coronavirus 14 , CD3 DFL

CDC: Fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks outside

Fully vaccinated people can venture outdoors without masks, according to updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Tuesday.

The big picture: The guidelines come as more than nearly 29% of people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated and more than 42% have received at least one dose.

15 governors so far have let their state orders requiring people to wear face coverings in public expire, according to U.S. News. Many cities and local jurisdictions have also begun to increase capacity at restaurants and businesses. Continue reading.

GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Criticizes ‘Big Push’ To Get Everyone Vaccinated

KEY FACTS

In an interview with conservative Wisconsin radio host Vicki McKenna, herself a vocal coronavirus vaccine skeptic, Johnson launched into a condemnation of “vaccine passports,” a credential that would allow businesses to verify vaccination status.

But Johnson also went a step further, declaring that he sees “no reason to be pushing vaccines on people,” arguing that their distribution should be “limited” to those most vulnerable to coronavirus, and asking, “If you have a vaccine, quite honestly, what do you care if your neighbor has one or not?”

Johnson said he is “getting highly suspicious” of the “big push to make sure everybody gets the vaccine,” not only stating it’s “not a fully approved vaccine” but also arguing that the fact it is 95% effective means only a limited number of people need to be vaccinated. Continue reading.

100 Days, 200 Million Shots in Arms

DFL Party celebrates President Biden’s ongoing success in the battle against

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – This week, specifically Thursday, April 29th, will mark President Joe Biden’s 100th day in office. To commemorate this, the DFL Party will spend the week highlighting various accomplishments of the start of Biden’s presidency. Today, the party is highlighting Biden’s successful efforts at battling COVID-19.

When Joe Biden took office, he announced the ambitious goal of delivering 100 vaccine million shots in the arms of the American people by the 100th day of his presidency. Biden met that goal after just 58 days in office, so he increased it to 200 million.

Last week, Biden exceeded that goal as well. As things stand, more than 200 million vaccine doses have been distributed across the U.S. and over half of all eligible Minnesotans and Americans overall have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccination slowdown could threaten recovery

The slowdown in the daily pace of COVID-19 vaccinations has sparked concerns from health experts that it could slow the U.S. recovery from the pandemic.

As the Biden administration touted the accomplishment of administering 200 million vaccine doses, doubling the president’s goal of 100 million vaccines administered in his first 100 days in office, the country has seen a drop in the seven-day average of daily vaccinations following weeks of steady upticks.

The U.S. hit a peak in early April of getting 4.63 million COVID-19 vaccines into arms in a single day before Tuesday saw a total of 1.81 million doses administered, according to Our World in Data. Continue reading.

Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: April 23, 2021

This week, the entire world watched as Minnesota awaited the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, while mourning the death of Daunte Wright at the hands of law enforcement.

While the trial of Derek Chauvin ended in justice for George Floyd in the courtroom, we know that full justice won’t be achieved until all Minnesotans feel safe and the relationship between law enforcement and our communities heals.

The Governor will continue to work to pass police reform legislation in our state.

Biden announces small business tax credits for vaccine PTO

President Biden on Wednesday called on all employers to provide workers paid time off to get vaccinated or recover from COVID side effects, and said he’ll include a paid tax credit for small businesses that do so.

Why it matters: The Biden administration sees workplaces as highly influential in making shots more convenient for working adults who are in high-risk industries.

43% of working adults are currently vaccinated, compared to more than 80% of seniors, per federal data. Continue reading.

Rep. Dean Phillips (CD3): Small Business Relief Information for You

Hi Neighbors,

As a small business owner, I know that the challenges facing our nation’s job-creators have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner (or know one!), new relief options may be available to help you weather this storm. Read on to learn more, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office if we can be of assistance during this extraordinarily difficult time:

ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTOR LOAN (EIDL) UPDATE

The Small Business Administration (SBA) began the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program at the start of the pandemic. The SBA announced they have increased the maximum amount small businesses and non-profit organizations can borrow through the program. The SBA has raised the loan limit from 6-months of economic injury with a maximum loan amount of $150,000 to up to 24-months of economic injury with a maximum loan amount of $500,000.

U.S. lifts pause on Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine

The CDC and FDA on Friday lifted the recommended pause on use of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, saying the benefits of the shot outweigh the risk of a rare blood clot disorder.

Why it matters: The move clears the way for states to resume administering the one-shot vaccine.

The Johnson & Johnson shot had been seen as an important tool to fill gaps in the U.S. vaccination effort. But between the pause in its use and repeated manufacturing problems, its role in that effort is shrinking. Continue reading.

There are plenty of moral reasons to be vaccinated – but that doesn’t mean it’s your ethical duty

With the news that all U.S. adults are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the holy grail of infectious disease mitigation – herd immunity – feels tantalizingly close. If enough people take the vaccine, likely at least 70% of the population, disease prevalence will slowly decline and most of us will safely get back to normal. But if not enough people get vaccinated, COVID-19 could stick around indefinitely.

The urgency of reaching that milestone has led some to claim that individuals have a civic duty or moral obligation to get vaccinated.

As a moral philosopher who has written on the nature of obligation in other contexts, I want to explore how the seemingly straightforward ethics of vaccine choice is in fact rather complex. Continue reading.

Ted Nugent tests positive for coronavirus he called fake: ‘I thought I was dying’

Rocker and COVID-19 denier Ted Nugent has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The right-wing rock musician revealed in a Facebook video that he is seriously ill with the potentially deadly virus he has insisted is fake or not very serious, reported Consequence of Sound.

“Everybody told me that I should not announce this,” Nugent says in the video. “I have had flu symptoms for the last 10 days. I thought I was dying — just a clusterf*ck.” Continue reading.

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