The rapid spread of new variants of the coronavirus, some of which seem to be more contagious than older versions, has experts in the US calling for stricter social distancing and better masking to avoid yet another big surge of new Covid-19 cases and deaths. Health advocates and epidemiologists are particularly concerned about what will … Continue reading "Prisons have already failed to contain Covid-19. What happens when the new variants arrive?"

THE TWO SIDES beaten in the 2021 All-Ireland series by the eventual champions Tyrone, met in Tralee on Saturday night. Kerry and Mayo both entered the game unbeaten in the league to date, and while the spoils went to the home team, both remain in the top two spots in Division 1. Part of the … Continue reading "What can Kerry and Mayo take from a March league meeting in Tralee?"

It’s been nearly a year since Julie Horowitz-Jackson’s mother, Arlene, died of Covid-19 in a nursing facility in Philadelphia. “What hit me recently is that the world is opening back up, and my mom’s still dead,” Horowitz-Jackson says. At this point in the Covid-19 pandemic, as vaccines get rolled out in the United States and … Continue reading "The pandemic is becoming a grief crisis"

Over the past few days, Covid-19 cases have taken an upward turn — a trend that led Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky to say she has a sense of “impending doom.” The increase might seem small; the US is still better off than it was in January. And news about America’s … Continue reading "Why even a small increase in Covid-19 cases is so scary"

THERE’S A STRONG Galway contingent in this year’s Hurling Team of the Year selection, awarded after the recent Fitzgibbon Cup and Ryan Cup finals. Six Galway players are included, the same number as champions UL. Beaten finalists NUIG have four players included, with beaten Fitzgibbon Cup semi-finalists GMIT and IT Carlow having two representatives each. … Continue reading "6 players from Galway as 8 counties feature in Rising Stars Hurling Team of the Year"

July 4 this year could also be America’s Independence Day from Covid-19. At current rates, America is administering nearly 2.8 million Covid-19 vaccine doses a day — roughly enough to vaccinate every adult (18 and older) in the country by July 4. That would mean 80 percent of the population would be able to get … Continue reading "America is now on track to vaccinate all adults by July 4"

With the news Wednesday from Pfizer/BioNTech that preliminary data suggests their vaccine is effective and safe in youth ages 12 to 15, Covid-19 shots for those under 16 seem like they might finally be on the horizon. But the big question of whether most kids will be able to get vaccinated before they head back … Continue reading "When will teens and kids be able to get the Covid-19 vaccines?"

Last year, as then-President Donald Trump railed against Covid-19 lockdowns and called on states to reopen their economies, he claimed the shutdowns would lead to a spike in suicides: “You’re going to lose more people by putting a country into a massive recession or depression. You’re going to lose people. You’re going to have suicides … Continue reading "New data disproves a big concern about Covid-19 lockdowns"

NINE GAA GAMES are live on TV this week as part of a hectic week of action. Click Here: Mayo and Tyrone face off next Saturday night. Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO On Saturday the inter-county action commences with the football league tie involving Tyrone against Mayo, a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland decider, and the hurling … Continue reading "9 GAA games live as part of this week’s TV coverage"

About 2 percent of new cars on US roads right now run on electricity. The auto industry expects that by 2030, half of new car sales will be electric. And President Joe Biden is stepping on the gas pedal to make that happen. Among the many provisions of the White House’s $2 trillion infrastructure and … Continue reading "Biden wants to give electric cars a huge boost. Will people buy them?"