Pandemics

Met Opera in New York sold 72% of tickets this season, up from 66% and highest since pandemic

The Metropolitan Opera sold 72% of available tickets this season, up from 66% in 2022-23. Box office grosses remained down from 75% in 2018-19 and a projected 76% for 2019-20 before the mid-March shutdown caused by the COVID pandemic.

Fauci testifies publicly before House panel on COVID origins and controversies

WHO member countries approve steps to bolster health regulations to better brace for pandemics

World Health Assembly hopes to reinforce pandemic preparedness after bold treaty project stalls

Kentucky awards contract to replace unemployment insurance system that struggled during the pandemic

French President Macron joins some African leaders to kick off planned $1 billion vaccine project

French President Emmanuel Macron joined some African leaders on Thursday to kick off a planned $1 billion project to accelerate the rollout of vaccines in Africa, after the Coronavirus pandemic highlighted inequalities in access to them.

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Fauci testifies publicly before House panel on COVID origins, controversies

To revive stale US sales, candy companies pitch gum as a stress reliever and concentration aid

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson admits mistakes but defends COVID record at inquiry

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Efforts to draft a pandemic treaty falter as countries disagree on how to respond to next emergency

A global treaty to fight pandemics like COVID is going to have to wait: After more than two years of negotiations, rich and poor countries have failed to come up with a plan for how the world might respond to the next pandemic.

Many remember solid economy under Trump, but his record also full of tax cut hype, debt and disease

Numbers show that the economy during Donald Trump’s presidency has never lived up to his own hype. But polling shows Americans are more confident about his economic leadership than that of President Joe Biden.

Status of Chinese citizen journalist who reported on COVID unknown on day of expected prison release

The whereabouts of a Chinese citizen journalist who served four years in prison for reporting on the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan and was expected to be released Monday are unknown, raising concern from activists.

Long-haul carrier Emirates sees $4.7 billion profit in 2023 as airline takes flight after pandemic

The long-haul carrier Emirates says it saw record profits of $4.7 billion in 2023 as the airline fully took flight after the turbulent years of the coronavirus pandemic disrupted its operations.

Countries struggle to draft ‘pandemic treaty’ to avoid mistakes made during COVID

After the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders worldwide vowed to do better next time but are still struggling to finalize a global plan.

The pandemic exposed staff shortages at nursing homes. A new White House push aims for a remedy

The White House is aiming to correct the short staffing at nursing homes that was exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden administration announces new partnership with 50 countries to stifle future pandemics

President Joe Biden’s administration is launching a program that will help 50 countries identify and respond to infectious diseases, with the goal of preventing pandemics like the COVID-19 outbreak.

Here are the big hurdles to the global push to build up renewable energy

The world’s governments have agreed they want to triple renewable energy by 2030, a goal laid out at the U.N. climate summit in December.

Biden and Trump ask voters if they’re ‘better off’ than they were 4 years ago. It’s complicated

Both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are posing the time-tested question “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”

Alaska’s chief medical officer, a public face of the state’s pandemic response, is resigning

Dr. Anne Zink is resigning as Alaska’s chief medical officer. The Anchorage Daily News reports Zink plans to continue working full-time in the role until early April.

Dubai International Airport had 86.9 million passengers last year in a post-pandemic surge

The number of passengers flying through Dubai International Airport has surged in the last year beyond its total for 2019 — just before the coronavirus pandemic grounded global aviation.

Virginia’s Youngkin aims to bolster mental health care, part of national focus after the pandemic

There’s consensus in Virginia that the mental health care system is in need of reform, due to what Gov.

Cough? Sore throat? More schools suggest mildly sick kids attend anyway

Schools are confronting soaring absence rates. Some are calling for parents to send their children to class even if they are not feeling 100% well.

Book Review: New collaborative novel ‘Fourteen Days’ proves the pandemic couldn’t curb creativity

Almost four years since COVID-19 became a household term, a new work of fiction proves that even a global pandemic can’t curb creativity, writes Rob Merrill in his Associated Press review of “Fourteen Days.”

Teary ex-Scottish leader admits to feeling ‘overwhelmed’ during COVID-19 pandemic

The Scottish leader during the COVID-19 pandemic choked up as she admitted to a public inquiry into the outbreak that she sometimes doubted whether she wanted to be first minister at such a consequential time.

US pastors struggle with post-pandemic burnout. Survey shows half considered quitting since 2020

Post-pandemic burnout is at worrying levels among Christian clergy in the U.S. It has prompted many to think about abandoning their jobs.

More adults sought help for ADHD during pandemic, contributing to drug shortages

Prescriptions for ADHD treatments surged among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to fuel lingering shortages that are frustrating parents and doctors.

As pandemic unfolded, deaths of older adults in Pennsylvania rose steeply in abuse or neglect cases

Pennsylvania saw a tenfold increase in deaths of older adults following an abuse or neglect complaint over the past few years.

EU court annuls approval of French pandemic aid to Air France and Air France-KLM

Low-cost airlines Ryanair and Malta Air have won a court case against the European Union’s decision to approve billions of euros in state aid by the French government to holding company Air France-KLM during the COVID-19 pandemic.

States are trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

Some states that stockpiled millions of masks and other personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic are now throwing the items away.

During the 2023 holiday season, face masks have settled in as an occasional feature of American life

As the year comes to an end with holiday parties and crowds, mask-wearing is much more off than on around the country even as COVID’s long tail lingers.

Tony Shalhoub returns as everyone’s favorite obsessive-compulsive sleuth in ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case’

Fourteen years ago, Tony Shalhoub said goodbye to one of his most beloved creations — the obsessive-compulsive private detective Adrian Monk.

US life expectancy rose last year, but it remains below its pre-pandemic level

U.S. life expectancy rose last year, but it still isn’t close to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bayern Munich reports record revenues of $913 million

Bayern Munich has emerged from the turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic in good financial health after reporting record total revenues of 854.2 million euros ($913 million) for the 2022-23 season.

Boris Johnson’s former top aide is withering about UK government during COVID-19 pandemic inquiry

The former top aide to ex-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has painted a picture of widespread chaos and dysfunction in government during the coronavirus pandemic.

Britain’s COVID-19 response inquiry enters a second phase with political decisions in the spotlight

Britain’s inquiry into the response to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the nation has entered the second phase with political decision-making taking center stage.

New Jersey Supreme Court to rule on pandemic-related insurance exclusions

New Jersey’s Supreme Court is considering whether an Atlantic City casino can get payouts from business interruption insurance for losses during the COVID-19 outbreak.

It’s not all grim across regional theater. Some venues offer ways to beat the post-pandemic blues

Everyone who enters Barter Theatre in southwestern Virginia is met and welcomed by Katy Brown, the producing artistic director.

Child poverty in the US jumped and income declined in 2022 as coronavirus pandemic benefits ended

Child poverty in the United States more than doubled and median household income declined last year when coronavirus pandemic-era government benefits expired and inflation kept rising.

North Korea to allow its citizens abroad to return home, a sign of further easing of pandemic curbs

North Korea says it will allow its citizens staying abroad to return home in line with easing pandemic situations worldwide.