US Vice President Kamala Harris tests positive for COVID-19: White House

US Vice President Kamala Harris has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced on Tuesday.

“She has exhibited no symptoms, will isolate and continue to work from the Vice President’s residence,” a statement from her press secretary said.

Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.

The White House said Harris had not been in close contact with President Joe Biden or his wife, First Lady Jill Biden.

“She will follow CDC guidelines and the advice of her physicians. The Vice President will return to the White House when she tests negative,” the White House said.

Teen alcohol and nicotine use in Europe is up, WHO urges preventive measures

Substance use is on the rise among teenagers in Europe, Central Asia and Canada and girls now match or even exceed boys when it comes to smoking and drinking, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report on Thursday.

Health

Gender therapy review reveals devastating impacts on teens

A top Human Rights Council-appointed expert has welcomed the decision by all health authorities in the United Kingdom to halt the routine use of puberty-blockers offered to children as part of gender transition services, amid a sharp increase more widely in the number of teenage girls seeking such treatment and concerns that it might disrupt brain development.

Health

Latest hunger data spotlights extent of famine risk in Gaza, Sudan and beyond

Dangerous levels of acute hunger affected a staggering 281.6 million people last year – the fifth year in a row that food insecurity has worsened – heightening growing fears of famine and “widespread death” from Gaza to Sudan and beyond, UN agencies warned on Wednesday.