These are the numbers health officials are watching at this point in the pandemic In the midst of record COVID case numbers in the U.S., biostatistician Natalie Dean walks us through how to assess the metrics. Christopher Intagliata
Omicron update The Omicron variant is spreading quickly, and it’s likely there'll be a significant increase in cases over the next couple of weeks. UW Medicine's Dr. Christine Johnston gives us an update. Patricia Murphy
Child care is getting more support from some private companies Some corporations are trying harder to help provide child care for families. Camila Beiner
What do new public health guidelines from the CDC mean for your family? NPR's A Martinez speaks with Leana Wen, a physician and George Washington University public health professor, about CDC isolation guidance and advice for a possible post-holiday COVID-19 surge.
A shepherd in Germany enlisted her flock in a COVID vaccine campaign With the help of arranged food, the shepherd herded her sheep and goats to create a 330-foot syringe. The animals joined Germany's drive to encourage more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Congress' doctor urges lawmakers to work remotely and upgrade masks as omicron rages The move follows an unprecedented spike in positivity rates in the Capitol, and mirrors record-high infection rates throughout Washington D.C., driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. Vanessa Romo
A hockey fan spotted a staffer's suspicious mole from the stands, saving his life Kraken fan and future medical student Nadia Popovici alerted Canucks staffer Brian Hamilton to a suspicious mole, which turned out to be cancerous. The teams surprised her with a $10,000 scholarship. Rachel Treisman
FDA authorizes a Pfizer booster shot for children ages 12 to 15 The agency also shortened the time between the completion of primary vaccination of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose, down to five months from six. Scott Hensley
Quebec begins retail store closures amid new COVID-19 wave Quebec proceeded with the first of three planned closures of non-essential retail stores Sunday as the government tries to curb a new wave of COVID-19 driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant. The Associated Press
CDC could add a negative test to its new isolation guidelines, Fauci says The CDC recently cut the number of days it recommends COVID-positive people remain in isolation from 10 days to five, but it didn't require a negative test to leave isolation. Joe Hernandez
