Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Rise in child COVID-19 cases, hospital stays alarms officials
COVID-19 hospitalizations among children have risen to the highest levels of the pandemic, prompting debate on whether the delta-driven surge is more ferocious in kids or if the fast-moving variant is reaching young people who are increasingly out and about and often unvaccinated. Published August 27, 2021
Biden welcomes Israeli PM Bennett to White House after delay; differences remain over Iran nuke deal
President Biden welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the White House after a 24-hour delay Friday in a bid to solidify ties with the new leader even as they disagree sharply on whether to resuscitate the Iran nuclear deal. Published August 27, 2021
Biden to Kabul terrorists: ‘We will hunt you down’
President Biden said Thursday the U.S. will "not forgive" the terrorists who killed a dozen U.S. troops and scores of Afghan civilians in twin blasts in Kabul and deepened the worst foreign crisis of his presidency. Published August 26, 2021
Biden, Harris being briefed on Afghanistan violence, White House says
The White House on Thursday said President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were being briefed on the fast-moving chaos in Afghanistan as bomb blasts roiled evacuations from Kabul and upended schedules in Washington. Published August 26, 2021
Biden-Israel prime minister meeting pushed to Friday
The White House on Thursday delayed President Biden's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, as explosions at Kabul's airport deepened the chaos around evacuations from Afghanistan. Published August 26, 2021
Get the shot or else: Corporate America, health companies put teeth behind vaccine mandates
The proliferation of mandates for COVID-19 shots is increasingly being backed up with penalties, including surcharges and banishments for the unvaccinated. Published August 26, 2021
Delta Air Lines to impose $200 per month fee on unvaccinated workers
Delta Air Lines plans to impose a $200-per-month fee on unvaccinated employees enrolled in the company health plan as of Nov. 1, an unusual policy that stops short of a mandate but might compel workers to get the shots. Published August 25, 2021
J&J: Booster COVID-19 shot produces ‘robust’ antibodies
A booster dose of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine sparked a "rapid and robust increase" in antibodies that bind to the coronavirus' spike protein, the company said Wednesday, as drugmakers work with federal officials to fight off the delta variant and ensure the lasting power of immunization. Published August 25, 2021
VP Harris opens CDC branch, pledges to fight Beijing ‘bullying’ in Southeast Asia
The U.S. will donate another 1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam, open a Southeast Asia branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Hanoi and resist Beijing "bullying" in the South China Sea, Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday during her tour of the region. Published August 25, 2021
WH highlights monoclonal antibodies as ‘underutilized’ virus treatment
The Biden administration said a COVID-19 treatment used on former President Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is "underutilized" and should be given early to people who get the virus and want to avoid hospitalization. Published August 24, 2021
Numbers game: Shifting data on COVID-19 shots muddies Biden’s vaccine plea
Shifting data on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines and whether vaccinated persons can still transmit the virus have implications for the increasing number of workplaces, schools and restaurants that are using mandates to lift the uptake of vaccines. Published August 24, 2021
Dr. Fauci sees light at end of the pandemic tunnel by spring of next year
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday he sees the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel by next spring if the "overwhelming majority" of the 90 million people eligible for the vaccine come forward, as the delta variant of the coronavirus pushes the goal post for normalcy from this summer to 2022. Published August 24, 2021
Mandates begin in earnest after full FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine
Hospitals, governors and the military wasted little time Monday in requiring their workers to roll up their sleeves after the Food and Drug Administration fully approved a COVID-19 vaccine for the first time. Published August 23, 2021
Biden: More employers should mandate COVID-19 vaccination
President Biden on Monday told companies to impose mandates on their employees and pleaded with holdouts to schedule their first shots after the Food and Drug Administration reviewed "mountains" of data from Pfizer and BioNTech and fully approved a COVID-19 vaccine for the first time. Published August 23, 2021
FDA fully approves Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shot; major step should spur vaccinations, mandates
The Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and German company BioNTech on Monday, a major step that will trigger mandates from local government, universities and employers and might instill confidence in those leery of last fall's speedy emergency authorization. Published August 23, 2021
VP Harris: Focus must stay on Afghan evacuation, declines to evaluate what went wrong in messy exit
Vice President Kamala Harris swatted away soul-searching Monday over the chaotic effort to evacuate Americans and select Afghans from Kabul, using a press conference in Singapore to focus on the ongoing mission instead of what went wrong in the swift drawdown after two decades of war. Published August 23, 2021
Moderna mandates COVID-19 vaccination by Oct. 1
Drugmaker Moderna said Friday it will require all of its U.S. workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by Oct. 1, joining other prominent manufacturers in mandating the shots. Published August 20, 2021
WH, states see rising interest in COVID-19 shots after mandates, dreadful hospital scenes
Federal and state officials say they're seeing renewed interest in the COVID-19 shots as the delta variant fills hospitals along the Gulf Coast, and the public and private sectors condition employment on getting vaccinated. Published August 20, 2021
Fully vaccinated Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi tests positive for COVID-19, reports mild symptoms
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi has tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said Thursday. Published August 19, 2021
Man who claimed to have bomb near Capitol surrenders
The U.S. Capitol Police cleared the scene of a bomb threat in the vicinity of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday evening, after a daylong ordeal involving a man who claimed to have a bomb outside of the Library of Congress. Published August 19, 2021
