Yesterday, Gov. Walz made adjustments to the COVID-19 dials. Here’s a graphic showing those:
Gov. Walz Adjusts the COVID-19 Dials
Tag: pandemic
FDA review clears path for second coronavirus vaccine, this one developed by Moderna
NOTE: This article is provided free of charge by the Washington Post.
Regulators, who confirmed the vaccine was 94 percent effective and raised no serious safety concerns, could authorize it as early as Friday
By the end of the week, the United States could have two coronavirus vaccines.
A vaccine developed by biotechnology company Moderna appears poised for regulatory clearance after a detailed data review by Food and Drug Administration scientists confirmed the two-shot regimen was “highly effective” in a clinical trial and carried no serious safety concerns.
The FDA is likely to authorize the Moderna vaccine as soon as Friday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue. Anticipating that decision shortly, Gen. Gustave Perna, who is overseeing the federal effort to distribute vaccines, said Monday that the United States was preparing to ship almost 6 million doses of the Moderna vaccines to 3,285 locations in the first week.
Minnesota businesses plan to defy Walz shutdown order
Loose-knit group of about 160 businesses committed to reopening early.
An executive order issued last month by Gov. Tim Walz closing bars and restaurants and other businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19 is set to expire Friday.
But a loose-knit group of businesses doesn’t plan to wait to reopen their doors.
ReOpen Minnesota Coalition, which claims support from roughly 160 statewide businesses ranging from bars to fitness studios, plans to defy the governor by encouraging members to reopen Wednesday, the same day Walz is expected to extend or modify his executive order or let it expire. Their livelihoods — and their constitutional rights — are at stake, said Lisa Monet Zarza, a coalition member who owns Alibi Drinkery in Lakeville. Continue reading.
Minnesota lawmakers pass COVID-19 relief package for businesses, workers
Deal includes business relief and an extension of unemployment benefits.
The Minnesota Legislature late Monday night approved a COVID-19 relief package, providing aid to struggling businesses and extending unemployment insurance to workers whose benefits could dry up after the holidays.
The $242 million deal will funnel grants directly to bars, restaurants and entertainment venues that Gov. Tim Walz ordered closed for four weeks in mid-November as a second wave of COVID-19 cases hit the state.
It now goes to Walz, who said he supports the aid package. Continue reading.
Washington navigates ethical minefield on getting first Covid shots
President Donald Trump, President-elect Joe Biden and leaders in Congress could help themselves to the vaccine in the coming days. The question is: should they?
The first Covid shots will soon be available to top officials and essential staff in the White House, the Pentagon and Congress. But they’re already facing a political and ethical dilemma over who should be at the front of the line.
While most of the scarce Pfizer vaccine is now on its way to hospitals and nursing homes across the country, some of the first tranche was reserved for federal leaders to ensure the government can continue to function as U.S. deaths and hospitalizations peak. President Donald Trump, President-elect Joe Biden and leaders in Congress could help themselves to it in the coming days. The question is: should they?
On Monday, Biden’s transition team said no decision had been made, and that the president-elect is consulting with his chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci on timing. Trump will hold off for now, but Secret Service agents, the White House medical unit staff and those who run critical operations like the Situation Room will be vaccinated on a staggered basis in the coming weeks, to ensure they don’t all suffer unexpected side effects at once. Congress still is waiting to find out how many doses will be available and when, but some lawmakers are already vowing not to elbow their way ahead. Continue reading.
As Americans die by the thousands, Trump cronies cut in line for coronavirus treatments and vaccines
Rudy Giuliani is a horrible human being.
I’m not talking about his hair-dye malfunction, his cruelty about Hunter Biden’s drug problems or his outing to the landscaping business hard by the porn shop.
I’m talking about this: Somebody may very well be dying right now because of his recklessness.
He roamed the country, often mask-free, spouting lies about election fraud. Then when he (inevitably) got covid-19, the White House secured for him rare treatments, including a lifesaving antibody cocktail available to few on the planet outside of President Trump and his cronies, such as Chris Christie and Ben Carson. Doctors ration the scarce drug, so Giuliani’s good fortune is the misfortune of somebody else who desperately needed it. Continue reading the commentary here.
Bipartisan group unveils two-part $908 billion coronavirus package
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday unveiled its $908 billion coronavirus relief package as Congress faces a time crunch to pass more aid.
The proposal is split into two parts: One $748 billion piece includes another round of Paycheck Protection Program assistance for small businesses, an unemployment benefit, and more money for schools, vaccine distribution and other widely agreed-upon items.
The second $160 billion piece ties together the two most controversial elements of the coronavirus negotiations: more money for state and local governments and protections for businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits. Continue reading.
US surpasses 300,000 COVID-19 deaths
The United States on Monday passed 300,000 total deaths from the novel coronavirus, according to a New York Times tally, a shocking number that is certain to quickly grow larger before a vaccine is widely available.
The country is now averaging about 2,500 coronavirus deaths every day, a record total. On some days, more than 3,000 people die from the virus, exceeding the toll from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
“We are in the time frame now that probably for the next 60 to 90 days we’re going to have more deaths per day than we had at 9/11 or we had at Pearl Harbor,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfieldsaid last week during an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations. Continue reading.
Bipartisan group strikes deal on coronavirus relief package
Liability, state and local aid to be split off, giving leadership some options
The group of Senate and House lawmakers negotiating a $908 billion COVID-19 relief package has reached agreement on business liability waivers and state and local government aid provisions, but those will be broken into a separate bill, according to a source familiar with the plan.
The larger $748 billion piece, which includes unemployment insurance, small-business relief, money for education, vaccine distribution and more, plus the separate bill with $160 billion for state and local governments and the liability protections, will be introduced Monday.
The bifurcated approach gives congressional leaders options as they try to assemble a massive year-end legislative package including a $1.4 trillion collection of a dozen fiscal 2021 appropriations bills. Other items still in play include legislation aimed at cracking down on surprise medical bills modeled on a bipartisan agreement reached Friday, and renewal of expiring tax breaks and health care programs. Continue reading.
Trump Rescinds Plan for White House Staff to Be Quickly Vaccinated
The administration had initially defended a plan to distribute vaccines to its senior members even as the first doses are generally being reserved for high-risk health care workers.
President Trump said on Sunday night that he would delay a plan for senior White House staff members to receive the coronavirus vaccine in the coming days, hours after The New York Times reported that the administration was planning to rapidly distribute the vaccine to its staff at a time when the first doses are generally being reserved for high-risk health care workers.
Mr. Trump, who tested positive for the coronavirus in October and recovered after being hospitalized, also implied that he would get the vaccine himself at some point in the future, but said he had no immediate plans to do so.
“People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary,” Mr. Trump tweeted, hours after a National Security Council spokesman had defended the plan. “I have asked that this adjustment be made. I am not scheduled to take the vaccine, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time. Thank you!” Continue reading.