Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
FDA says it’s close to approving Pfizer shots; Trump wants them now: ‘Stop playing games’
The Food and Drug Administration is racing to grant emergency approval to Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine by late Friday amid pressure from the White House, even telling President Trump's "Operation Warp Speed" to get ready while it finishes its work. Published December 11, 2020
Pfizer coronavirus vaccine approved by panel clearing FDA EUA path
An influential panel on Thursday recommended approving Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, clearing a path for the Food and Drug Administration to grant emergency approval so that states can inoculate health care workers and nursing home residents. Published December 10, 2020
Key FDA panel debates Pfizer vaccine
A government advisory panel is debating Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine Thursday and will decide whether its benefits outweigh any risks, clearing a path for the Food and Drug Administration to grant emergency approval so that states can begin to inoculate health workers and nursing-home residents. Published December 10, 2020
Operation Warp Speed: We won’t fiddle with Pfizer dosing plan
Leaders of Operation Warp Speed said Wednesday they will not abandon plans to reserve half of the available Pfizer doses when the coronavirus vaccine campaign launches in the coming days, even though new data showed a level of protection after the first shot of the two-dose regimen. Published December 9, 2020
Trump praises Peter Marks, FDA official at center of vaccine approval
President Trump took a victory lap at his White House vaccine summit Tuesday, but the man of the hour is a Food and Drug Administration official few Americans know about. Published December 8, 2020
Trump taunts doubters, citing speed of vaccine
President Trump declared victory over naysayers Tuesday, saying he sped multiple COVID-19 vaccines through the pipeline in a single year, while nudging the Food and Drug Administration to approve Pfizer's version this week. Published December 8, 2020
Jenna Ellis, pro-Trump attorney, tells others she has coronavirus: Report
Jenna Ellis, an attorney boosting President Trump's bid to contest the election results, has told people she tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a report in Axios that says the Rudolph W. Giuliani sidekick attended a White House Christmas party Friday. Published December 8, 2020
Pfizer vaccine offers protection after the first dose: FDA
The Food and Drug Administration said data from Pfizer shows its vaccine reduced the risk of COVID-19 after the first dose and was "consistent" with regulators' recommendations for emergency approval, signaling a promising start to a review that will unfold this week and likely kickstart the U.S. immunization campaign. Published December 8, 2020
Britain coronavirus vaccinations to give U.S. answers to shot biggest questions
The U.K. began vaccinating residents for COVID-19 on Tuesday, offering the world a real-life test of a delicate operation that requires shots from Pfizer and BioNTech to be stored at Antarctic temperatures, thawed and diluted before going into arms. Published December 7, 2020
White House denies report it rejected Pfizer coronavirus vaccine doses
The White House said Monday a report suggesting it passed up coronavirus vaccine doses from Pfizer is "false" and it believes there will be sufficient doses from multiple drugmakers to immunize all Americans who desire the shots by the second quarter of 2021. Published December 7, 2020
Mike Pence to Georgia: Vote Loeffler, Perdue to preserve Trump’s triumphs
Vice President Mike Pence told Georgians on Friday to elect Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in January runoffs because a GOP majority will be the "last line of defense" in preserving what President Trump accomplished over the past four years. Published December 4, 2020
Harrison Deal, campaign staffer for Kelly Loeffler, dies in car crash
Harrison Deal, a campaign staff member for Sen. Kelly Loeffler, died in a car crash Friday, according to Vice President Mike Pence. Published December 4, 2020
Mike Pence: ‘We cut no corners’ on COVID-19 vaccine
A coronavirus vaccine is arriving at record speed but that doesn't mean it will be less safe or effective than other shots, Vice President Mike Pence said Friday, using a tour of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to build confidence in an immunization campaign that "may be a week and a half away." Published December 4, 2020
Dr. Anthony Fauci: Joe Biden mask request may go beyond 100 days
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that Americans might need to wear masks beyond the 100-day commitment that presumptive President-elect Joseph R. Biden will outline at his inauguration but that it's still a good idea to make the defined request. Published December 4, 2020
FedEx vital to federal distribution of coronavirus vaccine, Trump says
President Trump plans to harness the logistical prowess of FedEx to immunize millions of Americans once federal regulators green-light the coronavirus vaccine next week, with shots entering arms within 48 hours of approval. Published December 3, 2020
U.S. hits 100K hospitalizations for the coronavirus
U.S. hospitalizations for COVID-19 reached 100,000 for the first time and the nation hit an all-time high for deaths in a single day, according to new figures that show the country is paying the price for widespread transmission. Published December 3, 2020
U.S. sticks to timeline after U.K. vaccine approval
The Trump administration said Wednesday it expects two coronavirus vaccines to be approved before Christmas but isn't moving up its deadlines after British regulators beat the Americans to the punch by approving Pfizer's version first. Published December 2, 2020
CDC: 10-day quarantine after coronavirus exposure is OK
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday people who are exposed to someone with the coronavirus can self-quarantine for 10 days, instead of 14, if they don't show symptoms. Published December 2, 2020
Vaccine inventor: U.K. approval presages end of pandemic
Vaccine inventor and BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said British approval Wednesday of the coronavirus vaccine that his company developed with Pfizer marks the "beginning of the end of the pandemic." Published December 2, 2020
Coronavirus vaccine: CDC panel approves ‘phase 1a’ distribution in 13-1 vote
The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine should be given to health care workers who might be exposed to the coronavirus and residents of long-term care facilities where people tend to be elderly and have underlying conditions that put them at high risk of dying, an influential panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel said Tuesday. Published December 1, 2020
