Omicron may have an average incubation period of three days, shorter than any variant yet, according to preliminary findings from studies cited by The Atlantic. 

As the nation enters its normal flu season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say there's still much unknown about what's to come. 

Clinicians at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic Health System recently performed their 10,000th COVID-19 monoclonal antibody infusion.

The problems rooted in a nationwide nursing shortage, including its effect on patient care and safety, is the top concern of three nurse leaders.

Some experts are warning against writing off the omicron variant as milder than other variants, and preliminary findings from the U.K. suggest it appears no less severe than delta.

President Joe Biden will announce new initiatives Dec. 21 that his administration is rolling out as the omicron variant contributes to a surge in new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. 

The omicron coronavirus variant has quickly become the dominant strain in the U.S., accounting for 73.2 percent of new infections for the week ending Dec. 18, genomic surveillance data from the CDC shows. 

More than 40 organizations signed a petition, along with more than 6,300 individuals, urging the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to adopt a permanent standard on COVID-19 in healthcare workplaces as temporary emergency standards are set to expire on Dec. 21, National Nurses United said Dec. 16. 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, part of HHS, is investing $282 million to update the current 10-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to a three-digit dialing code. 

Healthcare leaders are bringing renewed attention to patient safety issues that have been overshadowed by another year of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As of Dec. 15, 82 percent of all COVID-19 tests for symptomatic patients at Houston Methodist had omicron, according to data sent to Becker's Dec. 19.

Antibodies in blood samples of individuals who experienced breakthrough COVID-19 infections were as much as 1,000 percent more effective than the antibodies generated two weeks after the second Pfizer vaccine dose, according to a small study's findings published Dec. 16 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

COVID-19 cases are surging across the U.S. ahead of Christmas, sparking the cancellation of sporting events and a growing list of hospitals postponing nonessential surgeries — both a reminder of last year's holiday surge and a sign that the next several weeks will determine the pandemic's trajectory for the rest of the winter months. 

New daily COVID-19 cases have increased more than 200 percent over the last two weeks in two states and Washington, D.C., according to local and state data tracked by The New York Times.

Twelve states reported high or moderate flu activity for the week ending Dec. 11, according to data from the CDC's FluView report published Dec. 17. 

As nursing shortages affected health systems nationwide, colleges and universities launched innovative nursing programs and partnerships to address the persistent issue throughout 2021.

This year has put nursing leaders to the test as they have worked to set up makeshift COVID-19 units, secure personal protective equipment for their teams and provide emotional support during some of the hardest moments of many nurses' careers.

The nation's seven-day average for COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations increased slightly last week, according to the CDC's COVID data tracker weekly review published Dec. 17.

In 2021, millions of dollars in grants and donations expanded nursing schools, funded diversity programs and more. 

We celebrate the anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccines this winter—and progress in controlling the virus. With vaccines readily available and recommended for everyone age 5 years and older, more people are traveling and including travel in their holiday plans.