Omicron evades Moderna vaccine too, study suggests, but boosters help The Moderna vaccine's ability to shield against infection drops sharply when tested on the omicron variant. But getting a booster pumps the protection back up again, new research suggests. Rob Stein
Omicron spreads faster than any other variant, WHO says. It's now in 77 countries "Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant," says WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Bill Chappell
800,000 Americans have died of COVID. Now the U.S. braces for an omicron-fueled spike The U.S. also surpassed 50 million COVID-19 cases, the most in the world. Two experts who raised early warnings discuss how the losses continue to deepen, despite the arrival of vaccines a year ago. Bill Chappell
Cornell shuts down its Ithaca campus after significant signs of omicron variant found The campus reported nearly 500 new cases of COVID-19 among the student body. The new omicron variant was detected "in a significant number" of positive tests, the university said. Jonathan Franklin
Remembering Reverend Turner of White Earth Nation, who died of COVID Reverend Irvin Doyle Turner, "Netamishkang," died from COVID although he was fully vaccinated. His sons Doyle and Stephen Turner share what their father meant to the people of the White Earth Nation. Jason Fuller
An ex-NFL player who killed 6 people and then himself had CTE, doctors say Boston University neuropathologists said Phillip Adams had chronic traumatic encephalopathy — a degenerative brain disease found in many former football players. Joe Hernandez
Vaccine protection vs. omicron infection may drop to 30% but does cut severe disease Data from 78,000 South Africans with COVID show the Pfizer vaccine is far less effective in preventing infection by the omicron variant. But there is still significant protection from severe illness. Michaeleen Doucleff
Pfizer data shows that its COVID-19 pill is effective against severe disease The research finds that the medicine, called Paxlovid, was effective in preventing hospitalization and death when taken by people with mild to moderate illness within a few days of symptoms. Scott Hensley
Pfizer has announced new results for a pill that fights COVID-19 Pfizer's analysis shows that the drug is good at keeping people at high risk of COVID-19 from getting worse. The pill is called Paxlovid. Pien Huang
How well does a COVID vaccine hold up against the omicron variant? Scientists in South Africa have found that the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections has dropped to about 30% for the omicron variant. Michaeleen Doucleff