Month: December 2020

The Biden transition team announced Tuesday that President-elect Biden has named retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin as his nominee for secretary of defense. The former commander of the US Central Command would make history as the first Black person to lead the Pentagon if confirmed by the US Senate.

Biden will formally introduce Austin as his nominee at a Wednesday event in Wilmington, Delaware. The secretary of defense controls the nation’s largest government agency and commands troops around the world.

Austin has worked closely with Biden while he was vice president, serving as the vice chief of staff of the Army and commanding general of US forces in Iraq, and later the commander of CENTCOM. Biden and Austin had discussions on a range of issues, including those in the Middle East and Central and South Asia. Austin would need a congressional waiver to be confirmed for the civilian post because federal law requires seven years of retirement from active duty before taking on the role. Austin retired from active-duty service only four years ago.

Retired Army General Lloyd Austin is Biden’s choice for secretary of defense

Via www.cbsnews.com

President-elect Joe Biden says he will nominate retired Army General Lloyd Austin to be…

12/08/2020 6:18 PM

 

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President Donald Trump announced a decree Tuesday aimed at granting Americans priority access to vaccines. Trump’s executive order would “ensure that American citizens have first priority to receive American vaccines,” but it was unclear whether it would hold legal weight, since drugmakers have already signed deals with other countries.

Meanwhile, a more cautious presentation held simultaneously by President-elect Joe Biden warned that efforts to get the vaccine out to Americans would “slow and stall” if Congress does not urgently come up with funding. Biden stressed it was imperative for lawmakers to “finish the bipartisan work underway now or millions of Americans may wait months longer to get the vaccine.” Biden also pledged that his administration would carry out at least 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days in office, a more conservative estimate than that offered by Trump officials. 

Positive news related to vaccines emerged on Tuesday, including US regulators calling the Pfizer-BioNTech immunization — which Britain began rolling out on Tuesday — safe and effective in a briefing document. Pfizer will soon be granted emergency approval in the United States, with a meeting on the topic set for Thursday. A meeting on emergency approval for US firm Moderna’s vaccine candidate is scheduled for December 17.

Trump signs executive order giving Americans vaccine priority

Via www.upi.com

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at prioritizing Americans for…

12/08/2020 4:56 PM

 

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A 90-year-old grandmother became Patient A on Tuesday morning as she was the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine outside a clinical trial.

Margaret Keenan, who turns 91 next week, received the shot — the first of 800,000 doses — at University Hospital Coventry in central England at 6:31 a.m., as part of a mass immunization program rolled out across the United Kingdom, according to a press release from the country’s publicly-funded health care system, the National Health Service (NHS), 

Keenan said she feels “so privileged to be the first person.” She will receive a booster injection — re-exposure to the immunizing antigen after initial vaccination — in 21 days “to ensure she has the best chance of being protected against the virus,” according to the press release.

Last week, the U.K. became the first country in the world to authorize emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The potentially life-saving vaccine was shown in late-stage clinical trials to be more than 95% effective in preventing COVID-19.

U.K. grandmother, 90, gets the 1st dose of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine

Via www.cbsnews.com

First mass-inoculation program in the West launches with U.K. declaring “V-Day” after a grueling…

12/08/2020 6:44 AM

 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that New York is just days away from a second lockdown if coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to surge upward during the holiday season. Cuomo said during a Monday press conference in New York City, “If you overwhelm the hospital capacity, you will have to go back to shutdown. There are no options.”

Hospitalizations across New York are rising over the last month, as New Yorkers gathered for the holidays despite warnings from health officials. To combat the new wave, Cuomo revealed a series of new restrictive mandates that could go into effect as soon as Friday. Cuomo said if hospitalization rates do not stabilize in the next five days, indoor dining will have a 25 percent occupancy limit across the state—and will shut down entirely in New York City. 

The plan is similar to that of California, where a new stay-at-home order took effect on Sunday for Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, after ICU  capacity dipped below 15 percent. San Francisco has also gone into lockdown, with the mayor imposing a separate set of orders. California’s new stay-at-home order affects around 85% of the state’s 40 million people, and will be in place for at least three weeks.

Many Californians under new pandemic curbs; New York readies fresh restrictions

Via www.reuters.com

Much of California on Monday faced a raft of new restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of…

12/07/2020 4:15 PM

 

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President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for COVID-19. Trump delivered the news by tweet, writing “Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!”

Giuliani, 76, was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center on Sunday.  His son, Andrew Giuliani, tweeted that his father was “resting, getting great care and feeling well,” adding, “Thank you to all the friends who have reached out concerned about his well being.”

Giuliani is the most recent in a list of close Trump associates who have tested positive for the virus. He appeared on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” just an hour before his diagnosis was announced.  Giuliani has made multiple public appearances within the last week, including one at a Michigan State House panel and another at a Georgia State Senate hearing, speaking in close proximity to others without a mask.

Since Election Day, Giuliani has traveled the country challenging President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in key states, holding large gatherings and ignoring public health guidelines, like mask-wearing and social distancing.

Rudy Giuliani in hospital after testing positive for COVID-19

Via www.msn.com

President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday. “@RudyGiuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the…

12/06/2020 4:57 PM

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President-elect Joe Biden will nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead the health and human services department. If confirmed by the Senate, the 62-year-old Becerra will be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Becerra has been one of the most outspokem opponents of the Trump administration having sponsored a wave of legal actions challenging environmental, immigration and Census policies.

Becerra would take on a crucial role in the Biden administration, leading its response to the coronavirus pandemic. As California’s attorney general, Becerra has led the coalition of Democratic states defending “Obamacare” from the Trump administration’s latest effort to overturn it, a legal case awaiting a Supreme Court decision next year.

The Department of Health and Human Services is a $1-trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines, leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans.

Biden will pick California A.G. Xavier Becerra to lead Health and Human Services

Via www.nbcnews.com

The incoming administration has tried to elevate more diverse candidates to front-line positions.

12/06/2020 6:28 PM

 

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