1 CDC Meets to Vote on First Phase of Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has offered their suggestion on the roll out of the coronavirus vaccine distribution following approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to panel member Dr. Kathleen Dooling, the proposed first phase will be split into three sequences.
Phase one-A will include healthcare personnel and residents of long-term healthcare facilities, such as nursing homes. Dr. Dooling says there are approximately 21-million healthcare workers and three-million adults living in nursing homes in the U.S.
Phase one-B will include essential workers, such as grocery workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and much more.
The final sequence, Phase one-C, will see that adults with high-risk medical conditions and adults over the age of 65 are vaccinated.
What's next? The CDC will decide on whether to accept the phase 1a recommendation – then states and local jurisdictions will make the final decisions. But what about the ‘herd immunity’ we’ve heard about? Dr. Anthony says that could happen by the end of next summer. During a press conference, Fauci explained the overwhelming majority of people could get vaccinated by the end of the second quarter. As Fauci sees it, the general population will start getting the vaccine in April, with high-risk Americans getting it as soon as this month. Fauci adds that it’ll require "good uptake" for the vaccine to make it happen. As in, people will actually have to take it.
2 AG Barr: No Evidence Of Widespread Fraud In Election
Attorney General William Barr may be one of President Trump’s staunchest supporters – but he isn’t in agreement with his boss about the election. Specifically, Barr says there’s no evidence of the fraud Trump’s been claiming. Barr says the Department of Justice and FBI agents have been investigating specific complaints and information they’ve received, but “to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.” Not surprisingly, neither Trump nor his legal team are pleased. And now, ‘Team Trump’ is accusing the D-O-J and Barr himself of not investigating "ample evidence" of voter fraud in the presidential election. Rudy Giuliani’s office has released a statement saying they have proof of illegal voting in multiple states. If he does, it has yet to show it. Either way, the President has been lighting up his Twitter feed.
3 CA Boat Captain Facing 34 Federal Manslaughter Counts
Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are indicting Jerry Boylan, the captain of a diving boat that caught fire in the middle of the night last year killing dozens near Santa Barbara. The indictment charges 34 counts of seaman's manslaughter against the captain of the Conception. "As a result of the alleged failures of Captain Boylan to follow well-established safety rules, a pleasant holiday dive trip turned into a hellish nightmare,” U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said in a statement. “Passengers and one crew member found themselves trapped in a fiery bunkroom with no means of escape.” As you might recall, 33 passengers and one crew member died during the 2019 Labor Day weekend expedition. Boylan and four other crew members survived by jumping into the water. The little-used seaman's manslaughter count carries a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment if there's a conviction.