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Coronavirus

Chicago’s COVID-19 fight with teachers hangs over a second week

CHICAGO (AP) — Talks between Chicago school leaders and the teachers’ union resumed Sunday amid a standoff over remote learning and other COVID-19 safety measures that canceled three days of classes and loomed over the start of another week in the nation’s third-largest district. Disputed issues included testing and metrics to close schools. The Chicago Teachers Union wants the option to revert to districtwide remote instruction, and most members have refused to teach in-person until there’s an agreement, or the latest COVID-19 spike subsides. But Chicago leaders reject ...

Stay home or work sick? Omicron poses a conundrum

(AP) — As the raging omicron variant of COVID-19 infects workers across the nation, millions of those whose jobs don’t provide paid sick days are having to choose between their health and their paycheck. While many companies instituted more robust sick leave policies at the beginning of the pandemic, some of those have since been scaled back with the rollout of the vaccines, even though omicron has managed to evade the shots. Meanwhile, the current labor shortage is adding to the pressure of workers having to decide whether to show up to their job sick if they can’t afford to ...

State uses CARES funds for COVID nursing

CHARLESTON — While still encouraging remaining West Virginians to get vaccinated for COVID-19 or get a booster shot if they’re already vaccinated, West Virginia officials are shifting focus to buoy the state’s healthcare system to handle severe cases. Gov. Jim Justice announced Tuesday during a COVID-19 briefing at the State Capitol Building a new incentive program to aggressively recruit, train, and retain nurses in West Virginia. “We know we have an incredible shortage of nurses,” Justice said. “So today, we’re announcing right now a really aggressive program ... ...

NYC mayor says ‘No more shutdowns’

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he’s committed to keeping the city open as it grapples with a huge spike in coronavirus cases. The Democrat said Tuesday that New York can’t see schools and businesses close again like they did when COVID-19 first hit the city in 2020. De Blasio has faced questions over the past week about whether he would reinstate closures the omicron variant has surged in the city. “Adamantly I feel this: No more shutdowns. We’ve been through them,” de Blasio said at a virtual news conference Tuesday. “They were devastating. ...

5 area deaths attributed to COVID-19

ELKINS — With the omicron variant present in West Virginia, local health officials are urging residents to use extra precaution when traveling and gathering with family members this holiday weekend. Three additional COVID-related deaths were confirmed in Randolph County, including a 37-year-old man, a 72-year-old woman and an 89-year-old man. West Virginia has seen a total of 5,191 deaths attributed to the coronavirus since the pandemic began, including 53 in Randolph County. The state Department of Health and Human Resources’ database also indicated that there were two ...

Fauci says omicron variant is ‘just raging around the world’

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The COVID-19 omicron variant is “just raging around the world,” the White House’s top medical adviser said Sunday as President Joe Biden prepares to issue “a stark warning of what the winter will look like” for unvaccinated Americans. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “the real problem” for the U.S. hospital system is that “we have so many people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated.” The prospect of a winter chilled by a ...