Laura Billingsley

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UK has detected a new Covid variant. Here’s what we know so far about omicron XE

A new omicron subvariant has been detected in the U.K. as the country faces a renewed surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations.

The XE variant, as it is known, has so far been detected in 637 patients nationwide, according to the latest statistics from the U.K. Health Security Agency, which said there is currently not enough evidence to draw conclusions on its transmissibility or severity.

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Europe’s rising caseloads could foreshadow a second Omicron surge in the U.S.

Experts warn that another coronavirus wave may be imminent in the United States, fueled by a more contagious Omicron subvariant that is spreading rapidly in Europe, though they said the trend was more a cause for caution than alarm.

The Omicron variant this month began its second sweep through Europe, where past virus surges have been a harbinger of what was to come in the United States. Many countries thought they were free of the worst of Covid and raced to lift restrictions in February and March, but a highly transmissible Omicron subvariant, BA.2, is contributing to the new surge.

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Covid-19 safety tips to consider as you return to work

As Covid-19 cases continue to fall and state and local governments lift remaining pandemic restrictions, many offices are asking employees to return to in-person work.

We know that 60% of workers with jobs that can be done from home say they’d like to work from home most or all of the time when the pandemic is over, if given the choice, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. That’s up from 54% in 2020.

But what if you want to go back or are required to go back into the office? How should people consider the safety of going back to the office and other in-person work environments?

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Which At-Home Tests Does the FDA Recommend Using?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of the STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Home Test because of its illegal importation to the United States, but Americans still have 17 other choices for FDA-authorized rapid at-home tests.

At-home COVID-19 tests are considered a critical part of America’s response to the pandemic because they help alleviate strain on health care systems and pharmacies during surges in cases. However, officials warned against the use of unauthorized tests out of concerns that the results aren’t accurate, and the FDA advised people to throw out STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Home Test kits because it only provides an “initial screening test result.”

SD BIOSENSOR, Issues Notification of Voluntary Recall of ‘STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Home Test’

SD Biosensor, Inc., a global in-vitro diagnostics company, is voluntarily recalling its STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Home Test in the United States, due to confirmed reports that the test kits were illegally imported into the United States. The STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Home Test is not authorized, cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for distribution or use in the United States. While there is no known distribution of these tests directly to consumers, SD Biosensor, Inc. is issuing this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution.