Coronavirus Watch: Will there be a recession in 2022?

The U.S. economy is still climbing out of the COVID-induced downturn as a robust job market powers it to cruising speed.

So why is talk of recession in the air?

Paste BN's Paul Davidson reports some top economists are raising the odds of a slump within the next year or so amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising energy prices, historic inflation, the stock market sell-off, and the prospect of aggressive Fed rate hikes. Read more here.

It's Friday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:

• Employers added a roaring 678,000 jobs in February — the most since last summer — as COVID-19's omicron variant faded, spurring idled employees to return to work and reviving dining, travel and other activities.
• New York City is ending its mask mandate for public schools and vaccination requirements for a number of indoor venues beginning Monday, Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday. "We’re far from out of the woods. COVID is still here, but we’re beating it back," he said.
• Los Angeles County lifted its indoor mask requirements for most indoor settings effective Friday. Masks are required in schools and childcare facilities until March 12, when they become "strongly recommended," the county health department said.
• The Winter Paralympics opened Friday in Beijing. All the athletes and spectators wore face masks to protect against the coronavirus. Meanwhile, in cases are surging in Hong Kong, where the city has ramped up its testing capacity with the help of inflatable mobile laboratories, the Associated Press reports.

See our COVID-19 resource guide here. See total reported cases and deaths here. On vaccinations: About 76% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 65% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck