COVID-19

KPBS Midday Edition

California Changes Course On Schools Enforcing Mask Mandate

Adam Beam / Associated Press

California public health officials say they will let local school districts decide how to enforce new mask rules. California is still requiring all students and staff to wear masks while indoors at school even if they are fully vaccinated.
Health

COVID Cases In Parts Of Missouri And Arkansas Surge To Levels Not Seen Since Winter

Becky Sullivan / NPR

The outbreak of COVID-19 in southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas has become the nation's largest and is mostly driven by the highly contagious delta variant.
Health

California's Mask Rule For Schools Prompts Controversy

Adam Beam / Associated Press

California's new coronavirus rules for public schools eliminate physical distancing and make sure students won't miss class time even if they are exposed to someone with the virus. But the state says it will still require masks indoors.
Health

CDC Officials Flag 'Small' Reaction Risk With J&J Vaccine

Matthew Perrone and Mike Stobbe / Associated Press

The reports represent a tiny fraction of the nearly 13 million Americans who have received the one-dose vaccine. The government said the vaccines most used in the U.S., made by Pfizer and Moderna, show no risk of the disorder.
Health

A Woman Died Of COVID After Contracting 2 Variants At The Same Time, Researchers Say

Bill Chappell / NPR

The woman had both the alpha and beta variants of the coronavirus, which were found first in the U.K. and South Africa, respectively.
Health

PHOTOS: What Item Is Giving You Joy In A Pandemic? Your Beautiful And Quirky Answers

Suzette Lohmeyer / NPR

We asked NPR readers to share photos of the objects they can't live without during the pandemic. Their responses are funny, surprising — and some might make you tear up.
Health

How We'll Know When The COVID-19 Crisis Is Over

Laurel Wamsley / NPR

Life might feel like it's getting back to normal. But we're not out of the woods yet. Here's what the end of the pandemic might look like.
Education

California To Require Face Masks At Schools This Fall

The Associated Press

California will require that masks be worn at schools when classrooms open this fall, despite new guidance issued Friday from the CDC that says vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings.
Health

County Pleads For Residents To Get Vaccinated As COVID Delta Variant Grows

City News Service

San Diego County officials pleaded with those San Diegans who haven't yet received a jab to do so as quickly as possible.
Health

CDC Updates Guidelines To Protect Kids From COVID In School. Plus: Vacation Tips

Sheila Mulrooney Eldred / NPR

The updated guidance promotes vaccination for those old enough and says vaccinated children may not need masks. What about kids too young for vaccines? And as summer begins, what about vacation risks?