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COVID-19

Shots give COVID-19 survivors big immune boost, studies show

Even people who have recovered from COVID-19 are urged to get vaccinated, especially as the extra-contagious delta variant surges — and a new study shows survivors who ignored that advice were more than twice as likely to get reinfected. Friday’s report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds to growing laboratory evidence that people who had one bout of COVID-19 get a dramatic boost in virus-fighting immune cells — and a bonus of broader protection against new mutants — when they’re vaccinated. “If you have had COVID-19 before, please still get ...

Florida OKs school vouchers in districts requiring masks

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s Board of Education decided Friday to provide private school vouchers to parents who say a public school district’s mask-wearing requirements amount to harassment of their children. The move to take private tuition costs from public school funding created yet another flashpoint in the fight between local school boards and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over coronavirus safety measures in schools. DeSantis has long supported efforts to expand school privatization and says parents should be able to decide how to provide for their children’s health and ...

Delta variant challenges China’s costly lockdown strategy

BEIJING — The delta variant is challenging China’s costly strategy of isolating cities, prompting warnings that Chinese leaders who were confident they could keep the coronavirus out of the country need a less disruptive approach. As the highly contagious variant pushes leaders in the ...

US plans to require COVID-19 shots for foreign travelers

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is taking the first steps toward requiring nearly all foreign visitors to the U.S. to be vaccinated for the coronavirus, a White House official said Wednesday. The requirement would come as part of the administration’s phased approach to easing travel restrictions for foreign citizens to the country. No timeline has yet been determined, as interagency working groups study how and when to safely move toward resuming normal travel. Eventually all foreign citizens entering the country, with some limited exceptions, are expected to need to be ...

Can I get ‘long COVID’ if I’m infected after vaccination?

Can I get ‘long COVID’ if I’m infected after vaccination? It’s unclear, but researchers are studying the chances of long-term symptoms developing in anyone who might get infected after vaccination. The COVID-19 vaccines in use around the world are effective at preventing severe illness and death from the coronavirus, but some people do get infected after the shots. With such “breakthrough” cases, health experts say the vaccines should help lessen the severity of any illness people experience. But researchers are also looking at whether those breakthrough cases could ...

DeSantis won’t move on masks as Florida COVID wards swell

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday downplayed a spike in COVID-19 cases that’s shattered state hospitalization records and strongly reiterated his vow not to impose a mask mandate or any business restrictions. With the much more contagious delta variant now ...