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COVID-19

Pfizer says COVID pill cut hospital, death risk by 90%

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer Inc. said Friday that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults, as the drugmaker joined the race for an easy-to-use medication to treat the coronavirus. Currently most COVID-19 treatments require an IV or injection. Competitor Merck’s COVID-19 pill is already under review at the Food and Drug Administration after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday the United Kingdom became the first country to OK it. Pfizer said it will ask the FDA and international regulators to ...

UK authorizes Merck antiviral pill, first shown to treat COVID

LONDON (AP) — Britain granted conditional authorization on Thursday to the first pill shown to successfully treat COVID-19 so far. It also is the first country to OK the treatment from drugmaker Merck, although it wasn't immediately clear how quickly the pill would be available. The pill was licensed for adults 18 and older who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have at least one risk factor for developing severe disease, such as obesity or heart disease. Patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 would take four pills of the drug, known molnupiravir, twice a day for five days. An ...

Roll up your sleeves: Kids’ turn arrives for COVID-19 shots

Hugs with friends. Birthday parties indoors. Pillow fights. School children who got their first COVID-19 shots Wednesday said these are the pleasures they look forward to as the U.S. enters a major new phase in fighting the pandemic. Health officials hailed shots for kids aged 5 to 11 as a ...

9,000 NYC workers on leave as vaccine mandate takes effect

NEW YORK (AP) — About 9,000 New York City municipal workers were put on unpaid leave for refusing to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate that took effect Monday and thousands of city firefighters have called out sick in an apparent protest over the requirement, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. About 9 in 10 city workers covered by the mandate have gotten vaccinated and there have been no disruptions to city services as a result of staffing shortages, de Blasio told reporters at his daily news briefing. New York has more than 300,000 city employees. Firehouses remained open but 18 of ...

CDC panel debates: Should all school kids get COVID vaccine?

Should all school-age kids get Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine? That’s the question before an influential government advisory panel Tuesday. The Food and Drug Administration has authorized emergency use of kid-size doses for children ages 5 to 11. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also must sign off before widespread vaccinations begin in that age group. CDC’s advisers are weighing who will get the most benefit as they deliberate whether to recommend the shots for up to 28 million more children, or perhaps only for those most vulnerable to serious illness. ...

Pittsburgh announces vaccine mandate for city employees

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh city employees who are not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Dec. 22 could be fired, the mayor announced, building on an earlier vaccine mandate for new hires. City workers must be two weeks past the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines to be considered in compliance with the new policy. Workers who remain unvaccinated by the deadline and who do not obtain a medical or religious exemption could face “employment actions,” including unpaid leave or termination, under the order signed by ...