About 15 million doses of the single-shot coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson were ruined in a factory error in the United States, The New York Times reported — a blow to the company’s efforts to quickly boost production. When contacted by AFP, the pharmaceutical giant said it had identified a batch of doses…… MORE
(Photo courtesy: The Associated Press) (AP) – Pfizer announced Wednesday its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before they head back to school in the fall. Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at…… MORE
A top U.S. border official said on Tuesday he expects more than a million migrants will arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border this year, a sign of a growing humanitarian challenge for President Joe Biden on the southwest border.If the figures reach 1 million, it could mirror an increase in border crossings in 2019 during Donald Trump’s…… MORE
A survey of experts in 28 countries revealed that a majority of epidemiologists and other infectious disease specialists predict that mutations of the coronavirus could make current vaccinations ineffective. According to CNBC, the new survey from the People’s Vaccine Alliance found that two-thirds of the 77 epidemiologists consulted said that we had a year or…… MORE
See something, say something efforts by members of local communities have helped thwart 67 potential school attacks that had been planned to be carried out by past or present students between 2006 and 2018, a U.S. Secret Service report details. The National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) report is designed to outline the warning signs needed…… MORE
Fresno, Madera and Kings Counties are all moving into the ‘Red Tier’ on Wednesday. This means that local restaurants can welcome diners indoors at a 25% capacity. Good news for eateries as the Valley weather begins to warm up. Gyms, museums, movie theaters, churches and retail shops will also be able to unlock their doors…… MORE
BEIJING (AP) – A joint World Health Organization-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak of the coronavirus is “extremely unlikely.” A draft copy was obtained Monday by The Associated Press. The findings offer little new…… MORE
The Biden administration is extending a federal moratorium on evictions of tenants who have fallen behind on rent during the coronavirus pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved to continue the pandemic-related protection, which had been scheduled to expire on Wednesday. The moratorium is now extended through the end of June. The moratorium,…… MORE
ATLANTA (AP) – Members of Congress laid flowers at the three massage businesses in Georgia where a gunman killed eight people, six of them women of Asian descent. The congressional delegation that visited the sites on Sunday included members of the Asian Pacific American Caucus. The lawmakers said they wanted to experience the shooter’s roughly…… MORE
WASHINGTON (AP) – A year after COVID-19 upended lives, there are troubling signs that the pandemic stalled efforts to get Americans to stop smoking. There were fewer calls made to quit-smoking hotlines last year. Some people reported smoking more. And there was an unusual bump in cigarette sales. Experts say unemployment, delayed medical care and…… MORE
