Biden asks intel to dig deeper into COVID origins
GOP lawmakers seize Wuhan lab issue for attention; New materials help guide conversations with unvaccinated individuals, while anti-vax law firm fights mandates
President Biden asked federal intelligence experts to deliver a report on the origins of COVID-19 within 90 days. The call came after a groundswell of interest after the Wall Street Journal published news that U.S. intelligence believed three Wuhan lab workers sought treatment for COVID-19-like symptoms in November 2019.
I’m not sure what to say about a network that was reporting today that the administration had “quietly halted” COVID-19 origin investigation, other than: please check your facts before sharing anything.
A new report produced for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality delves into the challenge of getting nursing home workers to accept COVID-19 vaccinations. In addition to questions about the safety and need for COVID vaccinations, many workers can’t afford to take time off to get the shots or deal with side effects or have employers that aren’t supportive or trusted. The project includes a handy COVID vaccine conversation guide, which could be useful in many settings beyond nursing homes.
Many employees and others pushing back against vaccine mandates have a key characteristic in common: help from one law firm long associated with anti-vaccine activism, according to the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, already underserved rural communities have lost health workers and hospitals during COVID-19, as STATNews reports in depth.
The immune response generated after COVID-19 infection is long-lasting, according to two studies reported in the New York Times.
However, NIAID Director Dr. Tony Fauci told a Senate hearing that he expects booster shots will be necessary - eventually.
The European Union is suing AstraZeneca and may seek billions of dollars in penalties if vaccine deliveries fall short.
Americans have taken to the skies in numbers that haven’t been seen since before pandemic shutdowns began. At Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport yesterday, I saw lounges filled to capacity — and flights with no empty seats.