A health care worker shortage has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The lack of nurses may be the most consequential. Maryland nurses are stretched, stressed and spent. Some are leaving their jobs and signing on with staffing agencies that pay better and are driving up the cost of providing health care.
As COVID-19 vaccine rolls out, undocumented immigrants fear retribution for seeking dose Marco della Cava, Daniel Gonzalez and Rebecca Plevin, USA TODAY
COVID-19 vaccine distribution begins in United States
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As the COVID-19 vaccine makes its way throughout the United States, immigration activists and lawmakers are rallying to ensure that the 11 million undocumented immigrants at the heart of the nation s food production and service industry sectors are not left out.
Experts say it is unlikely that health officials will discriminate against undocumented Americans. But after years of isolationist and punitive immigration policies from the Trump administration, many immigrants whose physical and fiscal health has, along with many people of color, been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic might be unwilling to come forward and get vaccinated.
Hospitals and medical centers spent Sunday preparing for the first COVID-19 vaccine to arrive Monday morning, a massive undertaking that began when a caravan of semis guarded by unmarked police cars pulled out of the Pfizer manufacturing plant in Portage, Michigan, just after dawn.
Onlookers applauded and cheered as the tractor-trailers carrying 189 boxes of vaccine slowly rolled out. The doses held in those cartons will be injected into the arms of health care workers in all 50 states beginning Monday morning.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first vaccine to prevent the disease Friday night. Developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, the vaccine appears to be extremely safe and highly effective – and brings the hope of an end to the pandemic.
government will begin shutting down unless democrats and republicans reach a budget agreement. congressional leaders met with the president again this afternoon. there is still no deal, and another meeting is scheduled this evening. secretary of defense robert gates injected some humor into an otherwise glum situation, talking to u.s. soldiers in iraq about the possibility they won t get paid. you know, as a historian, it always occurred to me that the smart thing for government was always to pay the guys with guns first. smith: just so you know, the commander-in-chief and members of congress will continue to get paid because their pay is authorized by a different law. congressional correspondent nancy cordes has the latest on the negotiations. nancy, good evening. reporter: good evening, harry. both sides said today talks had taken a turn in the wrong direction, and in a very troubling development, neither side could seem to agree on what the sticking points even are.