Tag Archives: COVID-19

New estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that the full death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID-19 pandemic (described as “excess mortality”) between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021 was approximately 14.9 million (range 13.3 million to 16.6 million). “These sobering data not only point …

Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday on both rapid and PCR tests, according to a statement from her press secretary. She “has exhibited no symptoms, will isolate and continue to work from the Vice President’s residence,” according to the statement. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden …

by Jennifer Shutt, Virginia Mercury April 12, 2022 WASHINGTON — Restaurants and other businesses that have survived more than two years of COVID-19 restrictions could see an infusion of federal dollars in the coming months, as long as U.S. lawmakers reach final agreement on a multibillion-dollar package. The U.S. House …

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization to a new COVID-19 test that can detect infections with only a sample of a patient’s breath, using a device that can yield results in less than three minutes. The agency says the InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer will only be available for …

The Biden Administration announced it has extended the federal transportation mask mandate another two weeks due to rising COVID-19 case numbers across the country. The mask mandate, which requires face coverings on public transportation, including planes and trains and in airports, was initially put in place in January 2021 and set …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent April 8, 2022 WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have departed their offices and hearing rooms on Capitol Hill for a two-week spring recess without passing additional funding to combat the coronavirus, amid a stalemate over immigration policy. Despite reaching a bipartisan agreement Monday for $10 billion for …

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, the latest in a number of cases among the nation’s top officials in recent days. Pelosi, who is 82, has no symptoms and is fully vaccinated as well as boosted, her spokesperson Drew Hammill said in a tweet. “After testing negative …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent April 4, 2022 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate reached a bipartisan deal on pandemic aid funding Monday, settling on $10 billion for added testing, treatment and vaccines. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, and Utah GOP Sen. Mitt Romney released separate statements …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent April 1, 2022 WASHINGTON — Congress remains undecided over how exactly to provide billions more to fight the COVID-19 pandemic as a new variant spreads throughout states and public health officials caution the virus doesn’t show signs of fading away. Negotiators were close to an …

President Joe Biden on Wednesday introduced his administration’s new website, COVID.gov, designed to be a “one-stop shop” for the latest pandemic information, as well as a means of providing access to vaccines, tests, treatments and masks on a single site. Biden unveiled the site while asking Congress to approve an …

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. …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent March 28, 2022 WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden sent a new $5.8 trillion budget request to Congress on Monday that calls on lawmakers to institute a minimum tax on billionaires and boost spending on national security.  The proposal, which lawmakers will undoubtedly change, asks Congress …

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says she tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a trip to Europe with President Joe Biden. Jean-Pierre was with the president after Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced that she tested positive for the coronavirus last week. “I last saw the President …

Prakash Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina and Mitzi Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina A new omicron subvariant of the virus that causes COVID-19, BA.2, is quickly becoming the predominant source of infections amid rising cases around the world. Immunologists Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti of the University of South Carolina …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent March 15, 2022 WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is warning that the United States would not be prepared for another COVID-19 variant or surge in cases if Congress doesn’t approve billions in stalled emergency funding. Senior administration officials told reporters Tuesday that without the $22.5 billion the …