The Latest Breaking News on COVID-19

There is a mixed picture for trends across the nations and regions.

France's national health body warned on Friday of a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the country, and urged people to continue to get vaccinated to protect themselves against the virus.

They argue the threat posed by COVID has lessened because of preexisting immunity and access to treatment. Plus, some deaths may be incorrectly blamed on COVID. Others caution it's too soon to tell.

The flu shot is as familiar an October ritual as football, foliage and Halloween.

Pfizer’s and Moderna’s bivalent boosters, which are now available to many age groups, offer protection against the original COVID-19 virus plus the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants. Is the nation ready for yet another COVID-19 vaccine shot?

Should everyone eligible get the new omicron-specific COVID booster? Yes, absolutely. But we should not get lulled into the illusion that the fight against COVID is over and now comparable to preventing the flu.

Here's a quick wrap of this week's COVID statistics from each Australian jurisdiction.

An increase of 359 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours

This was the first time weekly infections have been reported

There were 12 more Covid-19 fatalities and 837 new patients admitted to hospitals on Thursday, the Ministry of Public Health reported on Friday.

MINNEAPOLIS — COVID-19 rates have declined slightly in Minnesota, where no new coronavirus mutations have emerged with the intensity of last fall's delta variant to present a threat to the state.