Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a vaccine mandate for many health care workers Employers won't have to require their workers to get the COVID vaccine or get regularly tested. The Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration's push to get more of the private sector vaccinated. Andrea Hsu
We asked how you're feeling about Covid these days. This is what you told us There's a meme going around: "Omicron means parents are doing it all again. Isolde Raftery
Quebec's 'unvaxxed tax' has people rushing to get vaccinated Quebec has reported the most COVID-19 deaths of any Canadian province. Only around 10% of its population is unvaccinated, but they make up 50% of all intensive care cases. Bill Chappell
Biden announces plans to buy 500 million more COVID tests and to offer free masks The new order doubles the number of tests the White House plans to buy — for a total of 1 billion kits. Biden said a website will launch next week so Americans can order the free tests. Brian Naylor
With omicron so transmissible, experts warn everyone to up their mask game The CDC is expected to recommend that Americans to upgrade their masks to high-efficiency respirators. But how do you find one that fits you — and is legit? Maria Godoy
Covid updates for today: The myth that coronavirus strains get milder A Covid myth we all want to believe, school closures, and an interesting factoid about symptoms. KUOW Staff
Coronavirus FAQ: Why are some folks hacking home COVID tests by swabbing their throat? The FDA-approved tests call for a nasal swab. Some doctors are tweeting that they're doing a throat swab, too — though they don't recommend this step to the public. Here's a look at the swab debate. Sheila Mulrooney Eldred
Chicago kids back in class after 5-day standoff between teachers' union and officials COVID safety concerns led to a five-day stalemate between Chicago's teachers union and school and city officials. Kids are back in school. Both sides are weighing whether it was the right decision. Susie An
Public health experts say most of us will get COVID-19, what does that mean? Public health experts say COVID-19 won't be eradicated, but studies show the omicron variant is less severe than delta, and there are ways to manage the disease — which will become predictable. Ari Shapiro
Why omicron may cause less harm — and what it means for the future of the pandemic There's growing evidence that omicron causes less severe disease than previous variants. Does that mean SARS-CoV-2 is evolving into a more mild virus? Will future surges be less deadly and disruptive? Michaeleen Doucleff