Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
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
Alabama says it is out of ICU beds amid COVID-19 surge; Miss., Texas erect field hospitals, tents
Alabama ran out of intensive-care unit beds at midweek, according to hospital officials who say they're entering "uncharted territory" as the delta variant rips through states with poor COVID-19 vaccination rates. Published August 19, 2021
Biden tells nursing homes to require worker vaccinations if they want federal money
The White House said Wednesday that President Biden will require nursing homes to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for their workers as a condition of federal funding. Published August 18, 2021
Biden officials to begin COVID-19 booster vaccine program on Sept. 20
The Biden administration said Wednesday it is ready to begin offering booster COVID-19 shots on Sept. 20 to Americans who completed their vaccination course at least eight months ago, citing clear evidence that immunity against infection and mild and moderate disease from the delta variant wanes over that interval. Published August 18, 2021
Texas school district sees loophole in Gov. Abbott’s ban, adds masks to dress code
A Texas school district says it found a way around Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's ban on mask mandates to fight COVID-19 ahead of the first day of classes Thursday -- just add the coverings to the dress code. Published August 18, 2021
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to U.S. workers: Get vaccinated by Oct. 4
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is requiring its workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 4, making it the latest employer to forge ahead with a mandate as the U.S. nears full approval of the shots while other firms wait for a final regulatory decision to avoid legal headaches or workplace tumult. Published August 17, 2021
Biden team to roll out vaccine booster plan ‘very shortly’
The Biden administration will announce a plan "very shortly" to give booster shots to people who completed their initial round of COVID-19 vaccination eight months ago, a top federal official said Monday. Published August 17, 2021
Biden admin. crafts COVID-19 booster plan; WHO says poor nations need initial shots
The Biden administration this week is coalescing around a plan to administer booster shots to people who completed their COVID-19 vaccinations eight months ago. Published August 17, 2021
Back-to-school season reignites mask wars
Schools across the country are reopening this month but the mask wars won't go away. Published August 16, 2021
N.Y. Gov. Cuomo mandates COVID-19 vaccines for health, nursing home workers
Departing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday ordered all health care workers and nursing home staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 27 as leaders across the country use incentives and mandates to outrace the delta variant of the coronavirus. Published August 16, 2021
Dallas school district defies Texas Gov. Abbott, court ruling on COVID-19 masks
A school district in Dallas is keeping its mask mandate in place when school reopened Monday, defying Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and a Texas Supreme Court ruling that temporarily blocked local mandates. Published August 16, 2021
