As new, highly contagious mutations are making this summer's COVID surge significantly bigger than expected, the FDA approved updated COVID vaccines on Friday. But funding runs out this month for a federal program providing free vaccines to uninsured and underinsured Americans. John Yang speaks with PBS News digital health reporter Laura Santhanam for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

As summer winds down, much of the U.S. is seeing the biggest COVID wave in at least two years, and hundreds of people are still being killed by the virus every week. According to a CDC analysis of hospitalizations, 25 states have or likely have rising numbers of COVID infections. William Brangham speaks with Dr. Eric Topol about what's behind the uptick and how people can protect themselves. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In our news wrap Saturday, Iran has a new president-elect after a runoff vote, Russian drone attacks hit a vital energy facility in northern Ukraine, Hamas dropped a key demand in cease-fire negotiations with Israel, Trump is distancing himself from Project 2025, and coronavirus cases in the U.S. are ticking back up after a springtime lull. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

The pace of COVID fatalities in the U.S. has slowed significantly, with the nation's death toll standing at more than 1 million people. With precautions like mandatory masking no longer in place, it can seem as if worries about the virus are gone as well. But for many people with disabilities, the threat is still very real. We hear from people in the disability community about their concerns. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Hospitalizations for COVID are at an all-time low four years after the start of the pandemic, but new variants are in circulation. Meanwhile, bird flu has been found in 36 dairy herds across nine states, though there has been only one confirmed human case so far in 2024. To find out how concerned we should be about all of this, John Yang speaks with epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

The U.S. is experiencing another uptick in COVID infections after the holidays, with hospitalizations rising for the eighth week in a row. A new dominant variant, JN.1, has quickly spread to account for more than 60 percent of cases. John Yang speaks with epidemiologist Jessica Malaty Rivera to learn more about the surge and what it tells us about how we deal with COVID moving forward. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

As we head into the winter holidays, John Yang speaks with epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina about the current state of affairs with COVID, RSV and flu infections, lagging vaccination rates and how to stay healthy this season. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

This week, the World Health Organization ended the global public health emergency it declared three years ago as COVID-19 spread around the world. Meanwhile, the U.S. public health emergency is set to end on Thursday, May 11. Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas, joins John Yang to discuss where the pandemic stands now and what we should be doing about it. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

As students and teachers across the U.S. prepare to head back to school, the CDC is relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines. It marks a significant shift in how the nation approaches the pandemic as the new guidance prioritizes keeping kids in class. But some health experts worry the agency has gone too far. Julia Raifman, who leads the COVID-19 U.S. State Policy Database, joins Stephanie Sy to discuss. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

More than two years into the pandemic, most Americans have returned to a sense of some normalcy. But the virus is still disrupting daily life in the U.S. with more than 130,000 per day and deaths on the rise. We reached out to viewers about their latest questions on COVID-19. Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist with the University of Texas, joins Judy Woodruff to provide some answers. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy