Health

News coverage and resources related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

The World Health Organization has deemed it a coronavirus “variant of concern” — the first new variant of concern since delta. Here's what scientists know and what they're trying to learn.

The U.K. tightened up rules Saturday on mask-wearing and on testing of international arrivals after finding two cases of the new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus that was identified just a few days ago in South Africa.

The second time Vanessa Quintero's family tested positive for COVID-19, fewer people got sick. They and their doctors credit the protection of vaccination.

The police union in St. Paul is suing the city in an effort to halt a mandate that requires city employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced the requirement for nearly 4,000 workers last month.

Canada says it's banning the entry of foreign nationals who have traveled through southern Africa in the last 14 days. That's due to discovery of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus that has stoked worldwide fears.

Minnesota health officials on Friday reported another 56 COVID-19 deaths in the state, bringing the overall pandemic death toll to 9,338. But week-over-week, the number of new COVID cases dropped.

Service dogs have long helped veterans with vision or mobility problems. Now the PAWS Veterans Therapy Act will help connect specially trained dogs to some veterans with symptoms of traumatic stress.

South African scientists have identified a new version of the coronavirus this week that they say is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province. It’s unclear from where the new variant actually arose, but it was first detected by scientists in South Africa and has also been seen in travelers to Hong Kong and Botswana. 

The world is confronting a new coronavirus variant, and officials have named it “omicron." A World Health Organization panel has classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern.