Coronavirus vaccine: India begins world’s biggest drive
A sanitation worker became the first Indian to receive a Covid vaccine as the country began the world’s largest inoculation drive. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the programme, which aims to vaccinate more than 1.3 billion people against Covid. He paid tribute to front-line workers...
Pope Francis receives vaccine
The Vatican has confirmed that both Pope Francis and his predecessor, former Pope Benedict XVI, have received the coronavirus vaccine. Spokesman Matteo Bruni said that they were given the first dose “as part of the Vatican City State vaccination programme”. It had been reported that...
Italy political crisis erupts over EU Covid spending
The coalition government of centrist Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is in chaos after ex-PM Matteo Renzi withdrew his tiny party from it. Mr Renzi objects to Mr Conte’s plans for spending €209bn (£186bn; $254bn) of EU recovery funds – part of a huge EU...
Covid-19: Almost half of all cases in Ireland reported in last two weeks
Almost half of all recorded cases of Covid-19 in the Irish Republic have been reported in the past fortnight. Chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group Prof Philip Nolan said that 44% of all cases were recorded in the last two weeks. He was...
Covid-19: Brazil hospitals ‘run out of oxygen’ for virus patients
Hospitals in the Brazilian city of Manaus have reached breaking point while treating Covid-19 patients, amid reports of severe oxygen shortages and desperate staff. The city, in Amazonas state, has seen a surge of deaths and infections. Health professionals, quoted by local media, warned “many...
44 emergency room staffers infected with COVID-19 after Christmas
Health officials said they are conducting an investigation into a COVID-19 outbreak among the emergency room staff at a San Jose hospital that has infected 44 people since Christmas, when a staffer wore an “air-powered” costume to cheer everyone up. The Kaiser Permanente San Jose...
Larry King hospitalized with Covid-19
Broadcast journalist Larry King was moved Sunday from the ICU at a Los Angeles hospital, where he continues to be treated for Covid-19, a source close to the family said. The source said King, 87, has been in the hospital for about 10 days, and...
Biden’s inaugural parade is canceled and replaced with a virtual version to avoid drawing large crowds amid the pandemic
President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration parade has been cancelled in favor of a virtual version designed to limit crowds during the coronavirus era. Organizers announced the changes on Sunday, saying that a ‘virtual parade across America’ will be held instead of the traditional procession on Inauguration...
Virus vaccine has arrived, but frustrated Americans are struggling to sign up
Barbara Shlevin has kept a running tally of calls she made in search of the coronavirus vaccine. By Wednesday, she had tried the health department and a hospital system in Broward County, Fla., 184 times. Only once did the 71-year-old retired librarian get through. She...
Hawley talks about his election challenge, demands congressional investigation
Sen. Josh Hawley joined “The Story” exclusively on Wednesday to speak out after receiving backlash from Democrats over his stated plan to object to several states’ presidential electors when Congress certifies the election next week. Under current law, at least one U.S. senator and one...
China approves its first homegrown coronavirus vaccine, developed by Sinopharm
Chinese regulators have approved the country’s first homegrown coronavirus vaccine, developed by state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, officials announced Thursday. The approval comes a day after Sinopharm said its vaccine is 79.34% effective, citing interim analysis of Phase 3 clinical trials. China has drastically scaled up...
Trump cutting short vacation ahead of certification vote
President Donald Trump is expected to return to Washington earlier than anticipated ahead of a planned disruption by Republicans when Congress meets next week to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win. Trump is now slated to leave Palm Beach before his annual New Year’s Eve party,...
Trump-Biden transition live updates: Biden pushes Trump to sign COVID-19 relief bill
Biden released a statement on Saturday afternoon amping up the pressure on Trump to sign the COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress. Biden said the “abdication of responsibility” by Trump has “devastating consequences” for Americans while reiterating that while the bill is “critical,” it is...
Boston physician said he had a severe allergic reaction to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine
A Boston physician on Thursday said he had a severe allergic reaction to receiving Moderna’s COVID-19 shot, which was recently authorized for emergency use in the US. Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncologist at Boston Medical Center, told the New York Times he felt dizzy...
NY health network faces criminal investigation over COVID-19 vaccine
New York State Health officials said on Saturday they are investigating a Brooklyn-based healthcare provider on suspicion it violated state guidelines for distribution of COVID-19 vaccine. © Reuters/DADO RUVIC FILE PHOTO: A small bottle labeled with a “Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine” sticker and a medical syringe...
Brooklyn clinics face criminal probe over unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines
A health-care network with clinics in Boro Park, Bensonhurst and Williamsburg is under a criminal investigation for giving unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines, officials said Saturday. ParCare Community Health Network “may have fraudulently obtained COVID-19 vaccine, transferred it to facilities in other parts of the state in...
COVID-19 death rate may drop 2 weeks after 1M get vaccinated
Operation Warp Speed officials told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. could start seeing a drop in COVID-19 mortality rates, particularly among elderly people now that first responders and nursing homes are receiving the vaccine. Gen. Gustave Perna confirmed that 20 million vaccine doses will be...
Sheriff shuts down Queens party with more than 160 guests as COVID rates rise
The city sheriff’s office busted another illegal weekend party early Sunday, sending more than 160 Queens revelers home as COVID rates continue to rise. The sheriff and his deputies, performing surveillance, watched organizers bring in crates of alcohol and set up a party inside a...
Congress reaches deal on $900 billion COVID relief bill: McConnell
That’ll stuff a lot of stockings! Congress reached a deal Sunday on a roughly $900 billion coronavirus relief package, including a new round of $600 stimulus checks for most Americans. “More help is on the way,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) said on the...
TRUMP TEAM SCRAMBLES TO SECURE MORE DOSES
U.S. officials say they’re actively negotiating for additional purchases of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine after passing up a chance to lock in a contract this summer since it was still unclear how well the shots would work. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and special...
How the First COVID-19 Vaccinations Rolled Out at Hospitals Across the U.S.
Just before 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Sandra Lindsay, an intensive care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, New York, became one of the first people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The jab was the highly anticipated start of what public health experts...
FDA says Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine vials may hold extra
he U.S. might have more doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine than it thought. While each Pfizer vial is supposed to hold five doses of the first vaccine authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, Politico was first to report on Wednesday that...
Minnesota loosens COVID-19 restrictions after 4 weeks
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Wednesday loosened stringent restrictions on businesses and social gatherings, following four weeks of stricter rules prompted by a spike in coronavirus cases. The new procedures, which will not reopen in-person dining, come as Walz is facing pressure from a group...
Optimism about a coronavirus stimulus deal
Away from the pointless hearings into voting, which seemed designed mainly to mollify the President’s insatiable desire for more investigations, congressional leaders from both parties said they were making progress in crafting a Covid stimulus package after months of a stalemate. McConnell said that leaders...
“Covid Hunter” US Doctor Has Not Had A Single Day Off Since March
CVD HNTR. That is the license plate on Joseph Varon’s Mercedes 550. A vanity plate can be construed as grandiosity – but in this case, it is quite literal. Varon, a 58-year-old physician and chief of staff at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, has...
South Korea logs record 1,030 cases amid ‘COVID-19 emergency’
South Korea reported 1,030 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, its largest single-day jump and the second daily record in a row, putting pressure on authorities to further tighten physical distancing rules. Of the new cases, 1,002 were locally transmitted, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention...
Scientists Still Have Problems With AstraZeneca and Oxford’s Vaccine Results
The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, become a member and sign up for our newsletter, Incoming. The first peer-reviewed results describing clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine developed...
Covid: First round of US vaccinations to begin on Monday
The US public will start receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine from Monday after it was authorised for emergency use, officials say. The first three million doses of the vaccine would be shipped “across all states” this weekend, said Gen Gustave Perna, who is overseeing distribution....
How Operation Warp Speed plans to distribute COVID-19 vaccine
Five percent of all produced COVID-19 vaccine will be held back for emergencies and states will have the option of trading vials within the government’s ordering system to get the kind they want. Those are just a few of the details we’re learning about how...
Biden unveils COVID strategy – and it involves a mask mandate
President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a three-part plan to combat the coronavirus pandemic in the first 100 days of his administration. Biden, speaking in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., as he formally unveiled his team of top health officials, emphasized “masking, vaccinations, opening schools....