Ghana has received the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines through the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global vaccine-sharing program. A flight carrying 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine arrived Wednesday in the capital, Accra, according to a joint statement from WHO and UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. The vaccines were manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. The vaccines sent to Ghana were purchased through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, or COVAX, an initiative launched by WHO in cooperation with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, an organization founded by philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates to vaccinate children in the world’s poorest countries. The project purchases vaccines with the help of wealthier countries and distributes them equitably to all countries. U.S. President Joe Biden pledged $4 billion to the COVAX program last week. The WHO announced in December that COVAX has secured agreements for nearly two billion doses of several “promising” vaccine candidates. The supply of vaccines is expected to grow after the U.S. determined that a one-shot COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson is apparently safe and protects against the disease. In an analysis released Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed the vaccine was about 66% effective during global trials in preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19. The company told Congress earlier this week it hopes to provide 20 million doses in the U.S. by the end of next month and 100 million by summer. The WHO and European countries are also considering the vaccine from the American health care company, which plans to produce about 500 million doses worldwide by the end of the year. Vaccine supplies could also get a boost from manufacturers that vow to increase production, the U.S.-based ...
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The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by The AIDS Institute – Ahead: One-shot vax, easing restrictions, fiscal help
Presented by The AIDS Institute Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. Today is Thursday! We get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the co-creators. Readers can find us on Twitter @asimendinger and @alweaver22. Please recommend the Morning Report to friends and let us know what you think. CLICK HERE to subscribe! Total U.S. coronavirus deaths each morning this week: Monday, 498,901; Tuesday, 500,310; Wednesday, 502,660; Thursday, 505,890. Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is effective at preventing moderate and severe cases of COVID-19, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday, paving the way for the shot to potentially be approved for emergency use this week and for shots to be administered to Americans next week. According to the FDA’s analysis, the single-dose vaccine is 66 percent effective, well within the agency's standards, and safe to use. The vaccination is also more than 85 percent effective at preventing severe COVID-19 cases and completely prevents hospitalizations and deaths ( The Hill ). Wednesday’s news was a major boost for the U.S.’s efforts to ramp up vaccinations across the country as it will hand it a third shot to use to inoculate Americans against the virus that has ravaged the country over the past year. President Biden Joe Biden Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Overnight Defense: New Senate Armed Services chairman talks Pentagon policy nominee, Afghanistan, more | Biden reads report on Khashoggi killing | Austin stresses vaccine safety in new video MORE ’s COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients Jeff Zients Overnight Health Care: Johnson & Johnson vaccine safe, effective in FDA analysis | 3-4 ...
Why Are So Many Migrants Rushing To The Southern Border?
The Biden administration suspended the ‘remain in Mexico’ program and started allowing asylum-seekers into the U.S. Human smugglers are telling potential clients that the Biden administration will be more lenient towards people seeking asylum, so now is the time to go to the U.S. border. Mexico passed a law that families and unaccompanied children cannot be returned to the country if their government-operated facilities are at capacity. Changes in Mexican asylum laws and modifications to U.S immigration policy combined with exploitation by smugglers are causing an increase in migrants at the southern U.S. border seeking entry, according to reports. The Biden administration suspended the ‘remain in Mexico’ program allowing some asylum seekers to enter the U.S. and ended a policy preventing unaccompanied minors from coming into the U.S., The Washington Post reported . Mexico implemented laws banning migrant families from returning if facilities are full and smugglers in Guatemala are exploiting people saying the administration is taking a softer approach towards asylum seekers. “People are incredibly hopeful that this is their chance to get across, but there also is a lot of anxiety and fear that somehow if they do the wrong thing and they’re not at the right place at the right time, they might miss out,” Global Response Management Spokesperson Andrea Leiner said, NBC News reported . MATAMOROS, MEXICO – FEBRUARY 22: Nicaraguan immigrants wait on a U.S.-Mexico border bridge for entry into the United States on February 22, 2021 in Matamoros, Mexico. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) Human smugglers in Guatemala are telling potential clients that “Biden has given the green light,” for them to travel to the U.S, a Central American official who was not authorized to speak on the record told the Post. The Biden administration promised to end the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), often referred to as ‘remain in Mexico’, The ...
REPORT: Isaiah Wilson Is Upset With The Titans Because The Team Didn’t Wish Him A Happy Birthday
Isaiah Wilson’s anger with the Tennessee Titans reportedly stems from the dumbest reason imaginable. The former first round pick recently tweeted and deleted that he’s “ done ” playing football for the Titans, and it looks like a divorce is inevitable. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football) #Titans 2020 first-round OT Isaiah Wilson tweets that he’s done with football as a Titan. He only played in four snaps last season and was involved in a number of off the field incidents. pic.twitter.com/N2cv7WyARq — NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) February 23, 2021 What’s causing Wilson’s bitterness towards the Titans? Well, there are probably a lot of reasons, but one of the reasons for him becoming “sour” is because the team didn’t wish him a happy birthday on social media, according to AtoZSportsNashville.com . Imagine being an NFL player with millions in guaranteed money coming your way and getting pissy because you didn’t get wished a happy birthday. I’d say Wilson needs to grow the hell up, but that’s obvious to anyone following the situation. Wilson has also been a distraction ever since the Titans took him in the first round in 2020. He’s been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence and has violated COVID rules. The guy has the world at his fingertips and he just can’t seem to remain focused on what will make him very rich. I have no if the Titans will dump him or not, but it certainly appears to be trending that way. Getting upset about the lack of birthday recognition is just the latest sign that this relationship probably won’t last. H/T: BroBible ...
Democrats look to improve outreach to Asian and Latino communities
Democrats across the country are looking to improve their standing with minority voters after the party underperformed with some groups in November’s general election. The party lost a number of races up and down the ballot in Florida, Texas and California, where a sizable portion of voters from Asian and Latino communities voted for Republicans. As Democrats busy themselves with the 2020 postmortem to understand how they can better their strategy heading into the midterm elections, party operatives say more time needs to be spent in individual communities with an emphasis on direct outreach to persuadable and hard-to-reach voters. ADVERTISEMENT “Not one single voting bloc in this country is monolithic, especially the more consequential voting blocs, and that includes voters of color,” said Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright, who played a role in the effort to galvanize the Black vote in Georgia in last month’s Senate runoffs. “We’ve got to get back to the basics when it comes to critical, fast-growing constituencies in this country.” In California, Republicans flipped four congressional seats in the 21st, 25th, 39th and 48th districts. All four of the districts were flipped after Democrats won them in the 2018 “blue wave.” Yet President Biden Joe Biden Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Overnight Defense: New Senate Armed Services chairman talks Pentagon policy nominee, Afghanistan, more | Biden reads report on Khashoggi killing | Austin stresses vaccine safety in new video MORE defeated former President Trump Donald Trump Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Democratic fury with GOP explodes in House Georgia secretary of state withholds support for 'reactionary' GOP voting bills MORE at the top of the ticket in all four districts. ...
