coronavirus

At-home rapid tests have become a staple of COVID-19 precautions, but some experts worry that people are relying too much on these tests and that's creating a false sense of security.

In Kentucky, 58% of the total population is fully vaccinated — either two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of the Janssen vaccine, according to the state’s vaccine dashboard.

Americans can again order free COVID-19 tests through the mail. It's part of the Biden administration's plan to deal with an increase in COVID cases sparked by indoor holiday gatherings.

NPR asked a handful of public health experts how to approach a holiday season with not one but three respiratory pathogens helping fill hospitals: COVID, the flu and RSV.

Doctors from across the state asked the public to take measures to stay well or at least stay out of the emergency room unless absolutely necessary. "Never before have we had to contend with all three of these viruses driving illnesses at the same time," said one.

Interim Health Commissioner Grant Mussman says the numbers look like the omicron surge. “Whether that means there’s exactly the same amount of transmission of COVID out there in the community as during omicron, that we don’t really know,” he says. “But it’s likely that there’s a fair amount of transmission out there that we’re not detecting.”

Even if your job has you returning to the office, what that means could change as the world tries to move on from the pandemic.

The good news is the bivalent COVID-19 booster, that's now available, seems to be performing well in early tests at preventing the virus and also protecting against long COVID-19 symptoms.

University of Cincinnati Infectious Disease expert Dr. Carl Ficthenbaum says the public should be prepared for new COVID variants and an increase in cases as the weather gets colder and people congregate indoors more. But for now, the numbers are encouraging.

The first hint of what could be in store is what's happening in Europe. Infections have been rising in many European countries, including the U.K., France, and Italy.