Covid blog updates today: Price gouging on test kits Also, Covid will likely become endemic, like the flu. KUOW Staff
The Biden administration will give out 400 million free N95 masks The high-quality masks will go to pharmacies and community health centers starting this week in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19. Rachel Treisman
Has omicron peaked in Washington? Possibly. The view from the Covid tunnel ‘The most recent estimate statewide is that 88,000 people are currently positive statewide. That’s one of the highest rates of the pandemic, but the surge may have slowed down since then.’ Paige Browning
Boris Johnson faces scrutiny for attending social gatherings that broke COVID rules British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing increasingly harsh criticism from members of his own party following a series of scandals in which he and his associates ignored COVID-19 protocols. Frank Langfitt
Patients are dying while waiting for specialized care because hospitals are full Massachusetts hospitals have been struggling for weeks in a coronavirus-driven surge. Now, there are reports of patients dying because they couldn't be transferred to higher-level care. Martha Bebinger
In Afghanistan, a food crisis is worsening NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Filipe Ribeiro, the Afghanistan representative for Doctors Without Borders, to hear about the severe lack of food the country is facing. Christopher Intagliata
Arkansas inmates are suing after being given ivermectin to treat COVID-19 Ivermectin has been hailed as a "wonder drug" for treating parasitic infections, but leading medical experts say the same isn't true for treating COVID-19 infections. Joe Hernandez
Covid updates today: Cases down 20% in Seattle area Also: Drop in student test scores since pandemic started KUOW Staff
Fauci says COVID-19 won't go away like smallpox, but will more likely become endemic The White House's top medical advisor says the virus won't go away entirely. Instead, it should eventually hit a level where it "doesn't disrupt our normal social, economic and other interactions." Scott Neuman
Beijing is preparing to keep the Winter Olympic Games, ideally, COVID-free The country with some of the world's strictest COVID-19 policies is gearing up to host the Winter Olympics amid a rise in global omicron infections. Here's how Beijing is preparing. Emily Feng