WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden called the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s authorization of the Covid-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 “a giant step forward to further accelerate our path out of this pandemic,” saying Wednesday that it’s “a day of relief and celebration” for parents around the country. “The bottom
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By LOLITA C. BALDOR and ROBERT BURNS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force says nearly 8,500 active duty members of the Air Force and Space Force have missed the deadline for getting COVID-19 vaccinations, including 800 who flatly refused and nearly 5,000 with pending requests for a religious exemption. The Air Force said
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EL PASO, Texas — Since children are now eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccination shot, does that mean we’re one step closer to eradicating the virus here in El Paso? Two Borderland health experts who have been on the front-lines of the pandemic say it’s not that simple. El Paso’s positivity rate is slowly increasing.
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EL PASO, Texas — After the U.S. Centers for Disease Control authorized the Emergency Use of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, El Paso Children’s Hospital administered the Borderland’s first vaccines for kids on Tuesday evening. Officials said the hospital is receiving a limited number of doses and indicated parents can
Continue Reading UPDATE: U.S. health officials have given the final OK to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 5. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the go-ahead Tuesday evening. The announcement came only hours after a CDC advisory panel unanimously decided Pfizer’s shots should be given to children ages 5
Continue Reading ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico – Ahead of Tuesday’s deadline to have all airmen vaccinated, 97% of active duty U.S. Air Force personnel had received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Department of Defense. However, the federal government will not release data specific to any one military base, including Holloman Air Force
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas — On Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued guidance containing new details related to the reopening of the U.S. border with Mexico on Nov. 8 to vaccinated foreign visitors for tourism and other non-essential travel. Here’s what you need to know about the new policies for travelers: CBP anticipates an increase in border
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — The go-ahead for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 could happen this week. The Food and Drug Administration has already authorized the Pfizer vaccine for children, after they determined it had met the criteria for emergency use authorization. The shots deliver about one-third of the vaccine given to adults.
Continue Reading By CARLA K. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer The global death toll from Covid-19 has topped 5 million, nearly two years into a crisis that has not only devastated poor countries but also humbled wealthy ones with first-rate health care systems. Together, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Brazil account for one-eighth of the
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By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As deadlines loom for military and defense civilians to get mandated COVID-19 vaccines, senior leaders are wrestling with the fate of tens of thousands who flatly refuse the shots or are seeking exemptions, and how to make sure they are treated fairly and equally. It could
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EL PASO, Texas — There were 14 El Pasoans who died from Covid-19 over the past week, with four of those being breakthrough deaths involving a fully-vaccinated individuals, the El Department of Public Health announced Monday. Officials said 13 of the 14 latest victims had underlying health conditions; the deceased ranged in age from their
Continue Reading By Kaitlan Collins, CNN The Federal Register will publish within days the Labor Department’s rule requiring private businesses with 100 or more employees to vaccinate them or test them weekly, fulfilling an announcement President Joe Biden made in September. The Office of Management and Budget completed its required review of the emergency rule on Monday.
Continue Reading By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Jen Psaki says she has contracted COVID-19. Psaki is not traveling with President Joe Biden, who has been in Rome this weekend for a Group of 20 summit, and is headed to Scotland on Monday for a U.N. climate summit.
Continue Reading By Amy Simonson, Rebekah Riess and Katelyn Polantz, CNN Texas on Friday filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over its Covid-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, calling it unconstitutional. The move followed an announcement hours earlier from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office that a 10-state coalition had filed its own lawsuit against the administration
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico was among the first states out of the gate when the Covid-19 vaccine push began. Now, top health officials say it looks like the state is among the first to see immunity from the shots wane. Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase said during a briefing
Continue Reading By DAVID SHARP and JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an emergency appeal from health care workers in Maine to block a vaccine mandate that went into effect Friday. Three conservative justices noted their dissents. The state is not offering a religious exemption to hospital and nursing home workers
Continue Reading By Katie Bo Lillis, CNN The US intelligence community released a declassified report on Friday that confirmed that it has not reached a conclusion on the origins of Covid-19, though it offered fresh details on how the intelligence community approached its 90-day investigation into the matter. The 17-page report from the Office of the Director
Continue Reading By MATTHEW PERRONE and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has paved the way for children ages 5 to 11 to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The agency authorized the kid-size doses on Friday. But there’s one more regulatory hurdle. Next week, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and
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EL PASO, Texas — Under President Joe Biden’s recent executive order, federal contractors have until Dec. 8 to ensure that their workers are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. On Wednesday, New Mexico State University announced that it will require vaccines for all employees, citing that federal mandate, and the alternative of weekly Covid testing will be eliminated.
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — New Mexico State University will now require all faculty and other workers – including student employees – to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by by Dec. 8, eliminating the alternative of weekly coronavirus testing. The change in university policy comes in the wake of President Joe Biden’s recent executive order
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EL PASO, Texas — A majority of El Paso City Council members told the city attorney to continue with on-going litigation against the state of Texas over the governor’s order forbidding local face mask mandates. In a 5-3 vote on Tuesday, council members rejected a motion to drop the litigation undertaken by the city stemming
Continue Reading UPDATE: U.S. health advisers have endorsed kid-size doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for younger children. The vote Tuesday afternoon by the Food and Drug Administration panel moves the U.S. closer to vaccinating children ages 5 to 11. The FDA isn’t bound by the panel’s recommendation and is expected to make its own decision within days.
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas — The Food and Drug Administrations advisory panel could authorize Pfizer’s vaccine for 5 to 11 year olds on Tuesday. One El Paso doctor is asking parents to trust the vaccine. “The data is very good on safety. We have, you know, hundreds of millions of doses already being given out very
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico has reached the grim milestone of having more than 5,000 deaths from Covid-19, officials said Monday. Of those deaths, 533 have occurred in Dona Ana County, with 99 in Otero County and 9 in Luna County. Most of those hospitalized with the virus were unvaccinated and 93% percent
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EL PASO, Texas — Five El Pasoans died from Covid-19 over the past week, with one of those being a breakthrough death involving a fully-vaccinated person, the El Department of Public Health announced Monday. Four of the five latest victims had underlying health conditions; the deceased ranged in age from their 40s to 70s and
Continue Reading By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer Moderna says its low-dose COVID-19 vaccine is safe and appears to work in 6- to 11-year-olds. It is the second U.S. vaccine aimed at eventually being offered to children. Already the Food and Drug Administration is considering kid-sized doses of the Pfizer vaccine for elementary school-aged children — and
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EL PASO, Texas — One year ago at this time, El Paso County shattered a pandemic record as health officials announced 1,161 new Covid-19 cases in a single-day alone. It was back in late October 2020 that El Paso County became the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over several weeks, hospitalizations skyrocketed, mobile morgues arrived and
Continue Reading By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MATTHEW PERRONE Associated Press Federal scientists say kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections among elementary school children. The Food and Drug Administration posted its review late Friday ahead of a public meeting to consider opening vaccinations to kids 5 to 11. FDA scientists concluded
Continue Reading EL PASO, Texas – The City of El Paso announced it will now administer booster doses for Moderna’s and Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccines – in addition to Pfizer’s – beginning Monday, allowing many more El Pasoans to get booster shots. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control have endorsed a mix-and-match approach to boosters, and city
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UPDATE: Federal health officials say millions more Americans can get a Covid-19 booster and choose a different vaccine for that next shot. Certain people who received Pfizer vaccinations months ago already are eligible for a booster. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday evening said specific Moderna and Johnson & Johnson recipients should
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