Aurora officials: Discarded COVID-19 vaccine result of 'human error'

Some vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine had to be "discarded" after they were inadvertently removed from a pharmacy refrigerator at the Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, officials said. 

Cobb County teacher dies Christmas Day after battle with COVID-19

Patrick Key, a Cobb County elementary school teacher, died Christmas morning after battling COVID-19 for more than a month.

House OKs $2,000 checks after Trump signs bill containing $600 payments

Democrats led passage, 275-134, their majority favoring additional assistance. They had settled for smaller $600 payments in a compromise with Republicans over the big year-end relief bill Trump reluctantly signed into law.

South African president bans sales of alcohol, orders bars closed amid COVID-19 spikes

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reimposed a ban on the sales of alcohol and ordered the closure of all bars as part of new restrictions to help the country battle a resurgence of the coronavirus, including a new variant.

Novavax begins Phase 3 testing of COVID-19 vaccine candidate

The candidate made by Novavax Inc. is the fifth to reach final-stage testing in the U.S. Some 30,000 volunteers are needed to prove if this vaccine — a different kind than its Pfizer and Moderna competitors — really works and is safe.

Shootings, killings are also rising as COVID-19 ravages US

Homicides in Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and other cities have topped 2019 numbers as violence surged while much of the U.S. struggled during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dancing Amazon driver: Delivery man's moves caught on camera

A video of a dancing Amazon driver in Rhode Island captured the attention of social media users, and the homeowner whose security camera filmed the man busting a move on his delivery route.

Nearly 8M have fallen into poverty since summer as US sees largest increase in single year

Poverty in the United States has risen sharply in recent months amid the coronavirus pandemic, with 7.8 million Americans falling into poverty since the summer, according to new data released this month.

Seattle Children's Hospital technician hospitalized for over a month dies of COVID-19

The holidays are for spreading good cheer, but one family is devastated after the death of a father who lost his battle with COVID-19. Doug Bwamu, a Seattle Children’s Hospital healthcare worker, was hospitalized for more than a month before he died just days before Christmas.

McConnell praises Trump for signing COVID-19, government funding bills

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised President Trump late Sunday for signing a $900 billion pandemic package and a $1.4 trillion government funding bill to avert a government shutdown.

Lawmakers join calls for leniency for Georgia college student jailed in the Caymans

Two of Georgia’s lawmakers have appealed the U.S. Embassy in the Cayman Islands to request leniency for Skylar Mack, the 18-year-old Mercer University pre-med student locked up for breaking COVID-19 restrictions.

Fauci claims herd immunity numbers were 'guestimates,' settles on 75-80%

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday dismissed accusations that he deliberately moved the goalposts on when the country would vaccinate enough people against COVID-19 to reach herd immunity, saying he was previously offering "guestimates."

CDC to implement new travel mandate for passengers from the UK

Some international travelers will face new travel restrictions to the United States as a new strain of the coronavirus spreads across Europe.

First two cases of more contagious COVID virus detected in Canada

Two people in Canada have the new, more contagious strain of COVID-19. They are a couple. They have not been traveling. They did not have any exposure to anyone who was at high risk.

COVID-19 vaccinations begin in Hungary, Germany hours after shipments

Germany, Hungary and Slovakia began giving out their first coronavirus vaccine shots on Saturday only hours after receiving their first shipments.