The voice on the other end of the phone line, that of a close friend, was venting a bit about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

American households can now order free, at-home COVID-19 tests — which many across the Chattanooga region have struggled to find amid the current omicron surge — online through a new federal website that launched Tuesday.

Hong Kong authorities said Tuesday that they will kill about 2,000 small animals, including hamsters, after several tested positive for the coronavirus at a pet store where an employee was also infected.

An Israeli hospital on Monday said preliminary research indicates a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine provides only limited defense against the omicron variant that is raging around the world.

In a situation where there are no right or easy answers, Georgia and Tennessee are taking different approaches to dealing with COVID-19 and the unique challenges the virus presents to schools.

The coronavirus' omicron variant starting to barrel across South America is pressuring hospitals whose employees are taking sick leave, leaving facilities understaffed to cope with COVID-19s third wave.

The Broadway production of "Jersey Boys" schedule for Jan. 18-20 at Memorial Auditorium has been rescheduled for July 29-30, according to Tivoli Foundation Executive Director Nick Wilkinson.

In just two weeks, the cost of pecans for the pies at Peggy Jean's Pies in Columbia, Missouri, has surged nearly 40%, perplexing co-owner Rebecca Miller and adding to the cost of doing business. Miller will soon have to bump up the price of her Southern Pecan, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan, and German Chocolate pies by $2 to $24.

A World Health Organization official warned last week of a "closing window of opportunity" for European countries to prevent their health care systems from being overwhelmed as the omicron variant produces near-vertical growth in coronavirus infections.

Biltmore United Methodist Church of Asheville, North Carolina, is for sale.

Alabama's largest public school district, Mobile County, said it will switch to virtual classes Monday because so many staffers have contracted or been exposed to COVID-19 it's difficult to keep buildings open.

Due to limited supply of the medication, the city of Dalton, Georgia, will no longer offer free treatments of Regeneron's monoclonal antibodies to those who test positive for and show symptoms of COVID-19.

The U.S. Army, for the first time, is offering a maximum enlistment bonus of $50,000 to highly skilled recruits who join for six years, The Associated Press has learned, as the service struggles to lure soldiers into certain critical jobs during the continuing pandemic.

When am I contagious if infected with omicron?

Novak Djokovic acknowledged Wednesday that his Australian travel declaration form contained incorrect information, and he also confessed to an "error of judgment" in taking part in an interview and photo shoot in Serbia last month after testing positive for COVID-19.

Chattanooga's three major hospitals are no longer providing COVID-19 tests for emergency room patients with mild symptoms, according to a joint statement released Wednesday.

Tennessee parents upset about local public school policies requiring masks or virtual learning could get state funding to send their child to a private school under a voucher proposal filed this week by two Republican lawmakers.

Alabama lawmakers returned to Montgomery on Tuesday to begin the 2022 legislative session against a backdrop of rising coronavirus cases and looming elections, faced with major decisions including how to use the state's remaining pandemic relief funds.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made it clear in his State of the State speech Tuesday that he likes teachers, first responders and freedom and he doesn't like Dr. Anthony Fauci, critical race theory, abortion, illegal immigration and Burmese pythons.

Students are poised to return to Chicago Public Schools after leaders of the teachers union approved a plan with the nation's third-largest district over COVID-19 safety protocols, ending a bitter standoff that canceled classes for five days.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a wave of public and political outrage on Tuesday over allegations that he and his staff flouted coronavirus lockdown rules by holding a garden party in 2020 while Britons were barred by law from meeting up with more than one person outside their households.

Hospitals around the U.S. are increasingly taking the extraordinary step of allowing nurses and other workers infected with the coronavirus to stay on the job if they have mild symptoms or none at all.

Starting Saturday, private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans.