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Blinken tests positive for COVID; has mild symptoms

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Wednesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner and related events over the weekend. Spokesman Ned Price said Blinken tested positive in a PCR test on Wednesday afternoon. Price said Blinken is fully vaccinated and is experiencing only mild symptoms. Blinken tested negative Tuesday and again earlier Wednesday morning with antigen tests but took the PCR test after developing symptoms. Blinken has not met in person with President Joe Biden for "several ...

What do we know about the new omicron mutant?

What do we know about the new omicron mutant? It's a descendant of the earlier super-contagious "stealth omicron" and has quickly gained ground in the United States. BA.2.12.1 was responsible for 29% of new COVID-19 infections nationally last week, according to data reported Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And it caused 58% of reported infections in the New York region. The variant has been detected in at least 13 other countries, but the U.S. has the highest levels of it so far. Scientists say it spreads even faster than stealth omicron. Cases are ...

Pandemic’s toll on mental health coming into view

BROWN COUNTY— In 2019, a survey of Minnesota middle school and high school students indicated 26% of them were living with an individual with depression or mental health issues. In the three years since, the need for mental health services has only increased, but finding available resources is a continued struggle. This information and other statistics on mental health were presented Tuesday during a presentation on Adverse Childhood Experiences. The presentation was offered by Heart of New Ulm’s Brown County Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Team in collaboration with the ...

CDC restates recommendation for masks on planes, trains

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Tuesday restated their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation. Americans age 2 and older should wear a well-fitting masks while on public transportation, including in airports and train stations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended, citing the current spread of coronavirus and projections of future COVID-19 trends. For months, the Transportation Security Administration had been enforcing a ...

Taiwan faces largest COVID-19 outbreak yet

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan, which had been living mostly free of COVID-19, is now facing its worst outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic with over 11,000 new cases reported Thursday. Cases have been on the upswing since late March. In April, the island’s central authorities announced that they would no longer maintain a “zero-COVID” policy like the Chinese government’s in which they would centrally quarantine positive cases. Instead, the government is asking people to quarantine at home if they test positive, unless they show moderate to severe symptoms. Chen ...

Moderna seeks to be 1st with COVID shots for littlest kids

Moderna is seeking to be the first to offer COVID-19 vaccine for the youngest American children, as it asked the Food and Drug Administration Thursday to clear low-dose shots for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Frustrated families are waiting impatiently for a chance to protect the nation's littlest kids as all around them people shed masks and other public health precautions -- even though highly contagious coronavirus mutants continue to spread. Already about three-quarters of children of all ages show signs they've been infected at some point during the pandemic. Moderna ...