by Issac Morgan, Florida Phoenix March 29, 2022 While a federal face mask mandate for public transportation hubs is set to expire in less than a month, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced that the state has filed a lawsuit against the feds to block the requirement immediately. …
Read More »White House Unveils New National COVID Preparedness Plan
White House officials on Wednesday unveiled an updated National COVID Preparedness Plan, which includes increased access to treatment, enhanced surveillance, keeping schools open, and vaccinating the world. White House COVID Response Coordinator Jeff Zients emphasized that this was a “new moment” in the fight against the virus, with a new …
Read More »New CDC Guidance Relaxes Indoor Masking In Majority Of U.S. Counties
Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent February 25, 2022 WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday unveiled updated guidance for masking indoors in public places, a move that means 70% of Americans likely will be able to ditch their masks. The new guidance will divvy counties into low, …
Read More »Texas Sues CDC To Stop Mask Mandates On Planes
By Sneha Dey, The Texas Tribune Feb. 16, 2022 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Irving, are suing the Biden administration to end mask mandates on planes. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, argues that the mandate imposes a “restriction on travelers’ liberty interests.” Van Duyne’s district …
Read More »How To Get Your Free N95 Masks From The Federal Government
In its latest effort to control the spread of COVID-19, the White House announced last week that it would distribute 400 million high-quality N95 face masks to Americans in the coming weeks. The government also rolled out a website last week where households can order four free at-home COVID-19 tests. The …
Read More »White House To Provide 400 Million N95 Masks To Americans
As the omicron variant surges and hospitals are pushed to capacity, the White House announced a new program Wednesday to give 400 million nonsurgical N95 masks to Americans free of charge. According to a White House official, Americans will be able to receive the masks at tens of thousands of …
Read More »White House to Provide 10 Million Covid Tests to Schools Each Month
The Biden Administration is planning to distribute 10 million COVID-19 tests per month to schools around the country in a bid to keep them open amid the record-breaking surge in cases related to the Omicron variant. The White House will send out 5 million free rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests to perform individual …
Read More »CDC recommends Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster for kids ages 12 to 15
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has endorsed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendations to expand eligibility of Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster doses to kids 12 to 15 years old. CDC now recommends that adolescents aged 12 to 17 years …
Read More »Omicron estimated to be 95% of coronavirus variants in U.S., CDC says
The Omicron variant was estimated to be 95% of the coronavirus strains circulating in the United States as of Jan. 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday. The CDC said the variant accounted for an estimated 77% of cases in the week ended Dec. …
Read More »FDA Authorizes Pfizer’s Booster Shot For Children Aged 12-15-Years-Old
On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 booster shot to include children aged 12 to 15. “Throughout the pandemic, as the virus that causes COVID-19 has continuously evolved, the need for the FDA to quickly adapt has meant …
Read More »CDC: People should ‘avoid cruise travel, regardless of vaccination status’
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday issued an advisory urging all travelers — vaccinated and unvaccinated — to avoid cruise ship travel amidst a record-breaking Covid surge driven by the omicron variant in many states across the United States. “Even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk …
Read More »CDC Shortens Recommended Isolation and Quarantine Periods
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is shortening the recommended time period for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of …
Read More »Biden Administration Pushing “Test-to-Stay” Policy to Keep Kids in School
As more and more school districts are considering going back to virtual learning in an attempt to avoid the worst of the omicron variant, the Biden administration has announced a new “test-to-stay” strategy to increase Covid–19 testing in order to keep children in the classroom. The “test to stay” approach will allow unvaccinated students …
Read More »CDC Expands COVID-19 Booster Recommendations To 16, 17-Year-Olds
16 and 17-year-olds can receive a booster shot for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved the additional dose Thursday. The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency authorization for 16- and 17-year-olds to receive a third dose of the Pfizer …
Read More »U.S. Tightens COVID Testing Requirement for International Travelers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is revising the current Global Testing Order to shorten the timeline for required testing for all international air travelers to one day before departure to the United States. The new protocol updates the current requirements, which mandate foreign travelers be fully vaccinated. …
Read More »