Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Teachers’ unions hail progress in COVID-19 vaccine for kids
Major teachers unions are hailing a federal advisory committee's vote to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for children, as regulators weighed Wednesday whether to accept the decision, setting the stage for distribution to ages 5 to 11 by early November. Published October 27, 2021
‘Humankind’: Univ. of Pittsburgh advises lecturers to use more inclusive language
New guidance at the University of Pittsburgh calls on professors to use more inclusive language, saying "humankind" can substitute "mankind" and "first-year student" may be preferable to "freshman." Published October 27, 2021
Actress Charlize Theron pushes for global COVID-19 vaccine sharing
Actress Charlize Theron is calling on wealthier nations to share COVID-19 know-how and doses with the developing world. Published October 27, 2021
N.J.’s Ciattarelli campaign demands COVID-19 explanation from Gov. Phil Murphy
The campaign for GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli late Tuesday said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has "a lot of explaining to do" after an undercover sting video suggested the Democratic incumbent is waiting until after the election to push a statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Published October 27, 2021
FDA panel recommends COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11
A key advisory panel on Tuesday recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shots for emergency use in children ages 5 to 11, setting the stage for shots to become available to 28 million children by early November and fueling debate over the risks and rewards of vaccinating an age group that's accounted for 0.01% of COVID-19 deaths in America. Published October 26, 2021
FDA panel meets to consider COVID-19 shots for ages 5-11
Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration are debating Tuesday whether to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioTech for emergency use in 5- to 11-year-olds, setting the stage for shots to become available to 28 million school-aged children by the start of November. Published October 26, 2021
Moderna agrees to provide 110M doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Africa
Drugmaker Moderna said Tuesday it will make up to 110 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine available to the African Union as the company faces pressure to reach beyond wealthier countries. Published October 26, 2021
Biden works to turn out Democrats in N.J., Va., as approval, fortunes teeter
President Biden swept into Democratic strongholds of New Jersey Monday, hoping to breathe life into his "Build Back Better" agenda and the reelection bid of Gov. Phil Murphy, who is clinging to a solid but dwindling lead in a contest that will test the party's post-Trump momentum. Published October 25, 2021
Feared Delta variant didn’t lead to worse outcomes: CDC study
The highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus did not appear to cause more "severe outcomes" in hospitalized patients, a new federal report says. Published October 25, 2021
Report: Two Facebook tools suppressed traffic of conservative sites
Tools deployed by Facebook suppressed the traffic of websites considered conservative even though it wasn't the company's intent, according to a Wall Street Journal story that looked at internal company debates over how the company attempts to police misinformation and news algorithms. Published October 25, 2021
Harris to visit France next month, meet with Macron
Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to France in November to discuss COVID-19 and climate issues with French President Emmanuel Macron and mark Veterans Day, the White House said Friday. Published October 22, 2021
CDC not changing the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ amid booster push — for now
The Biden administration said Friday it is not changing its definition of what it means to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention greatly expanded the range of people eligible for booster doses. Published October 22, 2021
U.S. surgeon general: Fine for Pfizer, Moderna recipients to stick to the same brand for booster
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Friday said Americans who got a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 should feel comfortable in getting the same brand as a booster after federal officials made it easier for Americans to shop around. Published October 22, 2021
Failure to report coronavirus-experiment findings renews Wuhan lab controversy
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky says he feels vindicated after the National Institutes of Health revealed that a "limited experiment" at the Wuhan lab in China involving mice equipped with human receptors found a virus engineered to carry spike proteins from coronaviruses was more virulent than ones without the special function. Published October 22, 2021
U.K. faces test of its coronavirus strategy as situation worsens
Medical groups in the U.K. are sounding the alarm over rising coronavirus case counts on the cusp of winter and accusing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government of being too sanguine about a potential crisis. Published October 22, 2021
China promotes COVID-19 booster shots in Beijing, border provinces
It's not just the U.S. State media reports China is trumpeting its COVID-19 booster program in certain provinces and Beijing, which hosts the Winter Games in February. Published October 22, 2021
CDC panel advances plan for mix-and-match booster vaccines for COVID-19
Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed a booster plan Thursday for all three COVID-19 vaccines, nudging forward a strategy to let Americans mix-and-match brands to not only bolster their defenses but avoid rare, though serious, side effects that have been linked to both vaccine technologies deployed in the U.S. Published October 21, 2021
Moscow announces closures amid Russian COVID-19 surge
Moscow is set to reimpose lockdown measures to combat the surging coronavirus as the Russian vaccination campaign lags. Published October 21, 2021
FDA approves J&J and Moderna boosters, mixing vaccines
The Biden administration cleared the way Wednesday for millions of Americans to get COVID-19 booster shots and said it will be ready to distribute vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 once the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sign off on an application from Pfizer and BioNTech. Published October 20, 2021
WH touts plan to get kids ages 5 to 11 vaccinated for COVID-19
The Biden administration said Wednesday it will be ready to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 5 to 11 once the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sign off on an application from Pfizer and BioNTech to start the rollout. Published October 20, 2021
