreens pharmacy near you.
More than 61,000 Florida residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic started in early 2020, according to a report released Friday by the state Department of Health.
The number of Florida hospital inpatients with COVID-19 remained relatively flat this week after major decreases in September, October, and early November.
There are new COVID safety protocols for Miami-Dade County and Broward Public School students and staff.
The Food and Drug Administration moved to expand its emergency authorization of Pfizer's and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to all adults, the companies announced Friday, as health officials are clamoring to head off a potential new surge of cases this winter.
Calling the Biden administration's actions "reckless," Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a lawsuit challenging a federal requirement that workers at hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care providers be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference Thursday morning ahead of signing legislation banning vaccine mandates in the state.
Florida is experiencing one of its worst surges of dengue in decades, and the toll now includes a death.
William Reaves is set to be executed on Oct. 20 for shooting Deputy Richard Raczkowski 4 times in the back.
The 16-year-old who was shot is in critical but stable condition, deputies say.
The woman was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office says.
Duncan Sheik died on Thursday night, his family said.
Florida is experiencing one of its worst surges of dengue in decades, and the toll now includes a death.
William Reaves is set to be executed on Oct. 20 for shooting Deputy Richard Raczkowski 4 times in the back.
The 16-year-old who was shot is in critical but stable condition, deputies say.
The woman was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office says.
All of the dogs were safely removed from the home before the fire was eventually extinguished.
Former Cuban President Raúl Castro has reappeared in public at a military event celebrating an army branch's anniversary.
Diario Las Américas, a Miami-based Spanish-language newspaper, reported Tuesday that Castro is seriously ill, citing a confidential source in Cuba close to his inner circle.
A sign referencing Cuba was visible in surveillance footage of a gas pump fire at a Bird Road Chevron station.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.
Degnis Bofill, who won a 2022 Latin Grammy, is being held at the Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade County while his asylum case is pending.
Many Venezuelan immigrants are shunning Florida and turning instead to communities in places like Utah.
Alex Saab, 54, was deported in May by Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez to the U.S.
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife asked a judge to toss their drug trafficking indictment on the grounds that they have immunity as the leader and first lady of a foreign country.
The deal involves developing 17 strategic oil fields in Venezuela, an undertaking that experts said could take years.
President Trump announced a deal to grant the U.S. control of more than 60 billion barrels of proven Venezuelan oil reserves.
A former Republican Congressman turned Democrat, Jolly is running as a moderate voice, arguing that it is time for change after decades of Republican rule in Tallahassee.
Scott Singer, the former mayor of Boca Raton, discusses winning his primary and what's next in the race.
Former prosecutors question why a grand jury found $10 million misappropriated but charged no one.
The report found taxpayer money was routed through nonprofits and into political accounts, while Attorney General James Uthmeier faces fresh criticism over his role in the transfer.
Moskowitz discusses primary win, Democratic divide.
Nearly half of Americans with medical debt owe at least $2,000, forcing them to make tough choices, new research shows.
Affordable Care Act recipients in 30 states are set to receive the $500 checks starting in October. Here's why.
Employer health benefit costs are projected to see the steepest increase next year since 2003. That could mean higher deductions and out-of-pocket costs for workers.
Moderna and Merck announced study results that reflect a "landmark moment" in treatment for one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.
The notice from a U.S. government agency does not indicate in which stores the beef was sold.
AARP is sounding the alarm because it is so easy to fall for these schemes, but there are simple things everyone can do to protect themselves.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Florida insurance policyholders could be seeing some form of relief in their wallets thanks to market reforms made statewide, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The company said Tuesday that 85% of its retail products and "nearly all" of its school offerings are already made without "certified colors."
Less than two days after Delta Air Lines offered $30,000 to each passenger on board the flight that crashed and flipped in Toronto on Monday afternoon, the company is facing its first two lawsuits in the incident — and they likely won't be the last.
Duncan Sheik died on Thursday night, his family said.
Aaron Rowe, Beoga, Lukas Graham and Finneas all released statements Tuesday on Instagram saying they were withdrawing from Ed Sheeran's tour.
Performer Macklemore is being dropped from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour after making on-stage statements that some found controversial.
Dubbed the "Designer to the Stars," Bob Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and was nominated for three Oscars.
Stella Parton gives insight into her sister Dolly Parton's marriage, makeup habits and views on death in an exclusive CBS News interview.