Hawaii to drop COVID-19 restrictions for travelers once 70% of population is inoculated

Hawaii's governor says the state will drop its quarantine and COVID-19 testing requirements for travelers once 70% of the state’s population has been vaccinated against the disease.

COVID-19 origin: Fauci urges China to release Wuhan lab medical records

Dr. Anthony Fauci said China should release the medical records of six lab workers — three of whom died — after entering a bat cave in 2012 and becoming ill in 2019.

APH officials reflect on year in final virtual briefing

While the technology did not align with the 21st century, officials reflected on their work with optimism.

COVID-19 vaccine may cause heart inflammation in teens, reports find

An article published in Pediatrics, is among the latest reports of heart inflammation discovered after COVID-19 vaccination in teens, though a link to the vaccine has not been proven.

IRS sending refunds to those who paid taxes on 2020 unemployment

The IRS says it is sending more than 2.8 million refunds to those who paid taxes on unemployment compensation that is now excluded as income.

Regeneron’s COVID-19 drug authorized by FDA for injection

The COVID-19 antibody drug made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. can be injected, rather than administered by IV infusion, the FDA authorized.

Daily US COVID-19 cases fell below 10K this week

America’s recovery from the pandemic reached a new milestone this week when new daily cases fell below 10,000 for the first time since March 2020.

Biden says he's 'very confident' in Fauci after thousands of emails revealed

President Biden said he is "very confident" in Dr. Anthony Fauci amid Republican attacks on his chief medical adviser after the revelation of thousands of his emails from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Restaurant labor shortage may force higher wages for workers

Critics claim unemployment benefits are keeping people out of the restaurant workforce. But workers and labor organizers say that the reality is more complex, and that food service workers haven't been paid a living wage.

Could we see a fourth stimulus check? Where payments stand

So far, over 2 million people have signed an online Change.org petition calling for recurring $2,000 per month payments.

May jobs report: US adds modest 559,000 jobs amid hiring struggles

U.S. employers in May added 559,000 jobs, which was better than April but still a sign that many companies are struggling to find enough workers.

Austin Public Health holds final virtual COVID news conference

APH has been holding news conferences since the start of the pandemic to provide information to the public and also answer questions from local media.

Inspector General say guards conducted biased investigation into mask wearing at NorCal prison

The Office of Inspector General found that guards at one Northern California prison, which they wouldn't name, "conducted a woefully inadequate and biased inquiry and made incorrect findings," after an incarcerated person complained about 20 times that he saw various guards not wearing masks.

California workplace rules: Masks required, unless everyone is vaccinated

California employees will soon be able to skip masks in the workplace, but only if every employee in the room is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Jury trials to resume soon in Hays County courts

District Court jury trials will resume on Monday, June 7 and Courts-at-law jury trials will begin on July 6.

NIH has identified promising oral drug to treat COVID-19

The NIH says it has identified a promising antiviral drug that has shown effectiveness in reducing the ability for COVID-19 to spread once it has infected a host cell.

Canine coronavirus found in humans in Malaysia, study says

Researchers found the first known cases of canine coronavirus in humans stemming from a study observing pneumonia patients in Malaysia in 2017, leading researchers to believe that species-to-species transmission has been happening for some time.

Dogs can sniff out COVID-19 with up to 94% accuracy, study finds

A study found specially trained dogs can rapidly, noninvasively detect a COVID-19 infection with up to 94.3% sensitivity and up to 92% specificity.