President Joe Biden filed an emergency application in the Supreme Court on Thursday in an attempt to reinstate a vaccine mandate for health care workers at hospitals that receive federal money.
The revived mandate would "save hundreds or even thousands of lives each month," the application reads, adding: "The vaccine requirement falls squarely within the plain text of the Secretary’s [of Health and Human Services] statutory authority and complies with all procedural requirements."
Federal judges in Missouri and Louisiana blocked the mandate in 24 states total in November, and the Louisiana ruling was upheld by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans on Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp in the Eastern District of Missouri wrote in his ruling that regulations handed down by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid were issued improperly. The agency did not get approval from Congress to mandate vaccinations for health care workers, Schelp wrote, which he argued was necessary given the mandate's "vast economic and political significance."
The rules were also issued without a standard period for public comment, which Schelp said the agency's justification for was not suitable.
"Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a more paradigmatic health and safety condition than a requirement that workers at hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities take the step that most effectively prevents transmission of a deadly virus to vulnerable patients," Biden's emergency application reads.
Also in the news:
►103 Marines have been discharged for refusing to take the COVID vaccine, the Marine Corps said Thursday.
►Two South Florida men pleaded guilty in Ohio to leading a nationwide scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $35 million in COVID-19 relief loans.
📈Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 50.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 803,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 272 million cases and 5.3 million deaths. More than 202 million Americans — 61% of the population — are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
📘 What we're reading: Flying into the United States? You could be met with a free COVID-19 testing kit upon arrival at certain airports.
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CDC recommends Pfizer, Moderna COVID shots over Johnson & Johnson
A CDC panel voted Thursday to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines be preferred for adults over the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to a small number of very rare but dangerous blood clots.
Out of approximately 17 million people in the United States who have gotten the J&J vaccine, there have been nine deaths from the condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said Thursday.
The CDC acted hours later, accepting the panel's recommendation.
The cases of TTS have been reported in a wide range of individuals 18 years and older. The highest reporting rate was among women ages 30 to 49, where it was one case per 100,000 doses administered. Overall, 15% of TTS cases have been fatal, the Food and Drug Administration said.
While the 15% fatality rate for TTS sounds “scary,” “these are small numbers, it’s a rare event,” said Dr. Wilbur Chen, a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a committee member.
Getting the J&J vaccine was still much safer than any risk of the rare side effect because getting COVID-19 is much more likely to cause severe disease or death, ACIP members said. Read more here.
-- Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
Free at-home COVID-19 test kits available at select US airports
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week began distributing free at-home test kits at Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport, Miami International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, as first reported by Thrifty Traveler.
“This initiative will quickly increase access to post-arrival COVID-19 testing for international travelers arriving in the United States,” CDC spokesperson Caitlin Shockey said in an emailed statement. "It is critical that travelers get tested 3-5 days after travel to help identify imported cases of COVID-19 and stop the spread of the virus."
The CDC did not say how many kits were available through this program, but plans to hand out "as many of these free test kits as possible.”
Free test kits are set to roll out to additional airports “soon.”
— Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY
Contributing: The Associated Press
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