Coronavirus
California will require all of its roughly 2.2 million health care workers and long-term care workers to be fully vaccinated by 9/30, with exceptions for people who decline the vaccine because of a religious belief or workers who cannot be inoculated because of a qualifying medical reason backed up by a note signed by a licensed medical professional…
For the first time since February, the US is averaging more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day…
The San Francisco Department of Public Health and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital said Tuesday, 8/3, they are allowing patients who received Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) single-dose COVID-19 vaccine to get a second shot produced by either Pfizer or Moderna…
Half of the entire U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, White House Data Director Dr. Cyrus Shahpar announced earlier today, 8/6…
The U.S. is considering a plan to require all foreign visitors to be vaccinated for COVID-19…
Patients developed blood clotting conditions after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a "similar" rate to those who received the Pfizer shot, say researchers…
The FDA is expected to approve Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine by early September, amid a resurgence of cases that has heightened pressure on the administration to get more Americans vaccinated…
In an effort to speed forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, the government on Wednesday, 8/4, opened an online portal through which small businesses that borrowed up to $150,000 can apply to have their loans eliminated…
The Biden administration Thursday, 8/5, stepped up efforts to get more students vaccinated as the school year begins, announcing partnerships with the National PTA, pediatricians and sports organizations to reach reluctant families…
A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal of a district court's ruling denying an injunction against an Indiana University rule requiring all students to be vaccinated against COVID-19…
The Biden administration is considering using federal regulatory powers and the threat of withholding federal funds from institutions to push more Americans to get vaccinated - a huge potential shift in the fight against the virus and a far more muscular approach to getting shots into arms…
Last week, the White House announced a growing number of individuals with lingering COVID-19 symptoms could qualify for disability resources and protections…
A research brief found that nearly seven percent of students self-reported that they had COVID-19 and estimates that 1.4 million college students may have been infected with COVID-19 since January 2020…
General Update
By a vote of 68-29, last evening the Senate voted to invoke cloture on the infrastructure package…
California is in line for more than $25 billion - with a total minimum windfall expected to be $35 billion - to rebuild its highways should Congress pass a bipartisan infrastructure deal, the White House said in a statement aimed at nudging lawmakers toward support for the measure…
After final passage of the infrastructure package, the Senate is planning to consider the $3.5 trillion budget resolution…
On Tuesday, 8/3, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a moratorium on evictions for 60 days for U.S. counties with “substantial and high levels of community transmission” of COVID-19…
The Biden administration is extending the pause on federal student loans due to the COVID-19 pandemic through 1/31/2022…
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, 8/4, advanced its first three spending bills for fiscal 2022 - Agriculture-FDA, Energy & Water, and Military Construction-VA…
The IRS issued guidance Wednesday, 8/4, for companies claiming the employee retention credit through 2021…
E-cigarette maker Juul is mounting an “egregious” and “deeply disturbing” marketing campaign ahead of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision whether to allow its products to remain on the market, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said in letters to regulators…
A Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday, 8/4, shows a 12 point dip in approval of Biden’s handling of COVID-19, from 65 percent approve-30 percent disapprove in May to 53-40 now…