By Katie Rogers
Read the full article from The New York Times, here.
The Biden administration is developing plans to require all foreign travelers to the United States to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with limited exceptions, according to an administration official with knowledge of the developing policy.
By Carl Zimmer and Sharon LaFraniere
Read the full article from The New York Times, here.
The powerful protection offered by Moderna’s Covid vaccine does not wane in the first six months after the second dose, according to a statement released by the company on Thursday morning in advance of its earnings call.
But in slides prepared for the call, the company said it anticipated that boosters would be necessary this fall to contend with the Delta variant, which became common in the United States after the results were collected. “We believe a dose three of a booster will likely be necessary to keep us as safe as possible through the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere,” Dr. Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna, said during the earnings call.
By Sylvan Lane and Aris Folley
Read the full article from The Hill, here.
President Biden is attempting to thread the needle by replacing a lapsed federal eviction ban with new protections designed to keep millions of Americans from losing their homes amid surging coronavirus cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday night imposed a new, narrower moratorium to replace the one that expired Sunday. But there are already questions about the legality of the order.
The CDC said it is prohibiting evictions in counties with high rates of COVID-19 transmission through Oct. 3, aligning with areas where the agency has asked Americans to wear masks in public indoor settings even if vaccinated. The ban is expected to cover 90 percent of the U.S. population and 80 percent of counties.
By Sharon LaFraniere and Noah Weiland
Read the full article from The New York Times, here.
With a surge of Covid-19 infections ripping through much of the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has accelerated its timetable to fully approve the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, aiming to complete the process by the start of next month, people familiar with the effort said.
President Biden said last week that he expected a fully approved vaccine in early fall. But the F.D.A.’s unofficial deadline is Labor Day or sooner, according to several people familiar with the plan. The agency said in a statement that its leaders recognized that approval might increase public confidence and had “taken an all-hands-on-deck approach” to the work.
By Karen Matthews
Read the full article from AP News, here.
New York City will soon require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone who wants to dine indoors at a restaurant, see a performance or go to the gym, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday, making it the first big city in the U.S. to impose such restrictions.
The new requirement, which will be phased in over several weeks in August and September, is the most aggressive step the city has taken yet to curb a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant. People will have to show proof that they have had at least one dose of a vaccine.
By Jim Tankersley and Jeanna Smialek
Read the full article from The New York Times, here.
The U.S. economy is heading toward an increasingly uncertain autumn as a surge in the Delta variant of the coronavirus coincides with the expiration of expanded unemployment benefits for millions of people, complicating what was supposed to be a return to normal as a wave of workers re-entered the labor market.
That dynamic is creating an unexpected challenge for the Biden administration and the Federal Reserve in managing what has been a fairly swift recovery from a recession. For months, officials at the White House and the central bank have pointed toward the fall as a potential turning point for an economy that is struggling to fully shake off the effects of the pandemic — particularly in the job market, which remains millions of positions below prepandemic levels.
By Keith McShea and Thomas J. Prohaska
Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.
The push for more people to resume wearing face masks continued Monday, as the University at Buffalo imposed an indoor mask mandate for everyone on campus and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo urged private businesses, schools and hospitals to require vaccinations.
Erie County already has a mask mandate for county employees, but has so far not imposed one on the private sector.
Niagara County announced Monday that it will not demand masks in the private sector, but County Legislature Chairwoman Rebecca J. Wydysh said the Legislature will consider a mask mandate for county buildings Tuesday.
By Benjamin Mueller and Rebecca Robbins
Read the full article from The New York Times, here.
After months of struggle, the U.N.-backed Covax alliance will soon have many more doses, promising relief for vaccine shortages in poorer countries. But it faces a deepening crisis: difficulties getting shots into arms as the Delta variant spreads.
By Anne Neville
Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.
The percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 statewide continued to climb, and Western New York numbers were higher than statewide rates, according to the latest figures released Sunday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.
Statewide, 2.68% of tests were positive Saturday, an increase over the seven-day average of 2.40%.
The numbers in Erie County were higher and climbing slightly each day, with 2.82% of people testing positive Thursday, 3.09% on Friday and 3.17% on Saturday.
By Barbara O’Brien and Charity Vogel
Read the full article from Buffalo News, here.
State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa is recommending schools use federal CDC guidance in planning for opening schools this year, which means masking for all teachers, staff and students, regardless of vaccination status.
Rosa, in a letter to school leaders Thursday, said the Covid-19 pandemic is “still dynamic,” but predicted that much-awaited guidance from state Health Department officials would largely mirror that of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Like school leaders, the Education Department is “anxious” to receive guidance from the state Health Department on what safety measures should be followed for the fall semester, Rosa said in the letter to district superintendents, principals and leaders from charter schools.