News Room

The CDC guidelines on community risk (which effectively provides guidance on when to wear a face mask in public venues) focuses on new infection rates, hospitalization admissions, and hospital bed availability, making them reactive. The current uptick of infections with the new omicron variant, BA.2, has been slow to produce many severe cases. This means that around 90% of counties are labeled low risk, with under 1% of counties labeled high risk.

The federal transportation face mask mandate is over. A federal judge in Florida struck it down last week, citing an overreach of statutory authority by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a violation of administrative law. All the major airlines quickly responded by dropping the mandate on their flights, leaving passengers to fend for themselves on whether to wear a face mask when traveling by air. While the ruling is being appealed by the Department of Justice, the White House encourages people to continue to wear face masks when traveling. The ruling also ended the face mask mandate on trains (like Amtrak) and public transportation, impacting millions of people each day.

Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. reached their highest point ever recorded last year, with more than 100,000 deaths over 12 months. Deaths are up nearly 50 percent since the start of the Covid pandemic.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urged world finance leaders Tuesday to “get concrete” as they look for ways to combat a looming crisis over food insecurity around the globe that Russia’s war in Ukraine has made even worse.