After more than 24 hours of debate, the Democratic-controlled Senate Saturday passed President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.
The bill would provide millions of Americans with $1,400 direct payments, billions of dollars for vaccine distribution, and funds to help reopen schools and colleges. It also extends the federal unemployment benefit at $300 per week through the end of August, down from a $400 extension in the original bill.
The stimulus also includes $450 million for domestic violence services, as advocates are warning that survivors continue to be at high risk of intimate partner violence amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile U.S. drugmaker Merck said Saturday that an experimental antiviral treatment it is developing with biotechnology company Ridgeback Biotherapeutics showed a quicker decrease in infectious virus among people with early COVID-19.
The drug, molnupiravir, was tested in more than 200 non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and patients treated with the drug had a quicker decrease in infectious virus than those in the placebo group, according to Merck.
Dr. William Fischer, lead investigator of the study and a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said in a press release that the findings “are promising and if supported by additional studies.”
Also in the news:
►The Dalai Lama, the 85-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, has received the first shot of the coronavirus vaccine at a hospital in the north Indian hill town of Dharmsala.
►The White House announced two new mass vaccination sites will soon be open, in Atlanta and Cleveland, each with the ability to provide 6,000 daily coronavirus shots.
►Albertsons will continue to require Texas shoppers to wear masks in its stores after the state lifts its face covering requirement March 10.
►Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration successfully pressured New York’s health department to strip the full COVID-19 death count attributed to nursing homes from a state report released last July, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported.
►The creator of a viral GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $100,000 is being sued by a California woman who shamed a barista online for asking her to wear a mask inside a Starbucks store in San Diego.
►California officials are allowing people to attend Major League Baseball games and other sports, go to Disneyland and watch live performances in limited capacities starting April 1.
? Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 28.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 522,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 116 million cases and 2.57 million deaths. More than 114.1 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and about 85 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
? What we’re reading: The Valdovinos family has lost five family member to COVID-19. Here’s how the tight-knight Massachusetts family is honoring those they lost.
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Some states prioritizing obesity patients for vaccine
Patty Nece, 62, hasn’t dared to step inside a retail store since last March, as her obesity puts her at risk for severe COVID-19. Because of her disease, she’s eligible to get the vaccine and has an appointment for her first dose on Wednesday. While she’s looking forward to getting vaccinated, she’s also disappointed some Americans have criticized people with obesity who are prioritized to get the vaccine.
“It displays a misunderstanding … weight isn’t always within your control,” said Nece, who is also the chairwoman of the Obesity Action Coalition. “Like many diseases, there’s personal responsibility involved but that’s not the end. The mantra of eat less and move more – which I’ve heard my…
Read More: Senate passes stimulus; CDC study looks at mask mandates