COVID-19 infections spiking in US Capitol Coronavirus infections in the U.S. Nathaniel Weixel TheHill

Coronavirus infections in the U.S. Capitol have skyrocketed, with the seven-day average positivity rate rising from less than 1 percent to greater than 13 percent, according to a memo sent to lawmakers Monday from Capitol physician Brian Monahan.

A WHO official weighs in on Covid, vaccines, and mistakes that were made "The biggest collective failing has been that we've underestimated this microbe," the WHO's Mike Ryan says of SARS-CoV-2. Helen Branswell STAT

The Covid-19 pandemic has entered its third year, with no end in sight, and the world is fed up to the gills. A new and even more highly transmissible variant, Omicron, has been scorching through holiday gatherings over the past couple of weeks. People who are thrice vaccinated are among the infected.

Puerto Rico’s COVID-19 positive rate jumps from 2% to over 30% in just two weeks ABC News ABC News

Just two weeks ago, Puerto Rico had a COVID-19 test positivity rate of 2% -- the lowest it had ever been, according to the island’s health department COVID-19 dashboard.

As of Monday, that rate (an indicator of community spread) jumped to 33%, an explosive increase that tracks with the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant and has sparked concerns among the scientific community and health officials on the island.

Humans have infected wild deer with Covid-19 in a handful of states, and there’s evidence that the coronavirus has been spreading among deer, according to recent studies that outline findings that could complicate the path out of the pandemic. 

Scientists swabbed the nostrils of white-tailed deer in Ohio and found evidence that humans had spread the coronavirus to deer at least six times, according to a study published last month in Nature. 

About one-third of the deer sampled had active or recent infections, the study says. Similar research in Iowa of tissue from roadkill and hunted deer found widespread evidence of the virus. 

With at-home Covid-19 tests in high demand and their efficacy in question, health departments from California to Massachusetts are turning to sewage samples to get a better idea of how much the coronavirus is spreading through communities and what might be in store for health care systems.

Experts say wastewater holds the key to better understanding the public health of cities and neighborhoods, especially in underserved areas that do not have equal access to care.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering adding testing requirements to its new isolation guidelines for asymptomatic Covid-19 patients, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.

The CDC shortened its isolation recommendations from 10 days to five last week for people who have tested positive for Covid but show no symptoms. Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, said the agency is debating adding to its guidance.