Updated COVID-19 booster coming: What you need to know

A new COVID-19 booster could be coming next week, just in time for an expected surge in cases heading into the fall.....MORE

Fauci defends masking as COVID cases rise: ‘I would hope’ people abide by recommendations

Former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci on Saturday defended masking amid a rise in COVID cases across the country, saying he hopes people would listen to advice from health officials.....MORE

As COVID surge continues, is the booster still working against new variants?

The summer COVID surge isn’t over. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported hospitalizations jumped another 21.6% last week, and deaths rose by more than 8%.

While the CDC doesn’t track the number of people testing positive anymore, the weeks of rising hospitalizations show people are still getting seriously ill with the virus more than three years into the public health battle against it. However, an updated booster could still be a month or two away from being released.

More HERE

EG.5 COVID-19 subvariant: VERIFY Fact Sheet

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A new strain of COVID-19 called EG.5 has been spreading in the U.S. and slowly becoming more widespread than other variants. EG.5 refers to a set of subvariants including EG.5.1 and EG.5.1.1, and has been nicknamed “Eris” (pronounced air-iss) by some scientists on social media.

EG.5’s rise is happening at the same time as a relatively small uptick in COVID-related hospitalizations. We’ve VERIFIED the answers to top questions surrounding the new strain.

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COVID hospitalizations jump again: Maps show where it’s worst

For the second week in a row, the number of people being admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 rose significantly, by more than 12%.

In about two dozen states, the surge in hospitalizations is far more than 12%. Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming all saw more than a 20% increase in new COVID hospitalizations.

More with interactive map HERE

Report: Florida officials cut key data from vaccine study

An analysis that was the basis of a highly criticized recommendation from Florida's surgeon general cautioning young men against getting the COVID-19 vaccine omitted information that showed catching the virus could increase the risk of a cardiac-related death much more than getting the mRNA shot, according to drafts of the analysis obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.....MORE