Coronavirus

NBC News reports: Pharmacies, states, U.S. territories and federal agencies discarded 82.1 million Covid vaccine doses from December 2020 through mid-May — just over 11 percent of the doses the federal government distributed, according to data the CDC shared with NBC News. Two retail pharmacy chains, CVS and Walmart, were responsible for over a quarter of the doses thrown away …

From Elon Musk’s email to Tesla employees: Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week. Moreover, the office must be where your actual colleagues are located, not some remote pseudo office. If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned. The more senior you are, the more visible must …

The Guardian reports: Two million people in the UK are thought to be living with long Covid, data has revealed, the highest figure since official surveys began.While Covid can cause a period of acute illness, some people continue to experience symptoms, such as breathlessness, muscle aches and fatigue, for months or even years – a condition that has been labelled …

Axios reports: As one of America’s first big bets under Operation Warp Speed, Novavax’s COVID vaccine is notably late to the party as the Maryland biotech seeks a potential FDA emergency use authorization for its COVID shot. But company leaders say they see a clear runway to market success for its protein-based product — not only as a booster for …

The New York Daily News reports: The persistence of the virus means yearly vaccine booster shots could be in store for everyone, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical adviser, told PIX 11 in an interview. “We’re going to be dealing with this virus on a chronic basis,” Fauci said. “We really hope … it will reach a level …

USA Today reports: Airline travelers are not only facing sticker shock this Memorial Day weekend, the kickoff to the summer travel season. They’re also dealing with a pileup of flight cancellations. More than 1200 flights were canceled as of 3:00 PM EST on Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. That followed more than 1,500 cancellations Saturday and 2,300 Friday. …

From the Justice Department: Thomas Patrick Connally, Jr., age 56, most recently of Snowshoe, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today to making threats against a federal official, specifically for sending emails threatening harm to Dr. Anthony Fauci. Connally further admitted threatening Dr. Francis Collins, the former Director of the NIH, Dr. Rachel Levine, currently the Assistant Secretary for Health at the …

The Washington Post reports: Live Nation Entertainment — the corporate parent of Ticketmaster and a dominant force in the entertainment industry — urged Democrats and Republicans in Congress to let it be directly eligible for the $15 billion emergency relief program. Congress was wary of allowing grants to publicly traded companies such as Live Nation, worrying that the funds could …

ABC News reports: A ’90s actor who starred in the hit TV show “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” has been charged with perpetuating a scheme to defraud the U.S. government of CARES Act funds, according to the Department of Justice. Austin St. John, who played the red Power Ranger on the show, which aired from 1993 to 1995, was one of …

Florida Politics reports: Florida recorded more than 55,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the week through Wednesday, the highest seven-day total seen since the winter 2022 surge was waning in early February. Florida’s latest case tally from the CDC, 55,390 over seven days through Wednesday, was a third higher than the week before. It tallied eight times as many cases …

The New York Times reports: More than 70 New York City judges descended on a Long Island resort last week to enjoy an annual three-night retreat. In the days after, 20 tested positive for the coronavirus. Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for New York’s courts, confirmed Wednesday that the judges had tested positive. He said that, to his knowledge, none of …

The New York Daily News reports: Mayor Adams is not reinstating the city’s indoor face mask mandate despite a recommendation from the city Health Department to do so in light of a recent uptick in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. Guidance from the Health Department recommends that the government moves to “require face masks in all public indoor settings” when the …

From Apple’s memo to employees today: Based on current conditions, we have two updates to share: First, we are temporarily asking team members to wear masks in common spaces, meeting rooms, hallways, and elevators—in general, all areas outside of your personal workspace. Second, we are extending the phase-in period of the pilot and maintaining two days a week in the …

NBC New York reports: New York City raised its COVID alert level to high on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after warning of the possibility, as a fifth pandemic wave fueled by the most contagious COVID subvariants yet tighten their grip on the metro area and the nation. The five boroughs had been in a “medium” COVID alert state since …

The Hill reports: United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby on Tuesday said that planes are safe for passengers who don’t want to wear masks, adding that it is the safest indoor environment for people. “It literally is the safest environment you’re gonna be indoors anywhere that you are,” Kirby said while making an appearance on “CBS Mornings,” adding that the second …

Bloomberg News reports: New York City is preparing to hit a high Covid transmission level in the coming days that would have it reconsidering mask requirements in public places. “If NYC’s Alert Level is raised to High, the City will consider requiring face masks in all public indoor settings,” according to guidance on the city health department’s website. New cases …

The New York Daily News reports: Mayor Adams announced Monday that the city is significantly expanding the number of COVID tests and masks it distributes to schools, libraries and houses of worship in a push to stem the growing number of coronavirus cases and to head off a future wave of the virus. Over the next month, the city plans …

Agence France-Presse reports: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un criticised “irresponsible” officials over the country’s pandemic response and ordered the army to help distribute medicine, state media said on Monday, as Seoul offered Covid-19 aid. More than a million people have been ill with what Pyongyang refers to as “fever”, state media said, despite leader Kim ordering nationwide lockdowns in a …

The Insider reports: White House Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that if former President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he would not stay in the role. CNN’s Jim Acosta asked Fauci whether or not he had faith in Trump’s ability to deal with the pandemic and if he would continue his job under a Trump …

Via email from hate group leader Monica Cole: The fight to end abortion in America is a spiritual battle. That is the best way to understand the events of the past week – indeed of the past 50 years, since the Roe v. Wade decision effectively legalized abortion on demand in all 50 states. Our battle plan for the reversal …