Lightfoot said, “I am experiencing cold-like symptoms but otherwise feel fine which I credit to being vaccinated and boosted. I will continue to work from home while following the CDC guidelines for isolation”.
The Chicago mayor also urged people to get vaccinated and boosted “as its the only way to beat this pandemic”.
Governor Murphy said the “omicron tsunami” has been “washing across the state” as thousands of new cases continue to rise.
The governor also stated, “while we hope to return to a state of normalcy as soon as possible, the step I am taking today is a commonsense measure that will protect the safety and well-being of all New Jersey residents while allowing state government to respond to the continuing threat that COVID-19 poses to our daily lives”.
Here’s video of the clash:
The guidance stated that those who were exempted from President Biden’s vaccination mandate for federal workers will be required to be tested weekly during any week in which those employees “work onsite or interact in person with members of the public as part of their job duties.”
The Biden administration said that agencies are also free to require more frequent testing for certain work settings or occupations.
Marshall said Fauci is the “highest paid employee in the federal government” and asked if Fauci would be willing to publicly submit a financial disclosure that includes his past and current investments.
Fauci said these records have been public knowledge for 37 years, but Marshall claims “big tech giants” are working to hide that information.
“All you have to do is ask for it,” Fauci said, calling Marshall “misinformed.”
Marshall claims there is an “air or appearance that maybe some shenanigans going on.”
“My financial disclosures are public knowledge,” Fauci said. “You are getting amazingly wrong information.
He added that his financial records are “totally accessible to the public.”
The data also revealed Rhode Island has COVID-19 patients currently accounting for 42.45 percent of ICU beds in use.
The other states that have 80 percent or more ICU beds in use include Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Monday, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a memo published on the company’s website that United is “reducing our near-term schedules to make sure we have the staffing and resources to take care of customers.”
“Just as an example, in one day alone at Newark New Jersey, nearly one-third of our workforce called out sick,” Kirby said.
Kirby also stated that none of the carrier’s vaccinated employees, which make up more than 96% of its staff, are hospitalized and that it hasn’t had a Covid-related death among inoculated employees in eight weeks.
During the hearing, Dr. Fauci got into a verbal dispute with Senator Rand Paul during the first round of questioning, accusing the Kentucky lawmaker of encouraging politically based attacks on him.
Senator Paul asked Fauci why he disagreed with scientists who said the virus originated from a lab.
Fauci then responded, “there you go again, you just do the same thing every hearing, “in usual fashion, Senator, you are distorting everything about me. You keep coming back to personal attacks on me that have absolutely no relevance.”
Paul accused Fauci of working to smear scientists, blaming him for school closures, and asking if COVID leaked from a lab.
Dr. Fauci then suggested that Rand Paul’s repeated attacks on him in the hearings have inspired people to try to kill him. Fauci mentioned the recent arrest of a man who was travelling to Washington, DC armed with an AR-15 to kill him and holds up a screenshot of Mr. Paul’s website with a banner headline of “Fire Fauci” saying the senator is fueling this kind of extremism.
This comes after the CDC updated its guidance from ten days of isolation to five days. The new guidance was revised after it drew criticism from many.
“This virus has changed and is constantly throwing us curveballs,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said. “As this virus changes, the science changes.”
During opening remarks, Burr said the communication strategy from the CDC is “a mess” and created “skepticism and confusion.”
“I admit, I’m at the end of my rope,” Burr said.
While addressing Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Burr said they asked for the trust of the American people.
“Quite frankly, you’ve lost their trust,” he said.
He said that the American people are confused about the Biden administration’s rollout of COVID-19 protocols and guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Burr said the “facts and values” of vaccines and booster are clear, but the rollout of boosters was “a disaster.”
“I’m not questioning the science,” he said. “I’m questioning the communication strategy.”
Burr added that “it’s no wonder the American people are confused.”
She said people are “exhausted” two years into the pandemic and are “anxious” about what is ahead.
Murray noted the issues with getting COVID-19 tests and keeping schools open safely.
“I’m frustrated we’re still behind on issues as important to families as testing and supporting schools,” she said. “Even though we aren’t where we need to be yet, we’re not back at the starting line when it comes to COVID-19 either.”
She notes the availability of vaccines and booster shots and other tools to mitigate coronavirus.
Today, Murray wants to know what the Biden administration is doing to “bring this virus under control.”
They are expected to be asked about new recommendations on face coverings, with the CDC suggesting more heavy-duty N95 or KN95 masks are more effective at stopping the spread of Omicron.
You can watch the Senate live stream here
The number is only expected to rise in the coming weeks, with warnings from officials that many hospitals could face canceling all non-emergency care as Omicron sweeps the country.
COVID patients now make up almost a third of all intensive care beds.
This, when rules only allowed people to join one other person outdoors for a short walk at two meters distance, has triggered another wave of fury and questions about the conduct.
The government has sent minister Michael Ellis to stand in for him at the House of Commons, where the opposition has summoned them to answer questions on the gathering.
But a staggering number of Omicron variant cases is likely to smash through the record set with the Delta wave last year. Disease modelers are predicting total hospitalizations will land between 275,000 and 300,000 later this month.
Combined with an unprecedented number of staff sickness absences, it threatens to overrun some hospitals and stop them from providing emergency care.
The difference is made due to the ONS counting all deaths where COVID is mentioned on the death certificate, whereas government statistics do not.
The 34-year-old was granted the exemption by the Australian Open organizers and had been set to compete in the tournament later this month - until he was detained when the government canceled his visa and attempted to deport him over his vaccine status.
The nine-time Australian Open winner was training with an eye toward adding to his record on Monday after Judge Anthony Kelly ordered that he be released from detention in a Melbourne hotel. Questions remain over the tennis champion’s actions following his COVID-positive test last month, however.
FULL STORY: Novak Djokovic Is Back Training for Australian Open Following Vaccine Battle
Eight U.S. passenger airline flights for Shanghai - four by United Airlines and two each from Delta Air Lines and American Airlines - set to take off later this week have also been canceled.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has also canceled at least 22 other U.S.-bound flights operated by Chinese airlines since December.
President Joe Biden pledged the half-billion tests last month in response to Omicron but has been under pressure since to provide more concrete details.
FULL STORY: White House Promises First Rollouts of Free, At-Home COVID Tests in the ‘Coming Weeks’
The CDC’s travel recommendation warning has increased to Level Four: Very High for Canada, telling Americans they should avoid travel, while the State Department also on Monday issued its Level Four: Do Not Travel advisory.
Canada now joins around 80 countries worldwide at Level Four.
They predicted that should record case rates - translating into record hospitalizations and record staff absences - continue over the coming days and weeks, many patients will be waiting hours for even the most basic treatments.
As of yesterday, 602 people are hospitalized with COVID in the state, moving steadily towards the record numbers seen in December 2020. Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, said a doubling of hospitalizations is possible in the next fortnight, reports the Associated Press.
Follow Newsweek’s liveblog throughout Tuesday for all the latest updates.
The Biden administration announced the change Monday as it looks to make testing for the virus more accessible and lower costs.
According to the Associated Press, Americans will be able to either purchase home testing kits for free under their insurance or submit receipts for the tests for reimbursement, up to the monthly per-person limit. A family of four, for instance, could be reimbursed for up to 32 tests per month. PCR tests and rapid tests ordered or administered by a health provider will continue to be fully covered by insurance with no limit.
Molnupiravir was authorized for emergency use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 23, 2021.
Since its release scientists have warned that during this process of mutations, there is a possibility that new variants could emerge under certain circumstances.
An associate Professor of neurobiology and bioengineering at Stanford University Michael Lin told Newsweek, “I am very concerned about the potential consequences now that molnupiravir has been approved, it would only be a matter of time, perhaps a very short time, before a lucky set of mutations occurs to create a variant that is more transmissible or immunoreactive.”
University of New Mexico Hospital and Presbyterian Healthcare Services officials told reporters that their emergency departments are overwhelmed, and that the situation is expected to get worse.
The chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of New Mexico, Dr. Steve McLaughlin said, “If you are very sick, we are here for you and we want you to come in. If your illness is mild, we really encourage you to seek care through your primary care physician, a virtual visit or some other alternative and not come to the emergency department.”
“This order will help in several ways, primarily by allowing hospitals to expand bed capacity and give more flexibility in staffing,” Northam said during a press briefing Monday.
“We are going to have to live with this disease,” Northam said. “Everyone who can needs to be vaccinated.”
During an afternoon news briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the administration is “working closely with manufacturing distributors to understand what they can ship and by when.” She also stated officials were still “working through the timelines of distribution.”
“There are several components of this,” Psaki continued. “We want to ensure that there’s not only that physical test, but the ability to distribute them, which is what we’re working through right now.”
“We expect to have all contracts awarded over the next two weeks, and then Americans will begin being able to order these tests online later this month”, Psaki said.
The warning is “level four,” the highest on the scale, according to the CDC.
Also, if you must travel to Canada, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel.
“The pandemic continues to create challenges, but the IRS reminds people there are important steps they can take to help ensure their tax return and refund don’t face processing delays,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said.
“Filing electronically with direct deposit and avoiding a paper tax return is more important than ever this year,” Rettig said.
The CDC’s updated guidance includes a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for individuals who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, as of Jan. 6.
“An additional primary mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose is recommended for moderately or severely immunocompromised people who received a 2-dose mRNA vaccine primary series,” the updated CDC guidelines read.
The shots are considered part of the “primary series,” not a booster.
Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley made the announcement Monday.
The mandate was set to end Jan. 15 but will now remain in place until at least Feb. 28.
The extension comes amid a surge of new cases and subsequent staffing shortages at schools.
In the week ending Jan. 5, about 39,000 students and more than 12,000 faculty and staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according to AP.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education still provides the option to lift mask requirements if at least 80% of students and staff are vaccinated.
The issues disputed included testing and metrics to close schools. The Chicago Teachers Union wants the option to revert to district-wide remote instruction, and most members have refused to teach in-person until there’s an agreement, or the latest COVID-19 spike subsides. But Chicago leaders reject districtwide remote learning, saying it’s detrimental and schools are safe. Instead, Chicago opted to cancel classes as a whole, two days after students returned from winter break.
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press”, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Sunday, “What the teachers’ union did was an illegal walkout. They abandoned their posts and they abandoned kids and their families. We are working diligently every single day at the bargaining table to narrow the differences and get a deal done.”
“This vaccine will be ready in March,” Bourla said in an appearance on CNBC.
Bourla also stated, “the hope is that we will achieve something that will have way, way better protection particularly against infections, because the protection against the hospitalizations and the severe disease. It is reasonable right now, with the current vaccines as long as you are having let’s say the third dose,” Bourla said.
T-cells play an important role in your body helping your immune system to fight off viruses.
A study from September 2020, focused on levels of cross-reactive T-cells generated by previous common colds in 52 household contacts of positive COVID cases shortly after exposure, to see if they progressed into infections.
It found that the 26 who did not develop infection had significantly higher levels of those T-cells than people who did get infected. Imperial did not state how long protection from the T-cells would last.
Study author Dr Rhia Kundu said, “we found that high levels of pre-existing T-cells, created by the body when infected with other human coronaviruses like the common cold, can protect against COVID-19 infection.”
“Deltacron infection is higher among patients hospitalized for COVID-19 than among non-hospitalized patients, so that rules out the contamination hypothesis”, said Leondios Kostrikis. He’s a professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus and head of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology.
Some experts say the new Deltacron variant was merely a lab contamination error.
Virologist Dr.Tom Peacock from Imperial College London stated, “the Cypriot ‘Deltacron’ sequences reported by several large media outlets look to be quite clearly contamination.”
It is not known if the symptoms are serious but the statement said Ocasio-Cortez had a booster shot in fall.
New daily infections have soared from under 5,000 to over 20,000 in the past week, which includes around 1,000 police personnel.
Similar to many countries, there are fears about the shortage of critical staff in healthcare, education, and justice sectors.
His family said the tennis star is hopeful that he can return to training in preparation for the Australian Open, where he hopes to secure his 21st Grand Slam.
She claims Djokovic “was subjected to torture and harassment” and that she and the family “can’t recover from it easily”.
She added that she taught him “not to put up with lies and cheating” and restated that he “has not done anything wrong”.
“At the end, he won. Justice has won and the rule of law has won,” he said.
Djokovic’s brother thanked the justice system in Australia and the judge but recalled the “conflicting” situation which he describes as “difficult” for his family.
“It’s very difficult to defend Novak and not to offend others at the same time,” he said.
He reiterated that Djokovic and his family has done “everything to follow procedures” and called on fans to “send all their love” to the tennis champion.
In an interview with politician and campaigner Nigel Farage on British news channel GB News, he described Djokovic as “an animal in a trap” who is waiting to find out if he will be rearrested and deported from Australia.
The reports are not confirmed but Djokovic’s whereabouts are unknown.
Polled in December - but before the wave of Omicron hit the country - just 37 percent of people named the virus as one of their top five priorities for the, compared with 68 percent of respondents mentioning the economy as a top 2022 concern.
But they warned that “no one should rely on this alone” and reiterated the need for people to get vaccinated as the “best way” to protect against the virus.
Dr. Rhia Kundu, from ICL’s National Heart and Lung Institute, said it was an important part of understanding why “being exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus doesn’t always result in infection”.
But Andy Murray jabbed at the politician’s lifelong campaign to get Britain out of the European Union and his blaming of European migrants for much of the country’s troubles.
Leondios Kostrikis, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, has reportedly found a new strain that combines both the Delta and Omicron variants - but some experts say the cases are more likely to be the result of lab contamination or co-infections of Delta and Omicron.
Kostrikis said he dubbed the strain “Deltacron” because of Omicron-like genetic signatures within the Delta genomes, with his team of researchers reportedly identifying 25 such cases.
FULL STORY: What Is ‘Deltacron’? Scientist Says COVID Discovery Is New Strain
Djokovic told the officer that they “put me in a very awkward position” because he could not “call director of Tennis Australia” to gather information for his case.
The interviewer responded: “Yeah.”
In an interview with the BBC’s Today Programme, he also rejected the notion that Djokovic was “badly treated” by immigration officials at the airport.
Follow Newsweek’s liveblog throughout Monday for all the latest.
