From a COVID-19 national emergency extension to CDC's potential new indoor mask guidance, here are six COVID-19 updates from the last two weeks.
1. The CDC is considering a shift to its indoor mask guidance that would rely more on COVID-19 hospitalizations as an indicator of whether masks are needed.
2. For every time adults with healthy immune systems declare they are "over COVID-19," physicians who are immunocompromised themselves or treating immunocompromised patients suggest a privilege check: Your health.
3. Here are five hospitals that have recently announced they are temporarily or permanently closing services as staffing problems persist during the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. Early research from the U.K. offers new insights into the omicron subvariant's spread relative to the original strain.
5. Recent studies have identified changes to the vagus nerve that may explain why some people suffer from long COVID-19, while separate findings may point to a potential treatment option.
6. President Joe Biden has decided to extend the designation of COVID-19 as a national emergency. The national emergency was first declared March 13, 2020, and was set to expire on March 1, 2022, had President Biden not chosen to extend it.