travel mask mandate Why It's Not Time to Ditch the Mask When Traveling Just Yet: Dr. John Torres Many travelers rejoiced when mask mandates were abruptly lifted on airplanes and other transportation systems around the country by a federal judge on Monday. But don’t leave that mask at home when you travel just yet, advises Dr. John Torres.
coronavirus pandemic COVID BA.2 Wave Could Be Under Control ‘Very Quickly' COVID-19 cases are creeping up in New York City and Washington, which could mean a minor wave of COVID-19 cases is underway. But a wave fueled by the BA.2 variant would be more mild, says NBC News medical correspondent Dr. John Torres.
covid-19 vaccine What You Need to Know About a 4th COVID Vaccine Dose The CDC and FDA have recommended a second booster dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for people age 50 and older. But why did the recommendation come out so quickly? And will we have to get a yearly booster shot in the future? Dr. Uché Blackstock shares her thoughts.
coronavirus pandemic The COVID BA.2 Subvariant is Like Omicron ‘With New Shoes On' How different is the BA.2 subvariant of the coronavirus? Not much, says NBC News medical contributor Dr. John Torres. The subvariant has not been labeled as a variant of concern, and it’s not that different from Omicron, Torres says. Here’s a metaphor: if a fully new variant is like the virus putting on a full new outfit, a subvariant is...
coronavirus pandemic Should You Be Concerned About New COVID Variant BA.2? It’s been called “stealth omicron” or “deltacron.” A new subvariant of the COVID-19 virus is making headlines, so we talked to NBC News medical correspondent Dr. John Torres to learn more. He explained how the variant “plagiarizes” from the Omicron and Delta variants that previously caused surges, and why this may not cause a new surge here in the...
coronavirus pandemic Is Now the Time to Roll Back Mask Mandates? “When we reduce these measures, we increase our vulnerability of having transmission continue to go high,” says Jessica Malaty Rivera, an epidemiologist at the Pandemic Prevention Institute. She joined LX News to talk about mask restrictions and what loosening them could mean for the nation.
covid-19 vaccine Parenting During COVID Can Feel Like a Game of ‘Pong' One week it’s optimism for a vaccine authorization for kids under 5. The next week you hear further research is needed. Dr. Alok Patel feels for the parents who are just trying to get good information and do the right thing amid all the rapidly developing science (and political polarization) around COVID-19. “They just want to find good information, and...
coronavirus pandemic Doctor Shares Words of Wisdom to Manage Your COVID Fatigue You know the feeling. It might seem like the pandemic is winding down, only for restrictions to come back. Here’s what keeps Dr. John Torres going. “I just try to remember that we are going to get to the end of this, this pandemic will end. We just …need to make sure we all stay together,” he said.
zillow Houses Are Selling Quicker in Most-Vaccinated Cities The COVID-19 vaccine has helped homes sell faster in some areas, a new study from Zillow shows. Cities with high vaccination rates are having more open houses and in-person contact that helps speed up the process. And the speed of home sales has led to a decline in rental vacancies, as people who can’t find a home to own look...
Omicron Variant After Omicron Spike, Doctor Says ‘Light at the End of the Tunnel' is Coming The highly infectious Omicron variant of COVID-19 was far worse than expected, says NBC News medical contributor Dr. John Torres. Despite symptoms being less severe, the variant was so infectious that absolute numbers of cases still skyrocketed and thus hospitals were overwhelmed. But Torres and health officials are hopeful there will be a decline in hospitalizations and deaths in a...
