coronavirus

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

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.)

coronavirus

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

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.)

coronavirus

Philly City Council members back call for more student COVID testing

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.)