A New Mexico judge denied the request of dozens scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory to stop a mandate for vaccines.
If workers don’t adhere to the Friday afternoon deadline, they could be fired.
This is New Mexico’s latest case as it expands its indoor space mask mandate.
The New Mexico adult vaccination rate is 71.5%. However, it is higher for lab workers. However, 114 workers filed a lawsuit claiming that the mandate violated their constitutional rights and that the lab management created hostile work environments.
The lab’s attorneys argued that being vaccinated was a condition for working in the lab.
BERLIN — Pfizer and BioNTech, two pharmaceutical companies, have asked for the European Union to license their coronavirus vaccine for children 5-11 years old. It would be the first time that COVID-19-infected children under 5 years old in Europe could be immunized.
Pfizer and BioNTech released a statement Friday stating that they had submitted data for the European Medicines Agency. This included late-stage results from a study in which their COVID-19 vaccine was tested in more than 2,200 children between 6 months and 11 years old. The dose used to test it was lower than what is normally administered to adults.
According to the companies, the results demonstrated a strong immune response in the children. The vaccine was also safe. COVID-19 vaccines are not currently licensed for use in Europe or North America for children under 12. The shots made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are approved for children aged 12 and over in the European Union.
Pfizer and BioNTech requested that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approve their vaccine for children aged 5-11 years.
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ISLAMABAD — On Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan announced that Washington will send an additional 9.6 Million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations to Islamabad as part of the COVAX global vaccination initiative.
An embassy statement stated that the latest donation brings the total amount of COVID-19 vaccinations donated by the U.S. to Pakistan to more than 25,000,000.
According to the statement, “these Pfizer vaccines were part of 500 million Pfizer doses that the United States purchased this Summer to deliver to 92 nations worldwide, including Pakistan.”
It stated that the United States was the largest contributor to COVAX’s efforts towards global COVID-19 vaccine access.
This latest development is in line with a steady decline of the fourth wave coronavirus in Pakistan, which has recorded 28,228 deaths from coronavirus since last year. There have been 12,62771 cases.
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COLUMBIA (S.C.) — A sprawling federal nuclear reserve in South Carolina has announced that the vast majority of its 5,500 employees have been vaccinated against COVID-19 since the company ordered the shots.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions is suing nearly 80 Savannah River Site employees for refusing to be inoculated. They claim the requirement violates South Carolina law and amounts to illegally prescribing medicine.
Workers filed a South Carolina state court complaint Thursday asking for a judge’s intervention to stop the federal contractor implementing the mandate. This mandate requires that employees get vaccinated against highly contagious viruses by the fall deadline or risk being fired.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions has held a U.S. Department of Energy contract since 2008 to manage and operate the nuclear weapons complex south of Aiken.
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WASHINGTON — A White House official said that the Biden administration will announce Friday that it will lift travel restrictions for fully vaccinated people who travel to the U.S. on Nov. 8.
If they can show proof of vaccinations and a negative COVID-19 testing within three days of their travel, foreign nationals will be allowed to travel to the U.S. Although the policy change was first announced in September by the White House, the White House will announce Friday when it will go into effect.
The White House announced this week that it will lift restrictions on foreign nationals fully vaccinated for travel to the U.S. land border and ferry crossings with Canada or Mexico in November. Officials will require proof of vaccination for land and ferry travelers.
An anonymous official spoke out about a policy that was not publicly known. He said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had informed airlines that all FDA-approved and approved vaccines as well as those with an Emergency Use List from the World Health Organization are acceptable. In the coming weeks, guidelines will be issued by CDC on acceptable proof of vaccination.
— By Alexandra Jaffe
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PARIS — The COVID-19 test in France is no longer available for adults who are not vaccinated, unless prescribed by a physician.
Adults who have not been vaccinated and children aged 18 or older will still be free of charge, but they will need to pay 22-45 euro ($25-$52) for their tests starting Friday.
This change was introduced by the government to complement the COVID-19 passes, which have been required in France ever since the summer. A person must show proof of vaccination, a recent negative or recovery from the virus in order to get a pass.
Passes are required for tourist visits, hospital visits, domestic train trips and flights. France’s vaccination rate has increased thanks to the introduction of the pass requirement in July.
More than 49 million people in France have been vaccinated against coronavirus. This is 74% of the total population. All people over 12 years old are eligible to receive shots.
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MOSCOW — Russia’s coronavirus deaths and new infections rose to a record number on Friday. This rapidly rising figure has been a serious burden on the country’s healthcare system.
According to the government’s coronavirus taskforce, there were 32,196 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 999 deaths within the last 24 hours.
Over the past few days, death tolls have surpassed 1,000 due to infections spreading amid a slow vaccination rate and Russian authorities’ unwillingness to tighten restrictions that would further cripple Russia’s economy.
This week, the government announced that approximately 43 million Russians (or 29%) are fully vaccinated.
A nationwide lockdown, like that which was used in the early stages of the pandemic, has been ruled out by the Kremlin. This would have severely damaged the economy and eroded President Vladimir Putin’s popularity. Instead, the Kremlin has given regional authorities the power to enforce coronavirus restrictions.
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LONDON — British health officials believe that 43,000 people living in southwest England have been incorrectly informed they don’t have coronavirus due to problems at a private laboratory.
After receiving false negative reports, the U.K. Health Security Agency has suspended a Wolverhampton lab from processing the swabs. These faulty results were among the tests that were processed at Immensa Health Clinic Lab from early September to this week.
After some people tested positive for COVID-19 in rapid tests, they were later confirmed negative by more detailed PCR tests.
West Berkshire Council was one of the local authorities that told people who had been tested at Newbury Showground between Oct. 3-12, they were told to go back and get tested again.
Britain performs approximately 1 million coronavirus testing per day. In the last week, almost 40,000 new infections were reported daily.
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ROME — A new anti-coronavirus regulation has been implemented in Italy, requiring that all workers have a valid health card to gain entry to their workplaces.
There were police officers on the streets, schools had plans to close classes early and embassies warned of possible violence Friday. This was in response to concerns that anti-vaccination protests might turn violent as in Rome. Opponents claim that the requirement violates their rights.
“Green passes” are proof that you have been vaccinated, had a negative test in recent months or have recovered from COVID-19 within the last six months. It is required to have access to all indoor activities, including indoor dining, museums, theaters, and long-distance trains.
However, the workplace requirement has been the subject of heated debate in a country where the COVID-19 crisis was first reported in the West and where the vaccination rate is among the highest in Europe.
Every worker, bartenders to business executives, must have a valid pass in order to be allowed to go to work. The Vatican was not spared. Three Swiss Guards were fired and three more were suspended after refusing to be vaccinated prior to the Vatican’s green card requirement.
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COLOMBO (Sri Lanka) — Sri Lanka has expanded the vaccine to include students and is vaccinating 18-year-olds and 19-year olds against coronavirus.
Sri Lanka now has 57% of its 22million population vaccinated after starting with the elderly.
About 24,000 teenagers in Colombo and its suburbs received vaccines with Pfizer on Friday. Officials claim that inoculations in Colombo should be complete in 21 days. They’ll then begin giving doses in other parts the country next week.
After COVID-19 deaths dropped, Sri Lanka lifted its six-week lockdown. Schools remain closed, trips not essential to the home are prohibited, and public gatherings are forbidden. There are also restrictions on transport.
Sri Lanka had more than 200 deaths and 3,000 infections per day at its peak. The daily incidence of cases is now less than 1,000, and the number of deaths is below 100.
More than 529,000 cases have been reported by the Indian Ocean island nation, along with 13,408 deaths.
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SEOUL, South Korea: South Korean officials will temporarily ease virus restrictions in the capital region hardest hit next week in an effort to combat a battered economy as well as pandemic fatigue.
Lee Ki-il, Deputy Health Minister, stated Friday that the limit on private social gatherings within the Greater Seoul region will be increased to eight people if at minimum four participants have been fully vaccinated. The rules will also be applied regardless of the time of the day.
Since July, Seoul and its surrounding metropolitan areas have been under strict social distancing measures. This has included limiting gatherings to six people after 6 pm if at least four of the participants were fully vaccinated. Lee stated that the limit on gatherings of people not fully vaccinated was two, but that it will increase to four beginning Monday.
Residents of the Capital Area who have been fully vaccinated can also attend soccer and baseball games that were previously played in empty stadiums. Lee stated that professional sports teams will be able sell 30% of outdoor seats and 20% indoor seats to fully vaccinated fans.
On Friday, 1,684 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the country. This is the 101st day of more than 1,000 cases. Most of the infections were reported in the capital. A total of 62% of the country’s population greater than 51 million has been fully vaccinated.
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CANBERRA — Australia’s capital Canberra is out of lockdown. Authorities report that more than 99% have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination.
On Monday, Sydney was released from lockdown. Only the 73.5% of those aged 16 or older who had been fully vaccinated were allowed to go to restaurants, hairdressers, and other non-essential shops.
Because of the high vaccination rate, Canberra’s new freedoms will apply to everyone. Friday saw 76% of all 12 year-olds fully vaccinated.
New South Wales, which includes Sydney has announced that it will eliminate hotel quarantine requirements from Nov. 1, in a significant relaxation of pandemic restrictions.
