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Tom Howell Jr.

Tom Howell Jr.

Tom Howell Jr. covers politics and the White House for The Washington Times. He can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

A hospital worker conducts COVID-19 tests at a hospital in Aiea, Hawaii, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones) ** FILE **

States see increasing cases of omicron; ‘community spread’ found in Hawaii

Hawaii reported an omicron case in an Oahu resident who hadn't left the state, as states grapple with the likelihood that the new variant is circulating within their communities instead of coming in piecemeal on planes, and might be reinfecting people who recovered from the coronavirus. Published December 3, 2021

Passengers, some wearing masks, line up to board a taxi at the Baragwanath taxi rank in Soweto, South Africa, Thursday Dec. 2, 2021. South Africa launched an accelerated vaccination campaign to combat a dramatic rise in confirmed cases of COVID-19 a week after the omicron variant was detected in the country. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Minn. reports omicron case in traveler to NYC convention

Minnesota on Thursday reported an omicron case in a person who recently traveled to New York City for an anime convention, marking the second known instance of the variant first detected in South Africa and another sign the strain is probably lurking in several corners of the U.S. Published December 2, 2021

President Joe Biden speaks to commemorate World AIDS Day during an event in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Biden: Winter virus strategy won’t include lockdowns

President Biden said Wednesday his forthcoming plan to fight the COVID-19 this winter will not include the type of economic restrictions that marked the early response to the pandemic. Published December 1, 2021

A man is tested for COVID-19 in Abuja, Nigeria, Monday Nov. 29, 2021. Nigeria has detected its first case of the omicron coronavirus variant in a sample it collected in October, weeks before South Africa alerted the world about the variant last week, the country's national public health institute said Wednesday, Dec 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Gbemiga Olamikan, File)

Nigeria finds samples of omicron variant from October

Nigeria on Wednesday said it found a coronavirus sample with the omicron variant from October, suggesting the strain was circulating far before it burst into view last week in a cluster within South Africa. Published December 1, 2021

Pedestrians pass the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Omicron variant spooks Wall Street; Dow takes a tumble

Financial markets reeled Tuesday after vaccine-maker Moderna predicted the omicron variant would inflict a "material drop" in their COVID-19 shots' power and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the viral strain could produce "downside" risks to in-person work and supply chains. Published November 30, 2021

Pedestrians wearing face masks against the coronavirus walk along Regent Street in London, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. The emergence of the new COVID-19 omicron variant and the world's desperate and likely futile attempts to keep it at bay are reminders of what scientists have warned for months: The coronavirus will thrive as long as vast parts of the world lack vaccines.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Fauci: Too early to conclude omicron causes mild illness

The White House said Tuesday that people should not leap to conclusions about the severity of illness from the omicron variant amid widely circulated reports about early patients who had mild symptoms. Published November 30, 2021

James Robson, a biomedical engineering graduate student, holds a swab and specimen vial in the new COVID-19, on-campus testing lab, Thursday, July 23, 2020, at Boston University in Boston. The United States has improved its surveillance system for tracking new coronavirus variants such as omicron, boosting its capacity by tens of thousands of samples since early 2021. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) **FiLE**

FDA to the public: We will be nimble in response to omicron

The Food and Drug Administration assured the public Tuesday it is "actively working" with drugmakers and global partners to understand whether the omicron variant of the coronavirus can puncture existing defenses and if updated products are needed. Published November 30, 2021

Syringes of Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine sit on a table at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill East Norwegian Street in Pottsville, Pa., on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (Lindsey Shuey/Republican-Herald via AP)

Moderna CEO predicts drop in vaccines’ power due to omicron variant

The chief executive of Moderna, a key COVID-19 vaccine maker, predicted a "material drop" in the shots' efficacy against the omicron variant, spooking investors in early Tuesday trading amid new fears about the trajectory of the pandemic. Published November 30, 2021