Fair 15°
News
COVID-19: First Cases Of New Variant Identified In North America COVID-19: First Cases Of New Variant Identified In North America
Covid-19: First Cases Of New Variant Identified In North America The new strain of COVID-19 that has caused worldwide alarm the last week has been detected in North America for the first time. Two cases of the Omicron variant were confirmed in Canada. Both were in Ottawa, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a statement released Sunday evening, Nov. 28. The two infected people had traveled from Nigeria and have been isolated, Elliott said. The Omicron variant, whose name comes from the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet, is spreading fast in Europe after the first case was identified by scientists in South Africa on Tuesday, Nov. 9. In…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: New Variant's 50 Mutations Make It Different From Original Virus, NIH Director Says COVID-19: New Variant's 50 Mutations Make It Different From Original Virus, NIH Director Says
Covid-19: New Variant's 50 Mutations Make It Different From Original Virus, NIH Director Says Why are scientists so concerned about the new strain of COVID-19? Simply stated, when it comes to Omicron, it's all about the sheer numbers -- as in the number of mutations. "The main thing that has us focused on this and has caused us to be sort of 24-7 on Zoom calls the last four days is that it has so many mutations," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said Sunday morning, Nov. 28 on CNN. "Omicron has more than 50 variants that make it different from the original virus, including more than 30 that are in the spike protein." The spike proteins …

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Man Accused Of Making Death Threat To GOP NY Congressman Over Support For Infrastructure Bill Man Accused Of Making Death Threat To GOP NY Congressman Over Support For Infrastructure Bill
Man Accused Of Making Death Threat To GOP NY Congressman Over Support For Infrastructure Bill A New York man is facing charges after allegedly making a death threat toward a Long Island Congressman who was one of 13 House Republicans to support President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. In Nassau County, detectives arrested Lake Ronkonkoma resident Kenneth Gasper, age 64, on Wednesday, Nov. 10 following an investigation into a threat made toward Republican Congressman Andrew Garbarino. Garbarino represents the southwest portion of South Shore in Suffolk County and a small portion of southeastern Nassau County on Long Island. He was one of 13 GOP lawmakers t…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Families Of Unvaccinated Could Be Denied Death Benefits COVID-19: Families Of Unvaccinated Could Be Denied Death Benefits
Covid-19: Families Of Unvaccinated Could Be Denied Death Benefits The fallout of a fatal case of COVID-19 could lead to further financial repercussions for some workers who refuse to get vaccinated against the virus. According to multiple reports, the New York MTA has become the latest to announce that it will not pay a $500,000 death benefit to the families of employees who die of the virus who were unvaccinated at the time of their death. Previously, the death benefit payment was available to any MTA worker who had died from COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. The MTA hadn’t previously held the hard stance until vaccines became more widely avai…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Pfizer Expected To Seek Approval For Boosters For All Adults COVID-19: Pfizer Expected To Seek Approval For Boosters For All Adults
Covid-19: Pfizer Expected To Seek Approval For Boosters For All Adults Pfizer and European partner BioNTech are expected to seek federal authorization to administer its COVID-19 booster shot to all Americans over the age of 18. As soon as this week, the biopharmaceutical company is reportedly planning to seek US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for booster shots for anyone 18 and older. Currently, only Americans 65 and older, those who are immunocompromised and anyone whose job puts them at a larger risk for exposure are eligible for Pfizer booster shots. The FDA is considered likely to grant the request, potentially before Thanksgiving and the hol…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Lamont Announces Number Of Afghan Refugees Who Will Resettle In CT Lamont Announces Number Of Afghan Refugees Who Will Resettle In CT
Lamont Announces Number Of Afghan Refugees Who Will Resettle In CT Hundreds of Afghan refugees will soon call Connecticut home as Gov. Ned Lamont gets ready to welcome them into the Nutmeg State. Lamont said that the State Department of Social Services will work with federal, state, and local officials to ensure that resources are properly allocated and municipalities have the support needed as 310 refugees make their way stateside. 
“I welcome these individuals with open arms into our wonderful state,” the governor said. "It is our obligation and our duty to ensure these Afghan refugees feel welcome in our state, and we will work to ensure they have ever…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: CDC Announces Starting Date For Booster Shots COVID-19: CDC Announces Starting Date For Booster Shots
Covid-19: CDC Announces Starting Date For Booster Shots Federal health officials have set a date for when they plan to begin rolling out COVID-19 booster shots to help curtail the spread of new variants of the virus. Citing new data that showed Pfizer and Moderna vaccines’ effectiveness wanes over time, President Joe Biden’s administration announced that beginning the week of Monday, Sept. 20, booster shots would be made available for many Americans. Earlier story - COVID-19: US Expected To Announce Time Frame For All Americans To Get Booster Shots The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sa…

SHARE

by Zak Failla