coronavirus

coronavirus

Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine gets full FDA approval, and mandates could be on the way

August 27, 2021

On Monday, Aug. 23, nine months after receiving emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Pfizer BioNTech two-shot COVID-19 vaccine became the first of three vaccines to get full approval for usage in the country.

Back in December 2020, the Pfizer vaccine was the first authorized by the FDA for emergency use to combat what was then a dire COVID-19 situation heading into Christmas. | From: AL DÍA (Read more.)

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COVID-19 vaccine is free, but medical bills or fear of cost a barrier to vaccination for some

August 27, 2021

Martin Gola knew the COVID-19 vaccine was supposed to be free. So he was surprised when, in July, he received a $32 bill from Nazareth Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia, where he’d gotten the two-dose Moderna vaccine. A few days later came another bill, this one for $79.

The 59-year-old Philadelphia resident ignored the bills, but he got worried when weeks later Trinity Health, which owns Nazareth, called to collect on his overdue account. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)

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Philly City Council members back call for more student COVID testing

August 27, 2021

Nine members of the City Council have joined the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers in calling for the school district to continue testing for asymptomatic students as part of its COVID plan this year.

In a letter sent Friday to Superintendent William Hite and Board of Education President Joyce Wilkerson, the members said that “screening testing” — regularly testing all or a sample of students — is a “key prevention strategy” identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop the spread of the virus. | From: Chalkbeat Philadelphia (Read more.)

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Requiring vaccines remains uncertain as Philadelphia school reopening nears

August 12, 2021

As a full reopening nears for Philadelphia schools, anxieties persist among students, families and teachers, particularly in light of a Delta-fueled rise in COVID-19 infections and with children under the age of 12 not yet eligible for a vaccine.

Conversations have just begun over whether teachers and other staff in the city’s public schools will be required to get inoculated, according to the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. | From: Metro Philadelphia (Read more.)

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Philadelphia teachers union favors vaccine mandate

August 12, 2021

With the opening of school just three weeks away and concerns growing about the COVID delta variant, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers will support “a negotiated vaccine mandate” for its members, a union spokesperson said.

The statement from Hillary Linardopoulos came a few hours after Mayor Jim Kenney and Superintendent William Hite strongly urged all city and district employees to be vaccinated and said they are still exploring if they can impose a mandate. The union sent an email to all members on Monday. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)

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Tenants’ rights group offers assistance to Philly renters as eviction moratorium continues

August 12, 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course on Tuesday, extending the federal moratorium on evictions until Oct. 3. In a statement, CDC officials said the renewed effort, which comes days after the original eviction ban lapsed on July 31, will allow rent relief to flow and vaccination rates to rise as the new delta variant of COVID-19 spreads. But, despite the extended moratorium, thousands of Philadelphians tangled in landlord-tenant disputes face a possible loss of housing during the ongoing pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course on Tuesday, extending the federal moratorium on evictions until Oct. 3. In a statement, CDC officials said the renewed effort, which comes days after the original eviction ban lapsed on July 31, will allow rent relief to flow and vaccination rates to rise as the new delta variant of COVID-19 spreads. But, despite the extended moratorium, thousands of Philadelphians tangled in landlord-tenant disputes face a possible loss of housing during the ongoing pandemic. | From: Metro Philadelphia (Read more.)

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Advocates for paid family leave hold rally in Wilmington

August 12, 2021

The Paid Leave for All bus tour spent an hour in Wilmington before trekking to Washington for another stop on its two-week, 14-city venture that started Monday in Providence, Rhode Island. Dawn Huckelbridge, director of Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Paid Leave for All, says it’s long past time for a federal program that would guarantee 12 weeks of paid leave of up to $4,000 a month. | From: WHYY (Read more.)