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Restaurants, like this McDonald's in Miami Beach, Florida, have been big engines of job growth.

Hiring slowed sharply in November, even before omicron, with 210,000 jobs added

Hiring slowed sharply last month, even as the unemployment rate fell to 4.2%. Data from the Labor Department suggest the economy was losing steam even before the appearance of a new COVID-19 variant.

Scientists at Pfizer's research and development laboratories in Groton, Conn., worked on the COVID-19 pill called Paxlovid.

How Pfizer developed a COVID pill in record time

Pfizer researchers looking for a drug to treat SARS found clues that gave the company a head start in its quest for a pill to treat COVID-19, including the omicron variant.

December Nights returns as drive-thru event for second year

The Balboa Park December Nights festival is returning as a drive-thru event this year to ensure safety for the community amid the pandemic and the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.

A registered nurse administers the COVID-19 vaccine at a high school gym in Corona, California. Scientists are trying to determine if vaccines (and boosters) will offer protection against the newly identified omicron variant.

Scientists race to answer the question: Will vaccines protect us against omicron?

There's serious concern about the effectiveness of vaccines against the omicron strain. But there's also reason to be hopeful — especially for those who've had a booster.

Can travel bans prevent the spread of new variants?

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Dr. Saad Omer about the effectiveness of travel bans now that the omicron variant has been discovered in the United States.

The Philippines vaccinated more than 7.5 million people against COVID in 3 days

More than 7.5 million Filipinos got COVID vaccines in just three days this week — an impressive milestone in the country's battle against the pandemic.

The 'Home Alone' house in Winnetka, Ill. will be available to rent through Airbnb for one night later this month. The $25 stay will also include junk food, booby traps, a film screening and other holiday hijinks.

The 'Home Alone' house could be yours for a night

The McCallister family home will be available to rent on Airbnb later this month. The overnight stay will include junk food, booby traps and "ample opportunity to scream into the mirror."

Patients wait to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot at a mobile vaccination station on 59th Street below Central Park, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, in New York. Health officials say multiple cases of the omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in New York.

5 states have now reported confirmed cases of the omicron variant

Officials in Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota and New York reported their first cases of the variant on Thursday, one day after the first U.S. case was identified in California.

Hand sanitizer and face masks sit on top of a medical stand at Hoover High School, Dec. 1, 2021.

County reports 622 COVID cases, 6 deaths as omicron arrives in California

San Diego County public health officials reported 622 new COVID-19 infections and six additional deaths.

Dr. Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, who directs the St. Louis Department of Health, has turned to social media platforms this week and to local clergy and community groups — the sort of trusted messengers people turn to in times of uncertainty — to help get the right sort of early word out about the omicron variant. Conveying what's known and what's still to be learned are both important, she says.

Sending the right message about the omicron variant is tricky

Scientists may not know for a couple weeks yet how risky the new coronavirus variant will be to public health. But getting out front now about what is known helps dispel misinformation, they say.

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