Biden visited Brookland Middle School Friday. It is just a short drive away from the White House. Biden was arguing for federal regulations that could have an impact on 100 million Americans.
Employers with more than 100 employees must have the virus vaccinated. The virus affects approximately 80 million Americans. Fully vaccinated workers in health facilities that receive federal Medicare and Medicaid must also be vaccinated.
Biden stated during his visit that he was disappointed by the behavior of some Republican governors. "This is not a game."
Republicans and union officials feel he is overstepping his authority. Biden replied, "Have fun!" when asked about legal challenges to the vaccine requirements.
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ATLANTA – Faculty members are protesting at Georgia's public universities. However, leaders of Georgia's university systems aren't backing down from their position that schools cannot require vaccines or masks.
Acting Chancellor Teresa MacCartney said that those policies won't change and noted that the system will follow Gov. Brian Kemp and Republican legislators who control the university's purse strings.
MacCartney stated that "We are fulfilling institutional missions to provide higher education and services for student in a way which is best for them." Since before the semester began, these expectations were clearly communicated. This should not be surprising. If you don't follow through and do your job, there are consequences.
The remarks received a round of applause from the regents who were mostly unmasked. The regents were surrounded by many university presidents and administrators who were mostly unmasked.
MacCartney spoke on Thursday. This was the same day that faculty groups at Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, and the University of Georgia passed resolutions calling to mandate vaccine and mask mandates.
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WASHINGTON -- Senior Democratic senators have pressed Medicare to make the COVID-19 rates for nursing home COVID-19 vaccines easily available to consumers.
The Biden administration requires all staff in nursing homes to be vaccinated, but Sens. It could take several months, according to Ron Wyden from Oregon and Bob Casey from Pennsylvania. They are asking Medicare to post the vaccination rates of residents and staff at individual nursing homes on its "Care Compare" website. This site is familiar to consumers.
The senators wrote Chiquita Brooks LaSure, Medicare head, that "these data reside on entirely different (government) websites." "Even though a person can find these websites, individual facility vaccination data are not prominently displayed, which creates additional barriers."
Medicare officials claim they are working to solve the problem.
Senators cited an Associated Press report about outbreaks attributed unvaccinated staff. Wyden and Casey are the chairmen of the Aging and Finance committees, respectively.
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Paris -- France has announced new restrictions regarding unvaccinated U.S. travellers.
Beginning Sunday, travelers from the United States who are not vaccinated and could travel to France without a negative coronavirus test must prove that they have "pressing reasons for travel".
These grounds are also applicable to French citizens returning to France, legal residents, family members of French citizens and foreign health professionals who come to help in the fight against COVID-19. They also apply to people transiting through France.
These restrictions do not apply to travelers who have been fully vaccinated from the U.S.
This decision comes after the European Union recommended last week that 27 countries impose restrictions on tourists visiting the U.S.A. due to rising coronavirus infection rates.
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JOHANNESBURG -- South Africa is now vaccinating children as part of the global Phase3 clinical trials of China’s Sinovac Biotech shot for children aged 6 to 17 years.
Global study will include 2,000 participants from South Africa, 12,000 in Kenya, Chile, Chile, and Malaysia. To kick-off the trials, the first South African children were immunized at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University.
According to Sinovac, other people will be able to get shots at six sites in the country.
In the past 24 hours, South Africa has seen 6,270 infections and 175 deaths. Africa's 2.8 million infections total account for 35% of all cases. There have been 84,327 deaths.
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COPENHAGEN (Danemark) -- Denmark's high vaccine rate allowed it to be one of the first European Union countries to lift all domestic restrictions.
Although the gradual return to normality was gradual, Friday's digital pass, which is a proof that you have been vaccinated, was no longer necessary for entry to nightclubs. This makes it the last safeguard against the spread of viruses.
The two shots have been administered to more than 80% of those over 12 years old. The Danish government has declared COVID-19 no longer to be a "socially critical" disease as of midnight.
Magnus Heunicke, Health Minister, stated last month that the "epidemic is under control", but warned that the "epidemic is not over" and that the government would act as necessary if necessary.
Jens Lundgren is a professor at Copenhagen University Hospital of viral diseases and said that the government would be "quite open" to reintroducing restrictions if there were a spike in infections.
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BERLIN -- Germany’s standing vaccination committee recommends that pregnant women be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Friday's statement by the committee stated that it had evaluated all evidence and is preparing a draft recommendation for women in the second trimester. Breastfeeding mothers will receive two doses of the mRNA vaccine.
It is also recommended that all women of child bearing age who have not been vaccinated are vaccinated to protect themselves against the coronavirus.
Around two-thirds (63%) of Germany's population have received at least one dose of vaccines, and the remaining 61.9% are fully vaccinated. Officials are trying to encourage more people get the shots before winter, as the pace of vaccinations has slowed down.
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LONDON -- A top scientist behind AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine suggests that booster shots might not be necessary for many people.
Sarah Gilbert, Oxford University professor, told The Telegraph newspaper that the vaccine had given her immunity -- even against the delta variant.
She says that while some people with compromised immune systems or the elderly may require boosters, most people can be protected by the two-dose standard regimen.
Gilbert believes that the priority of the world should be to provide more vaccines to those countries where there are limited supplies.
These comments were made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization. This panel of experts advises the British government and is expected to make recommendations on the size of any booster programs in the next few days.
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CAIRO -- Egypt has reported more than 400 coronavirus cases daily for the first month in a row.
Friday's report by the Health Ministry showed that there were 413 deaths and 12 cases in the last 24 hours. Since July, when the more contagious Delta variant was discovered in the country, daily cases have been on the rise.
Egyptian authorities are concerned by the latest rise in school closings. Schools will open next week for face-toface classes.
Egypt, which is home to 100 million people, is the Arab world's largest country. It has reported 291,585 deaths, and 168,836 cases from the pandemic. The actual number of cases is believed to be higher because only a few tests were done by health authorities.
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WASHINGTON -- To slow the spread COVID-19, the U.S. has doubled the penalty for violators of the rule that requires masks on trains, planes and other public transportation. President Joe Biden warned Thursday that those who violate the rule should "be ready to pay."
According to the Transportation Security Administration, first-time offenders will face a $500-1000 fine and second-time offenders may be subject to a $1,000-$3,000 fine.
For repeat offenders, the fine can be up to $1500 and starts at $250.
Biden stated that "if you break the rules be prepared to pay" as he announced the increase in a speech outlining federal vaccine requirements.
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COLOMBO (Sri Lanka) -- Sri Lanka has extended a lockdown for a further week to fight a coronavirus epidemic.
The COVID-19 committee, headed by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, decided Friday to extend the lockdown which was scheduled to end Monday to Sept. 21, according to Kingsly Rathnayaka, presidential spokesperson.
The first lockdown was imposed on August 20. The government allowed the operation of export-related factories and agriculture work during that time.
Trade unions and doctors warn that hospitals and morgues are at their limit due to the coronavirus's delta variant.
Sri Lanka has confirmed 474 870 pandemic cases and 10,689 deaths.
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OLYMPIA (Wash.) -- Washington Governor. Jay Inslee announced that the state's indoor-mask mandate will be extended to outdoor events with at least 500 people, regardless of their vaccination status, starting next week.
Monday's new requirement comes just days after similar outdoor mask mandates were in place in King and Pierce counties. This was due to increasing coronavirus infections.
Washington has had an indoor mask mandate since Aug. 23, regardless of whether or not you have been vaccinated. Oregon became the first state to reinstate a statewide mask mandate for outdoor public areas that are near people last month.
