California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the outbreak of the virus, also known as Type A H5N1.

The detection of bird flu virus this week in a batch of unpasteurized milk sold in California underscores what health experts say are the known and potential risks of the products.

A Michigan farmworker has been diagnosed with bird flu in what is the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows.

Just when life seemed a little more normal, a new coronavirus variant is shaking things up.

Health officials across five states have linked 178 virus cases to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Public health officials sounded the alarm for months, complaining that they did not have enough support or money to get COVID-19 vaccines quickly into arms. Such complaints have become a common refrain in a nation where public health officials have been left largely on their own to solve complex problems. Several public health officials and experts say they believe some of the early glitches are smoothing out. Public health officials have warned since the spring that they lacked the staff, money and tools they needed to deploy a vaccine. Rhode Island health officials said it can take up to seven days to get doses out to people once they are received.

President-elect Joe Biden listens during a meeting with his COVID-19 advisory council, Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):9 p.m.International observers from the Organization of American States say they saw no instances of fraud or voting irregularities in the U.S. presidential election. Some Republicans are renewing their attacks on President-elect Joe Biden’s lead over President Donald Trump in Georgia, with Sens. Political appointees who are looking for job opportunities after President Donald Trump’s election defeat to President-elect Joe Biden should think twice. Carson is the first member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet known to have tested positive.

Newly confirmed infections per day are rising in 47 states, and deaths are up in 34. Health experts had warned that it was only a matter of time before deaths turned upward, given the record-breaking surge in cases engulfing the country. Deaths are a lagging indicator — that is, it generally takes a few weeks for people to sicken and die from the coronavirus. The virus is blamed for more than 8.6 million confirmed infections and over 225,000 deaths in the U.S., the highest such totals in the world. Deaths are still well below the U.S. peak of over 2,200 per day in late April.