COVID-19 boosters shots are on track to become as frequent as the annual flu shot, though high-risk people may need more than one dose per year, Biden administration officials said Tuesday. Read more»

Arizonans can expect to line up for the new Omicron-aimed COVID-19 booster shot as soon as next week - with the state having pre-ordered 35,400 doses - now that the vaccines have been approved for deployment by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more»

Federal public health officials said Thursday they are working with state and local health departments to boost messaging and vaccinations for those most likely to contract monkeypox, including at large-scale events. Read more»

Following a new recommendation from the CDC, officials in Pima County are making additional COVID booster shots available for immunocompromised people and those over 50 at four sites managed by the Health Department. Read more»

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention loosened federal mask-wearing requirements throughout the U.S., signaling a more relaxed era of the pandemic for approximately 70% of Americans who live where transmission of the virus is considered low or medium risk. Read more»

The federal government will likely update its guidance on masking and other COVID-19 mitigation efforts in the coming weeks as the Omicron surge continues to wane, U.S. public health officials indicated Wednesday. Read more»

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study Friday that shows COVID-19 booster shots begin to become less effective against the Omicron variant after about four months but still provide substantial protection against hospitalization. Read more»

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing guidance for governors about when to relax masking and other measures meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, but doesn’t want to release those instructions just yet. Read more»

An Arizona House committee voted Wednesday to advance legislation that would ban school districts from imposing mask mandates on children amid similar actions across the country and a declining number of COVID-19 cases. Read more»

Public health officials are recommending that people upgrade from cloth to higher-quality medical-grade masks as the Omicron variant is sweeping the U.S., causing a huge spike in COVID-19 cases and overwhelming hospital systems. Read more»

Los funcionarios de salud pública recomiendan que las personas pasen de tela a máscaras médicas de mayor calidad, ya que la variante Omicron está arrasando en los EE. UU., causando un gran aumento en los casos de COVID-19 y abrumando los sistemas hospitalarios. Read more»

Though COVID-19 has claimed around 830,000 lives in the United States, only two states have added COVID-19 vaccines to the list of immunizations mandated for schoolchildren - the main reason, experts say, is they are wary of opening another front in the wars over mandates. Read more»

One day after the number of COVID-19 cases reached a pandemic high in the United States, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky defended this week's announcement of shortened isolation and quarantine stints for people who have tested positive for or been exposed to the virus. Read more»

People exposed to COVID-19 who aren't vaccinated, and those who test positive but don't have symptoms should isolate and quarantine for five days, followed by five days of strict mask use, the CDC announced Monday. Read more»

Twenty-five states have identified cases of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, federal public health officials said Friday as they released new data on the first 43 U.S. cases - but officials emphasized that the highly transmissible Delta variant still remains the main threat. Read more»