A recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server assessed the effectiveness of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines against the hospitalization of infected patients.
Various studies have reported on the efficient protection provided by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines against the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, several reports suggest reduced vaccine effectiveness against the hospitalization of SARS-CoV-2 Delta-infected patients even post booster dose. Therefore, extensive research is needed to understand the duration of vaccine protection against severe disease.
In the present study, researchers evaluated the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in reducing hospitalization of patients testing polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive for SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta variants.
The team utilized a test-negative case-control study design to calculate vaccine effectiveness in patients aged 18 years and above against COVID-19 hospitalization after testing PCR-positive for SARS-CoV-2. Data were collected from hospital and public health laboratories (Pillar 1) and community testing (Pillar 2) in England. Whole-genome sequencing, genotyping, and SARS-CoV-2 spike-gene target status were used to classify the obtained positive samples into Delta-infected and Omicron-infected groups. The study period for Delta infections was between 26 April 2021 and 3 January 2022, and for Omicron infections was between 22 November 2022 and 2 February 2022.
The testing data was linked to vaccination-related information and the demographic characteristics of the patients. The team also identified booster doses administered after 13 September 2021, or at least 84 days post the second dose.
Data related to emergency care admissions were identified from the emergency care dataset (ECDS), wherein the outcome was either the discharge of the patient to a ward, an intensive care unit (ICU), a coronary care unit or a high dependency unit. Furthermore, the team collected secondary care hospital admission data which were International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 coded with an acute respiratory illness (ARI) discharge diagnosis, identified by secondary uses service (SUS) 14 days before and two days after the date of admission.
The study results showed that a total of 409,985 tests were performed during the study period, among which 115,720 were case-patients, and 294,265 were controls. Approximately 44.2% of the cases and 11.7% of the controls were community tested first, and 38,150 cases and 31,552 controls were symptomatic.
The team found that the number of symptomatic ECDS admissions in the pillar 2 tests was significantly lower than that of SUS admissions among populations aged above 65 years. This difference was noticeably lower in the Omicron-infected cohort aged between 18 and 64 years. Also, for patients aged between 18 to 64 years, the proportion of SUS admissions reported to have an intervention during the hospital stay was higher for Delta-infected patients at 20.8% than for Omicron-infected patients at 2.5% and for the control cases at 4.4%.
For patients aged 65 years and above, vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 related hospitalization using the ECDS data was 86% to 91% which rose to 93% to 95% when respiratory coding was used. Contrastingly, the vaccine effectiveness using the SUS data in the same age group was much lower but was highly identical to that against symptomatic infection, when zero hospital admission days or a non-primary respiratory diagnosis was considered.
When more specific SUS endpoints were evaluated, vaccine effectiveness improved to more than 88% to 93% and was similar to that calculated with the ECDS data. In patients aged 18 to 64 years, the ECDS data reported vaccine effectiveness of 75% to 80%. Notably, a substantial increase in vaccine effectiveness was observed with an increase in the length of hospital stay and with the use of supplemental oxygen.
The study findings showed that high levels of booster vaccine effectiveness were found against COVID-19 hospitalization in individuals infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. The vaccine efficacy was noted particularly among older patients more susceptible to severe COVID-19. However, substantial evidence reported limited waning of vaccine effectiveness three to four months post-administration of a booster dose.
medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Could computer models be the key to better COVID vaccines? Nature.com
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FDA approves , Pfizer, Moderna COVID shot , for people over 50.U.S. regulators are allowing people 50 and older to get another booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.The Food and Drug Administration's decision opens a fourth dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to those people at least four months after their previous booster.Until now, the FDA had cleared fourth doses only for people 12 and older who have severely weakened immune systems. .The FDA made the decision without input from its independent panel of experts that has wrestled with how much data is required to expand shots.If you get a booster too close together, its not doing any harm youre just not going to get much benefit from it, one expert said.Next week, the government will hold a public meeting to debate if everyone eventually needs a fourth dose, the Associated Press reported
Some groups of people will be able to receive their fourth and in some cases, their fifth dose of a COVID-19 vaccination.
Here's what you need to know about the "winter booster" program.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has recommended an additional vaccine dose for the following groups:
ATAGI says people in these categories are at the greatest risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
In the case of some severely immunocompromised people who received three doses as part of their primary vaccination series, followed by a booster, this program means they are now eligible for their fifth shot.
Four months.
But if you've had COVID-19 since receiving your booster shot, you have to wait until fourmonths after you acquired the infection.
People may be able to receive the vaccine after a shorter interval in special circumstances, but that wait time cannot be less than three months.
Pfizer and Moderna both of which as mRNA vaccines are ATAGI's preferred vaccines.
But the AstraZeneca vaccine can be used when someone can't have an mRNA vaccine for medical reasonsor if they decline one.
Novavax is also approved to be administered as a fourth dose, but only if no other vaccine is considered suitable for that person.
That depends.
The federal government says you must have had "all doses recommended for your age and health needs" to be considered up to date with your COVID-19 vaccination.
People who are considered severely immunocompromised are recommended to have an additional booster, however, because the Australian Immunisation Register doesn't contain any information on medical conditions, only a total of three doses will be counted as being up-to-date in this sub-group.
Yes.
The "winter booster" program is being rolled out with this year'sinfluenza vaccination program and ATAGI says both can be administered at the same time.
But if you're not yet eligible for a fourth COVID, a fluvaccine can be administered earlier.
At the moment, ATAGI saysthere's "insufficient evidence of the benefits of an additional booster dose" to recommend them forpeople who don't fall into those categories listed above.
"Protection against infection wanes after the first booster dose," an ATAGI statement says.
"However, protection against severe disease (rather than all infection) is relatively well maintained, especially in young healthy populations."
Essentially, ATAGI is saying that while people outside those four groups may get sick from COVID-19, there's a lower risk they'll become severely ill from the virus.
"These recommendations for an additional booster dose focus on protecting the most vulnerable groups against severe disease and reducing the potential burden on the healthcare system over the coming months," ATAGI says.
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Handing a win to the Chicago Teachers Union, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday is planning to sign into law a measure that will allow fully vaccinated teachers and other school employees to take COVID-19 related paid time off without burning up sick days.
Pritzker vetoed a similar version of the bill shortly after the January standoff between the CTU and Chicago Public Schools, saying then that he needed revised language to ensure the agreement would only apply to vaccinated employees.
The compromise bill that passed the Legislature last week will also return COVID-19 related sick days to vaccinated employees who had to use them earlier in the school year.
The governors office issued an advisory late Monday saying he would sign the legislation cementing COVID-19 sick leave protections for vaccinated school staff at a ceremony Tuesday morning at the Illinois State Capitol.
Once the bill is signed, the law is effective immediately.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs a bill at the James R. Thompson Center in August of 2021.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file
It applies to all fully vaccinated employees of Illinois public school districts, universities and community colleges. The paid administrative leave will also apply to employees who have children who are required to stay home from school for COVID-19-related reasons, and it provides wage protections for all hourly school employees such as janitors or bus drivers who must miss school during a school closure or e-learning day.
The Illinois Education Association, which worked with the Illinois Federation of Teachers on the compromise, said some of its support staff and teachers have exhausted their sick and personal days because of the pandemic and have been using unpaid time off to quarantine or for other COVID-related reasons.
We have educators who saved their sick time to take after the birth of a child, who have since run out of days and are forced with a very difficult decision to take unpaid time off or to cut precious bonding time with their newborn short and return to work early, Illinois Education Association president Kathi Griffin told the Sun-Times in a statement.
Adan Meza, 29, a teacher at Benito Juarez High School, poses for a photo as he protests with other members of the Chicago Teachers Union outside City Hall in January.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file
In addition to the teachers unions, the measure is also supported by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the AFL-CIO.
CPS was among the opponents of the initial measure, fearing it would strain school districts already dealing with staff shortages. But on Monday, CPS officials said they appreciated the compromise bill as it gives further incentive for school employees to be vaccinated.
The CTU walkout in January stemmed from disagreements with the city about coronavirus testing and when to close schools amid a COVID-19 surge. The two sides came to an agreement of sorts after five missed school days.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York States latest strategy to increase coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination rates in children across the state employs empathy from parents who happen to be medical professionals.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday the launch of a new ad campaign as part of the state Department of Healths #VaxForKids initiative to boost vaccinations rates. The ads feature local New York pediatricians who are parents encouraging other parents to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19.
The campaign includes 30-second and 60-second versions of the television commercial in English and Spanish, which began airing on Monday, April 4, and will continue for several weeks, the governors office said.
This new media campaign further supports our #VaxForKids campaign by helping parents and guardians learn more about the importance of getting our kids vaccinated from their most trusted source, pediatricians. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective and will help protect eligible children and adolescents ages 5 to 17 from severe illness and hospitalization, New York State Commissioner of Health Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in the announcement.
Pediatricians in the commercial disclose that their children have been vaccinated and emphasize that it is in the interest of their safety.
I would never recommend something if I didnt think it was safe for my own children. And my children were vaccinated as soon as they could be, Dr. Elizabeth Murray, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Golisano Childrens Hospital in Rochester.
Hochul emphasized that the vaccine is doctor-approved and the single best tool to prevent children and families from severe illness or hospitalization due to COVID-19 in the announcement.
This new media campaign will help ensure parents are hearing directly from pediatricians and trusted health care providers, so they know just how critical it is to get their children vaccinated. Parents and guardians, if you havent already, please talk to your childs pediatrician about getting the vaccine, and the booster dose once they are eligible, the governor said.
The governors office also cited data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) saying that 42.3% of children ages 5 to 11 and 82.5% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose; while 36% of children 5 to 11 and 72.6% of adolescents 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated. Also based on CDC data, New York State ranks two and one, respectively, for fully vaccinated children ages 5 to 11 and fully vaccinated adolescents ages 12 to 17 among the top 10 large states.
VACCINATION SITES AVAILABLE ACROSS N.Y. STATE
Children 5 years old and older are eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. As of Jan. 7, 2022, adolescents 12 and older are eligible for a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least five months after completing their initial vaccine series. Additionally, children 5 to 11 with certain immunocompromising conditions are eligible for an additional dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least 28 days after completing their initial vaccine series.
The vaccine is free and available for children at more than 2,000 sites across the state. All state mass vaccination sites are administering the vaccine for children 5 years old and older, boosters for New Yorkers 12 years old and older, and additional doses for immunocompromised children five years old and older.
In addition to the states pop-up and mass vaccination sites, New Yorkers can visit vaccines.gov, text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations.
Parents and guardians can also contact their childs pediatrician, family physician, county health departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), rural health centers, or pharmacies that may be administering the vaccine to this age group. Make sure that the provider offers the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
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SINGAPORE - Two paediatric vaccination centres at Hougang Community Club and Senja-Cashew Community Club will remain in operation after 10 such centres cease operations on April 30.
The move comes as most children aged five to 11 have completed their primary vaccination programme, said the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Education and Early Childhood Development Agency in a joint statement on Tuesday (April 5).
MOH will prepare selected Public Health Preparedness Clinics and polyclinics to provide paediatric vaccine doses to children who have yet to receive their primary vaccination series, the authorities added.
Further details will be announced later.
As at Sunday, 79 per cent of children aged between five and 11 have either booked an appointment for or received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, while 66 per cent have received their second dose.
The 10 centres that will be closed are:
- Arena@Our Tampines Hub
- Clementi Community Centre
- Former Hong Kah Secondary School
- Jalan Besar Community Club
- Marine Parade Community Club
- Nee Soon East Community Club
- Pasir Ris Elias Community Club
- The Serangoon Community Club
- Toa Payoh West Community Club
- Woodlands Galaxy Community Club
These centres will continue to accept appointments made on the National Appointment System for children to get their first doses up till April 9, and second doses up till April 30.
MOH had announced on March 24 that the number of vaccination doses had been steadily declining as most of the general population had completed its primary vaccination series, with 71 per cent having taken their boosters as well at the time.
On Tuesday, MOH said: We urge parents and guardians to take full advantage of the capacity and good geographical spread of our vaccination centres while they are still in operation over the coming month.
Vaccinations remain a critical part of our strategy in ensuring our children are well protected against severe illness should they be infected with Covid-19.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of April 5, 2022, there are currently 263 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been seven deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 6,716* deaths attributed to COVID-19.
DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 77-year old female from Summers County, a 65-year old male from Kanawha County, a 78-year old male from Berkeley County, a 100-year old male from Grant County, a 91-year old female from Marion County, a 74-year old male from Kanawha County, and a 75-year old male from Mercer County.
We offer our deepest condolences as our state grieves more losses due to COVID-19, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot is the most powerful way to prevent further loss of life to this devastating disease.
*As part of ongoing efforts to improve data quality while maintaining timely reporting of COVID-19 associated deaths, a reverse death reconciliation process has been completed for calendar year 2021 by the epidemiologists at DHHRs Bureau for Public Health. This process looks at all the death reports received by DHHR to ensure the death was certified by the National Center for Health Statistics as a COVID-19 death on the death certificate. Of the 3,948 deaths reported in 2021, 122 (or 3.0%) have been determined not to be COVID-19 deaths and have been retracted from todays dashboard. Additionally, 5 duplicates from 2021 were identified during the death reconciliation process and 3 additional deaths from 2020 were determined not to be COVID-19, and therefore were retracted from the dashboard. This means the deaths were originally reported to DHHR as COVID-19 deaths through a death report, but the death certificate later determined that the cause of death was not COVID-19.
CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (2), Berkeley (19), Boone (0), Braxton (0), Brooke (2), Cabell (20), Calhoun (1), Clay (1), Doddridge (0), Fayette (1), Gilmer (1), Grant (2), Greenbrier (3), Hampshire (3), Hancock (2), Hardy (1), Harrison (11), Jackson (2), Jefferson (13), Kanawha (12), Lewis (3), Lincoln (3), Logan (4), Marion (10), Marshall (1), Mason (2), McDowell (3), Mercer (19), Mineral (2), Mingo (3), Monongalia (28), Monroe (1), Morgan (5), Nicholas (4), Ohio (4), Pendleton (4), Pleasants (2), Pocahontas (1), Preston (4), Putnam (20), Raleigh (6), Randolph (2), Ritchie (4), Roane (3), Summers (0), Taylor (3), Tucker (1), Tyler (2), Upshur (2), Wayne (5), Webster (0), Wetzel (3), Wirt (1), Wood (8), Wyoming (4). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit www.coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.
Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested. Please visit www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.
West Virginians ages 5 years and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination; after the primary series, first booster shots are recommended for those 12 and older. Second booster shots for those age 50 and over that are 4 months or greater from their first booster have now been authorized by FDA and recommended by CDC, as well as for younger individuals over 12 years old with serious and chronic health conditions that lead to being considered moderately to severely immunocompromised. To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, or to find a vaccine site near you, visit vaccinate.wv.gov or call 1-833-734-0965.
Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Braxton, Cabell, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hancock, Jefferson, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Mason, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Ohio, Preston, Raleigh, Randolph, Taylor, Upshur, Wood and Wyoming counties.
Barbour County
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM, Community Market, 107 South Main Street (across the street from Walgreens), Philippi, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVBBC)
3:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Junior Volunteer Fire Department, 331 Row Avenue, Junior, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)
Berkeley County
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM, Airborne Church, 172 Creative Place, Martinsburg, WV
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM, Shenandoah Community Health, 99 Tavern Road, Martinsburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)
4:15 PM - 8:00 PM, Dorothy McCormack Building, 2000 Foundation Way, Martinsburg, WV
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)
Braxton County
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Braxton County Memorial Hospital (parking lot), 100 Hoylman Drive, Gassaway, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=Braxton)
Cabell County
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Marshall University Campus (parking lot), 1801 6th Avenue, Huntington, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Cabell-Huntington Health Department (parking lot), 703 Seventh Avenue, Huntington, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)
Clay County
8:30 AM - 3:00 PM / 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Clay County Health Department (parking lot), 452 Main Street, Clay, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVClayCounty)
Fayette County
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Fayette County Health Department, 5495 Maple Lane, Fayetteville, WV
Gilmer County
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Minnie Hamilton Health System (parking lot), 921 Mineral Road, Glenville, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMHCT11)
Grant County
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Petersburg City Parking Lot, South Main Street (across from Walgreens), Petersburg, WV
Greenbrier County
9:30 AM - 3:00 PM, State Fair of WV, 891 Maplewood Avenue, Lewisburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVGBC)
Hancock County
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Hancock County Health Department, 100 North Court Street, New Cumberland, WV (optional pre-registration: https://roxbylabs.dendisoftware.com/patient_registration/)
Jefferson County
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)
Lewis County
8:30 AM - 3:00 PM, City Parking Lot, 95 West Second Street, Weston, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMavLewis1)
Lincoln County
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Lincoln County Health Department, 8008 Court Avenue, Hamlin, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)
Logan County
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Old 84 Lumber Building, 100 Recovery Road, Peach Creek, WV
Marion County
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Dunbar School Foundation, 101 High Street, Fairmont, WV
Mason County
8:30 AM - 3:00 PM, Krodel Park, 1186 Charleston Road, Point Pleasant, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMavCOUNTY12)
Mingo County
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Delbarton Volunteer Fire Department, 68 Farley Avenue, Delbarton, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMGC)
Monroe County
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Church of God Fellowship Hall, 96 Bud Ridge Road, Union, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMRC)
Nicholas County
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Summersville Regional Medical Center, 400 Fairview Heights Road, Summersville, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVNL)
Ohio County
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Ohio Valley Medical Center (back parking lot at the top of 22nd Street), 2000 Eoff Street, Wheeling, WV (optional pre-registration: https://roxbylabs.dendisoftware.com/patient_registration/)
Preston County
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM, Terra Alta Community Ambulance Squad Station, 1124 East State Street, Terra Alta, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)
Raleigh County
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Beckley-Raleigh County Health Department, 1602 Harper Road, Beckley, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=MavBeckleyRaleigh)
Randolph County
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM, Davis Health Center, 812 Gorman Avenue, Elkins, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVRDC)
Taylor County
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Grafton-Taylor Health Department, 718 West Main Street (parking lot at Operations Trailer), Grafton, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)
Upshur County
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM, Buckhannon Fire Department (parking lot), 22 South Florida Street, Buckhannon, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVUSC)
Wood County
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Vienna Baptist Church, 3401 Grand Central Avenue, Vienna, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMavWood1)
Wyoming County
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Wyoming County Fire Department, 12 Park Street, Pineville, WV
Please check with the testing site, DHHRs social media pages and the COVID-19 website https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx for any last minute cancellations, and to find other free testing opportunities across West Virginia.
A health care worker administering Covid vaccines to students in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, last week.Credit...Aaron Ufumeli/EPA, via Shutterstock
Senators announced a deal on a $10 billion coronavirus aid package on Monday to provide additional aid for domestic testing, vaccination and treatment efforts, after dropping a push to include billions for the global vaccination effort.
The agreement requires at least $5 billion to be set aside for therapeutics and $750 million for research and clinical trials to prepare for future variants. The remaining funds will be used for vaccines and testing.
It does not include $5 billion in funding for the global vaccination effort that had previously been proposed, after senators spent the weekend haggling over a Republican demand to claw back money Congress previously approved.
The package was announced by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah. Both have led negotiations in recent days. In a statement, Mr. Schumer said that President Biden supported the agreement, even though it was less than half of the White Houses original $22.5 billion request.
This $10 billion Covid package will give the federal government and our citizens the tools we need to continue our economic recovery, keep schools open and keep American families safe, Mr. Schumer said in a statement. While this emergency injection of additional funding is absolutely necessary, it is well short of what is truly needed to keep us safe from the Covid-19 virus over the long-term.
He added that he planned for additional bipartisan negotiations over another emergency aid package that could include both aid for the global vaccination effort and additional assistance for Ukraine as it battles a Russian invasion.
Every dollar we requested is essential, and we will continue to work with Congress to get all of the funding we need, but time is of the essence, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said in a statement. We urge Congress to move promptly on this $10 billion package because it can begin to fund the most immediate needs, as we currently run the risk of not having some critical tools like treatments and tests starting in May and June.
The domestic spending is paid for largely by repurposing unspent money that was approved in March 2021 in the $1.9 trillion pandemic law that Democrats pushed through without any Republican votes, as well as some funds from the $2.2 trillion law approved under the Trump administration, a key Republican demand.
Among the programs and agencies affected are a grant program for shuttered venues, the Economic Injury Disaster loan program, the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, as well as agriculture and transportation funding, according to summaries provided by the two offices.
In a separate statement, Mr. Romney called for the legislation to receive broad bipartisan support and added that he was willing to explore a fiscally responsible solution to support global efforts in the weeks ahead.
Lawmakers are pushing to move the aid package through before the end of the week, when both chambers are scheduled to leave for a two-week recess. It is unclear if there will be enough support for such a swift timeline, given that Senate Democrats aim to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court this week and all 100 lawmakers would have to agree to waive procedural hurdles to speed up the process.
Multiple House Democrats have also expressed frustration with the omission of the global vaccination aid, which is central to Mr. Bidens strategy of reducing vaccine inequality and limiting the impact of the next coronavirus variant.
Without global vaccination funding, we are simply not tackling the problem of COVID, Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on Twitter.
Several Democrats, however, said the urgent need to provide domestic aid was enough to warrant their support.
I understand that domestic public health spending is also urgently needed, and so I intend to vote for this bill, Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware and one of the negotiators, said in a statement. However, this is only a partial step, and I will push my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass a robust international funding bill in the coming weeks to address pandemic-related needs and the growing global hunger and food security crisis.
Recent efforts to pass an initial $15.6 billion Covid package collapsed last month when House Democrats balked at clawing back money that had been set aside for state governments in last years law.
Those funds remained untouched in the current plan. But the measure also includes a bipartisan bill, led by Senators John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, and Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, that will give state, local and tribal governments more flexibility in how coronavirus aid is spent.
While access to vaccines has gradually expanded around the world, administering the shots remains a challenge. In many low-income countries, only about 15 percent of the population has received at least one vaccine dose, compared with about 80 percent of the population in many middle- and high-income countries, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford.
A health care worker administering Covid vaccines to students in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, last week.Credit...Aaron Ufumeli/EPA, via Shutterstock
Senators announced a deal on a $10 billion coronavirus aid package on Monday to provide additional aid for domestic testing, vaccination and treatment efforts, after dropping a push to include billions for the global vaccination effort.
The agreement requires at least $5 billion to be set aside for therapeutics and $750 million for research and clinical trials to prepare for future variants. The remaining funds will be used for vaccines and testing.
It does not include $5 billion in funding for the global vaccination effort that had previously been proposed, after senators spent the weekend haggling over a Republican demand to claw back money Congress previously approved.
The package was announced by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah. Both have led negotiations in recent days. In a statement, Mr. Schumer said that President Biden supported the agreement, even though it was less than half of the White Houses original $22.5 billion request.
This $10 billion Covid package will give the federal government and our citizens the tools we need to continue our economic recovery, keep schools open and keep American families safe, Mr. Schumer said in a statement. While this emergency injection of additional funding is absolutely necessary, it is well short of what is truly needed to keep us safe from the Covid-19 virus over the long-term.
He added that he planned for additional bipartisan negotiations over another emergency aid package that could include both aid for the global vaccination effort and additional assistance for Ukraine as it battles a Russian invasion.
Every dollar we requested is essential, and we will continue to work with Congress to get all of the funding we need, but time is of the essence, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said in a statement. We urge Congress to move promptly on this $10 billion package because it can begin to fund the most immediate needs, as we currently run the risk of not having some critical tools like treatments and tests starting in May and June.
The domestic spending is paid for largely by repurposing unspent money that was approved in March 2021 in the $1.9 trillion pandemic law that Democrats pushed through without any Republican votes, as well as some funds from the $2.2 trillion law approved under the Trump administration, a key Republican demand.
Among the programs and agencies affected are a grant program for shuttered venues, the Economic Injury Disaster loan program, the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, as well as agriculture and transportation funding, according to summaries provided by the two offices.
In a separate statement, Mr. Romney called for the legislation to receive broad bipartisan support and added that he was willing to explore a fiscally responsible solution to support global efforts in the weeks ahead.
Lawmakers are pushing to move the aid package through before the end of the week, when both chambers are scheduled to leave for a two-week recess. It is unclear if there will be enough support for such a swift timeline, given that Senate Democrats aim to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court this week and all 100 lawmakers would have to agree to waive procedural hurdles to speed up the process.
Multiple House Democrats have also expressed frustration with the omission of the global vaccination aid, which is central to Mr. Bidens strategy of reducing vaccine inequality and limiting the impact of the next coronavirus variant.
Without global vaccination funding, we are simply not tackling the problem of COVID, Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on Twitter.
Several Democrats, however, said the urgent need to provide domestic aid was enough to warrant their support.
I understand that domestic public health spending is also urgently needed, and so I intend to vote for this bill, Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware and one of the negotiators, said in a statement. However, this is only a partial step, and I will push my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass a robust international funding bill in the coming weeks to address pandemic-related needs and the growing global hunger and food security crisis.
Recent efforts to pass an initial $15.6 billion Covid package collapsed last month when House Democrats balked at clawing back money that had been set aside for state governments in last years law.
Those funds remained untouched in the current plan. But the measure also includes a bipartisan bill, led by Senators John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, and Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, that will give state, local and tribal governments more flexibility in how coronavirus aid is spent.
While access to vaccines has gradually expanded around the world, administering the shots remains a challenge. In many low-income countries, only about 15 percent of the population has received at least one vaccine dose, compared with about 80 percent of the population in many middle- and high-income countries, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford.
