COVID-19 news and updates

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency Saturday afternoon, soon after news broke that the first COVID-19 death in the U.S. was reported in King County and that other new confirmed cases were reported.

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News > Health

Idaho dropped thousands from Medicaid in the pandemic’s first years. It offers a preview of what could happen nationwide

UPDATED: Sun., March 5, 2023

During the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the federal government was trying to prevent people on Medicaid from losing health coverage, Idaho dropped nearly 10,000 people from the safety-net program.

News > Nation/World

Energy Department believes lab leak was most likely the source of COVID, report says

UPDATED: Sun., Feb. 26, 2023

A laboratory leak was the most likely origin of the COVID-19 virus, according to findings by the U.S. Energy Department, The Wall Street Journal reported.

News > Health

Era of ‘free’ COVID-19 vaccines, test kits and treatments is ending. Who will pay the tab now?

UPDATED: Sun., Feb. 12, 2023

Time is running out for free-to-consumer COVID-19 vaccines, at-home test kits and some treatments. The White House announced this month that the national public health emergency, first declared in early 2020 in response to the pandemic, is set to expire May 11. When it ends, so will many of the policies designed to combat the virus’s spread. Take vaccines. Until now, the federal government has ...

News > Crime/Public Safety

Spokane woman pleads guilty in COVID-19 fraud, theft of $53,000

UPDATED: Fri., Feb. 10, 2023

Natasha Ann Opsal admitted to a federal judge Wednesday that she filed fraudulent applications for assistance under the Paycheck Protection Program established to help existing businesses pay employees during the pandemic. The COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force created by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Eastern Washington investigated the case, alleging Opsal obtained $53,757 in federal assistance for her company, Rusty Bumper Detailing, that didn't exist prior to the pandemic.

News > Health

As pandemic-era Medicaid provisions lapse, millions approach a coverage cliff

UPDATED: Sun., Feb. 5, 2023

States are preparing to remove millions of people from Medicaid as protections put in place early in the COVID-19 pandemic expire.

News > WA Government

Inslee tests positive for COVID-19 for second time

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 1, 2023

He is experiencing minor symptoms, including a minor cough, according to his office. He will continue to work virtually.

News > Nation/World

China COVID-19 deaths top 12,600 in week before Lunar New Year

UPDATED: Sun., Jan. 22, 2023

China said more than 12,600 people died of COVID-related causes in the week leading up to the Lunar New Year holidays, with a a health official saying about 80% of the population was infected with the virus in the current outbreak.

News > Nation/World

China to end quarantines for inbound travelers as ‘COVID-19 Zero’ dismantled

UPDATED: Mon., Dec. 26, 2022

China will no longer subject inbound travelers to quarantine in early January, putting the country on track to emerge from three years of self-imposed global isolation under a Covid Zero policy that battered the economy and stoked historic public discontent.

News > Nation/World

Reports of Beijing COVID-19 deaths fuel speculation China is covering up data

UPDATED: Sun., Dec. 18, 2022

The number of COVID-19-positive dead arriving at Beijing's funeral parlors and crematoriums is rising, according to media reports, despite China not reporting a fatality from the virus for two weeks.

News > Nation/World

Trash troubles: The COVID-19 pandemic started it; inflation keeps it going

UPDATED: Sun., Dec. 18, 2022

Terrill “Ya Fav Trashman” Haigler, who worked for 14 months during the height of the pandemic as a Philadelphia sanitation worker, spent much of his tenure pointing out to the media and city officials the neighborhoods where garbage was piling up in the streets.

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