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White House touts clean energy, transit, rail projects in sprawling infrastructure bill
By: Jacob Fischler and Laura Olson - November 10, 2021
WASHINGTON—Federal officials on Tuesday offered details about how money from the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill would be spent, emphasizing the pending law’s potential to add clean energy capacity. Department of Transportation officials highlighted the $1.2 trillion bill’s record funding for public transit like buses and subways, as well as for Amtrak. They framed the […]
Federal vaccine rule for private businesses to kick in on Jan. 4
By: Laura Olson - November 4, 2021
WASHINGTON — Many private employers beginning in January will have to ensure their workers either are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or that they will undergo weekly testing and wear a face covering, under a new federal rule announced Thursday by the White House. The policy from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is set to […]
COVID-19 vaccines for kids 5 to 11 get final endorsement by CDC
By: Laura Olson - November 3, 2021
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has signed off on giving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to all kids ages 5 to 11, a final decision that means those children can begin receiving shots as soon as Wednesday. Vials of the pediatric version of the vaccine have already been shipped to states, so they are […]
If CDC signs off, COVID-19 shots for kids to begin later this week
By: Laura Olson - November 2, 2021
WASHINGTON — Within minutes of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s announcement Friday giving the green light to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11, a massive logistics operation launched to prepare for the final regulatory step. Some 15 million doses of the vaccine began to move from Pfizer’s freezers to distribution centers, […]
Shipments of COVID-19 shots for kids 5-11 on the way to states after FDA gives green light
By: Laura Olson - November 1, 2021
WASHINGTON — Vials of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine will soon be headed to pediatricians’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies and other providers, after regulators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency authorization to the pharmaceutical company’s COVID-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds. But first, the vaccine needs the approval of the Centers for Disease […]
What’s in—and out—of Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending and climate bill
By: Ariana Figueroa and Laura Olson - October 29, 2021
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s sprawling social spending and climate package has been slimmed down into a still-massive $1.75 trillion plan that he and top congressional Democrats are attempting to wrestle through after months of negotiations. Snipped from that proposal are a number of key priorities for Democrats, including an attempt to create the first […]
FDA panel recommends OK for Pfizer’s vaccine for kids 5 to 11
By: Laura Olson - October 27, 2021
WASHINGTON — A federal vaccine advisory panel on Tuesday recommended authorizing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, a decision that means as soon as next week everyone in the U.S. over age 5 is expected to be eligible for a shot. The vote by the Food & Drug Administration panel, with 17 […]
COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11 could be ready as soon as next week
By: Laura Olson - October 26, 2021
WASHINGTON — The next wave of the massive COVID-19 vaccination campaign could begin as soon as next week, after federal regulators decide if elementary school students across the U.S. should begin rolling up their tiny sleeves. That multistep approval process kicks off Tuesday, when the Food & Drug Administration’s panel of vaccine experts will vote on […]
COVID-19 boosters from Moderna, J&J OK’d along with ‘mix and match’ shots
By: Laura Olson and Rachel Mipro - October 22, 2021
WASHINGTON — The Moderna booster shot for the COVID-19 vaccine is now available to adults in Louisiana, the Louisiana Health Department announced Friday, after federal health officials gave the green light Thursday follow-up doses of the shots made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Anyone who received the one-shot J&J vaccine is now eligible for a […]
Feds OK ‘mix-and-match’ approach for COVID-19 booster shots
By: Laura Olson - October 21, 2021
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given a green light to Americans who want to receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by a different company than the one that produced the initial shot they received. The announcement Wednesday on allowing “mix-and-match” shots from different manufacturers will give more flexibility to […]
Kids age 5 to 11 next in line for COVID-19 vaccines as White House rolls out plans
By: Laura Olson - October 20, 2021
WASHINGTON — Smaller needles. Redesigned shipments to ease the storage needs in pediatricians’ offices. And enough vials of the COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate the 28 million U.S. children between ages 5 and 11. Those are among the plans announced by the White House on Wednesday as federal and state officials prepare for a regulatory decision […]
Booster shot of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine recommended by FDA pane
By: Laura Olson - October 15, 2021
WASHINGTON — A federal vaccine advisory panel on Friday endorsed a second dose of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, meaning millions more Americans are expected to soon join the line for booster shots. Anyone who received a J&J shot at least two months ago will be eligible for an additional dose, under the committee’s […]