Yahoo Autos AGs from 24 states threaten to sue over Joe Biden's vaccine requirement; Cuba vaccinates 2-year-olds: Latest COVID-19 updates
Twenty-four Republican attorneys general signed a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday threatening litigation against the president's requirement for employees of businesses with 100 or more workers to be either vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing.
The prosecutors, led by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, called the requirement "disastrous and counterproductive." The prosecutors said the requirement would "drive further skepticism" about vaccines and cause some Americans to leave the job market, including healthcare workers.
The letter was also signed by the attorneys general in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
The letter comes after Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Tuesday filed a legal challenge to the federal requirement, calling it an overreach. Brnovich's office filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona seeking a ruling that declares the new federal policies unconstitutional. The Attorney General's Office said the lawsuit was the first of its kind filed in the U.S.
Also in the news:
►The White House offered to connect Nicki Minaj with one of the Biden administration’s doctors to address her questions about the COVID-19 vaccine after the Trinidadian-born rapper’s erroneous tweet alleging the vaccine causes impotence went viral.
►The boards of the San Francisco Bay Area’s two largest school districts – West Contra and Oakland – are set to vote next week on whether to mandate vaccinations against COVID-19 for all staff and students age 12 and older.
►Chinese health officials say more than 1 billion people have been fully vaccinated in the world’s most populous country. That represents 72% of its 1.4 billion people.
►Russian President Vladimir Putin says dozens of his staff have been infected with the coronavirus and he’ll continue his self-isolation because of the outbreak. Putin, who said he tested negative, was previously fully vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V.
►Nursing home aides are the most likely staffers to have direct contact with residents but were the least likely workers at the homes to be vaccinated in a July survey, a new study shows.
►A federal judge in Florida denied a request by parents of disabled children for a preliminary injunction to block Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis's ban on school mask mandates.
►All workers at child care centers in New York state now must wear face coverings under a plan announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
►Chinese health officials say more than 1 billion people have been fully vaccinated in the world’s most populous country.
📈Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 41.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 669,800 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 226.9 million cases and 4.6 million deaths. More than 179 million Americans — 54% of the population — have been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
📘What we're reading: The costs of long-haul COVID-19 care and government aid are unknown but experts warn of potential economic woes and long-term financial ramifications. Read more here.
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Pfizer CEO urges FDA to approve vaccine booster dose
The head of Pfizer made a pitch for COVID-19 booster shots Thursday, one day before a federal advisory committee is expected to decide whether third shots of coronavirus vaccines are safe and protective against infections.
Dr. Albert Bourla, in an open letter released Thursday, said the amount of time passed since vaccination appears to be a "significant factor" in so-called breakthrough cases of COVID-19, a finding he said supports the important role booster shots can play in helping curb the pandemic.
Bourla said evidence collected from Pfizer's clinical trial up through six months after the second dose shows the vaccine "continues to be safe, well tolerated, and highly effective in preventing COVID-19, despite the appearance of different variants."
Some top U.S. officials say it's time to begin offering third shots to compensate for what appears to be fading protection. Others, such as the director general of the World Health Organization, argue that Americans would benefit far more by getting initial shots to the unvaccinated around the world.
