As the BA.5 variant spreads, the risk of coronavirus reinfection grows The latest omicron offshoot, BA.5, has quickly become dominant in the United States, driving a wave of reinfections across the country. Joel Achenbach Washington Post

America has decided the pandemic is over. The coronavirus has other ideas.

New York City health officials said Friday all New Yorkers should wear high-quality face masks indoors and near crowds due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.

 "We're currently seeing high levels of COVID-19 in NYC," the city's Department of Health said in a tweet recommending N95, KN95 or KF94 masks for the public.

Got COVID? Doctors warn powering through it — even from home — can worsen health toll

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As vaccines and new treatments have eased some of the alarm around a COVID-19 diagnosis, continuing to work — but from home — has become a familiar practice among professionals who can do their jobs remotely. ...

Physicians caution, however, that rest is an important part of weathering a COVID-19 infection. Plugging away from home is better than putting others at risk of getting infected, but it can still strain the immune system, worsening the toll of a COVID infection, experts say.

“Sleep equals immunity,” said Dr. Susan Cheng, a cardiologist, researcher and professor in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. As it fights off the virus, “you want to have your immune system not distracted by anything else,” including stress from work.

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