Month: January 2022

(Xinhua)08:48, November 30, 2020

NEW YORK, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — The first vaccines available to some of New York Citys first responders could be distributed in a matter of weeks, according to an internal memo of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

The memo sent to emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics and firefighters said that vaccinations for COVID-19 will potentially begin in mid-late December pending FDA approval, U.S. national television network NBC reported on Sunday.

The memo said that the vaccine either from Moderna or Pfizer will NOT be mandatory but the Department recommends that members consider the overall health benefits.

The paramedics and EMTs from the FDNY were particularly hard hit by the virus this spring, with as many as one in four medics sick during the height of the pandemic.

The department handled a record 6,500-plus 911 calls for nearly a week as hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 exploded citywide.

As of Saturday evening, the coronavirus deaths added up to 24,260 and the confirmed cases to 307,181 in New York City, according to The City, a project that tracks the spread of confirmed COVID-19 infections and fatalities in New York City, based on information provided by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the governors office, The COVID Tracking Project and the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

(Xinhua)08:57, November 30, 2020

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — U.S. President-elect Joe Bidens win in the U.S. state of Wisconsin was reaffirmed Sunday after two of the states largest counties finished the recount of ballots with little change in the tally.

The Democratic former vice presidents lead over incumbent President Donald Trump in the key swing state grew by 87 votes, after Trump gained 45 votes in the Dane County recount and Biden got a 132-vote net gain in the Milwaukee county recount. The statewide tally showed Biden won Wisconsin by over 20,000 votes.

The Trump campaign has, as required by state law, paid 3 million U.S. dollars for the recount, only to see his defeat more apparent.

Trump tweeted Saturday that he would file a lawsuit Monday or Tuesday to continue challenging the results. The Wisconsin recount is not about finding mistakes in the count, it is about finding people who have voted illegally, he said. We have found many illegal votes.

Wisconsin is set to certify the results on Tuesday. Wisconsin Voters Alliance, a conservative voter group, has filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Elections Commission, asking the states Supreme Court to prevent the certification.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers attorneys filed a response to the lawsuit on Friday, calling the groups effort a brazen attack on democracy itself and asked the state Supreme Court to dismiss it.

The Democratic governor said the lawsuit was a mishmash of legal distortions that attempted to disenfranchise millions of Wisconsin residents. He said failing to certify the election results would alter other election results across the state, throwing the government into chaos.

The president also suffered consecutive legal defeats in Pennsylvania in recent days, as the states Supreme Court on Saturday ruled against a Republican-filed case alleging voting irregularities, after a federal appeals court denied the Trump campaigns effort to appeal its own case that was rejected by a lower court.

Trump told Fox News Sunday Morning Futures on Sunday that he would like to file one nice big beautiful lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court, complaining that its hard to get into the Supreme Court.

He said the high court needs to be willing to make a real big decision, adding hes got the best Supreme Court advocates, lawyers that want to argue the case if it gets there.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann last week rejected the Trump campaigns lawsuit accusing Pennsylvania of allowing voters to fix errors in the mail-in ballots and seeking to prevent the state from certifying the results. The judge also refused the campaign to file an amended complaint.

(Xinhua)09:01, November 30, 2020

PARIS, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — French health authorities on Sunday confirmed 9,784 new COVID-19 cases, down from 12,580 registered a day before, while the daily fatalities slowed for the second consecutive day amid improved situation in health establishments.

The new cases took the countrys total to 2,218,483 since the start of the pandemic. Meanwhile, 198 patients succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 52,325, showed the official data.

The number of new hospital admissions and those in the intensive continued to fall. As of Sunday, 28,313 patients were hospitalized, including 3,756 in intensive care, down by 145 and 21 respectively.

France on Saturday started the first phase of its three-stage reopening strategy. The country is expected to lift the countrywide lockdown and introduce a night-time curfew on Dec. 15.

(Xinhua)09:04, November 30, 2020

OTTAWA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — Canada on Sunday announced an extension of restrictions on international traveling to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In a news release issued Sunday, Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair announced that travel restrictions on U.S. citizens to enter Canada will be extended until Dec. 21, and restrictions on travelers arriving from other countries will be extended until Jan. 21.

The restrictions, which were brought forward on Mar. 16, ban most foreign nationals from entering Canada for non-essential travel. There are a number of exceptions for immediate family members of citizens, essential workers, seasonal workers, caregivers and international students, to name a few.

By extending the expiration dates, the change brings the timing of international travel restrictions in alignment with those governing the Canada-U.S. land border. Previously, international restrictions expired on the last day of each month while the Canada-U.S. border restrictions expired on the 21st.

Both have been regularly extended since March.

The government continues to evaluate the travel restrictions and prohibitions as well as the requirement to quarantine or isolate on an ongoing basis to ensure Canadians remain healthy and safe, the minister said in a news release.

The ability to align U.S. and international travel extension dates, as well as the mandatory isolation order, beginning on Jan. 21, 2021, will enable the government to communicate any travel extensions or changes as quickly as possible and provide certainty for Canadians, U.S. and international travelers, the minister added.

As of Sunday evening, Canada reported a total of 370,278 COVID-19 cases and 12,032 deaths, according to CTV.

Canadian Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said on Sunday that Canada will continue to see the rapid growth of new cases of COVID-19 if Canadians dont reduce their close contacts.

Tam reiterated the stark warning she made on Saturday, saying the country could see up to 10,000 cases a day in mid-December if we continue on the current pace of infection.

(Xinhua)09:08, November 30, 2020

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday announced the nomination of an all-female White House communications team, with Jen Psaki being the press secretary.

In addition to Psaki, who served as the spokesperson for the State Department and White House communications director during the administration of former President Barack Obama, Biden said his campaign spokesperson Kate Bedingfield was tapped as the White House communications director.

Pili Tobar, the communications director for coalitions for the Biden campaign, will be deputy communications director. Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as chief of staff to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris during the campaign, will assume the role of principal deputy press secretary, according to the announcement.

Other nominations include Symone Sanders, senior adviser and chief spokesperson for Harris; Ashley Etienne, the vice president-elects communications director; and Elizabeth Alexander, the communications director for Jill Biden, the future first lady. The three of them all served senior advisory roles in the Biden campaign.

Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a President, and this team will be entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House, Biden said in a statement.

I am proud to announce today the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women. These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better, said Biden.

Harris, for her part, said that the United States is facing unprecedented challenges – from the coronavirus pandemic to the economic crisis, to the climate crisis, and a long-overdue reckoning over racial injustice, and that these nominees are able to help overcome these challenges.