A brand new variant of Covid has been found – this is what we all know to date

A patient arrives at 28 de Agosto Hospital in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil on January 14, 2021 amid the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Manaus faces a lack of oxygen and sleeping places as the city has been overrun by a second surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

MICHAEL DANTAS | AFP | Getty Images

LONDON – A new variant of coronavirus identified in Brazil has heightened concern among public health experts, leading to warnings that more new strains are likely to emerge.

The news of the variant in Brazil comes after two separate mutant strains of the virus were discovered in the UK and South Africa earlier this year.

Researchers are urgently investigating the variants of Covid that are believed to have similar characteristics in order to better understand the threat they pose.

Viruses mutate naturally, and there is no evidence that the newly discovered strains have more serious disease outcomes.

However, the Covid variants are believed to be more transmissible than the original variant that triggered the pandemic, and this could lead to higher numbers of serious infections and additional deaths.

Health officials have recommended washing hands, physically distancing yourself, and using personal protective equipment to prevent the virus from spreading.

What is known about the variant found in Brazil?

Earlier this month, the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) announced that it had discovered a new variant of Covid in four travelers from the Brazilian state of Amazonas on January 2.

A man in his forties who was found to be asymptomatic when he arrived in Japan was hospitalized because his breathing condition was deteriorating. A woman in her thirties reported a sore throat and headache, a man between 10 and 19 years of age had a fever, and a young woman over 10 was asymptomatic.

This variant of the virus belongs to the strain B.1.1.248 and, according to the NIID, has 12 mutations in the spike protein. Spike proteins are used by the virus to enter cells in the body.

On January 14, 2021, nurses chatting outside 28 de Agosto Hospital in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil amid the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

MICHAEL DANTAS | AFP | Getty Images

NIID said it was difficult to immediately determine how contagious the new strain is and how effective vaccines against it are.

To date, Brazil has registered more than 8.3 million Covid cases and 207,000 virus deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The South American country is the second largest country for Covid-related deaths worldwide after the US.

Travel ban

The UK on Friday imposed a ban on travelers from South America (and Portugal and Cape Verde) to deter people from bringing the new variant into the country.

The country’s Secretary of Transportation, Grant Shapps, told the BBC this was a precautionary measure. He added that scientists believe the coronavirus vaccines will work on the new variant.

“We looked very closely at this particular mutation, unlike many other thousands, and realized that there might be a problem, not so much that the vaccine isn’t working. In fact, scientists believe it will work, just the fact is more spreadable, “said Shapps, according to Reuters.

On Thursday, British chief advisor Patrick Vallance told ITV that there was a “slightly greater risk” of the vaccine’s effectiveness with regard to the Covid variant identified in Brazil.

What about the mutant strains in the UK and South Africa?

On December 14th, the UK health authorities reported a variant to the WHO identified as SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01. It is unclear how the new strain came about, but preliminary results have shown that it is highly infectious.

It originally appeared in the south east of England, but has since been the dominant variety in much of the UK and has spread to more than 50 other countries. Numerous nations then imposed bans on travelers from Great Britain.

Healthcare professionals wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) enter a makeshift ward devoted to treating possible COVID-19 coronavirus patients at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria on January 11, 2021.

Phill Magakoe | AFP | Getty Images

Independently of this, the national authorities in South Africa announced the detection of the variant 501Y.V2 on December 18. Preliminary studies have shown that variant 501Y.V2 also increases portability. It has since reportedly been found in at least 20 other countries.

The variants that emerged separately both share a genetic mutation in the spike protein.

What happens next?

Studies are currently ongoing to understand the transferability and severity of the newly discovered variants of Covid, as well as their possible effects on vaccines.

After approximately 10 months of relative inactivity, “we have seen a remarkable evolution of SARS-CoV-2 with a repeated evolutionary pattern in the worrying SARS-CoV-2 variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil.” Dr. Trevor Bedford, a virologist and associate professor at the University of Washington, said Thursday via Twitter.

Bedford, who also works with Fred Hutch’s vaccines and infectious diseases division, warned that the hypothesis was “highly speculative” at the time. “But separately, the fact that we’ve seen three worrying variants since September suggests that more are likely to follow.”

To date, more than 93.2 million people worldwide have contracted Covid-19 with 1.99 million deaths.

Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, said on Friday the world has “become the playground of the virus to mutate and develop (especially) in countries that have allowed higher prevalence”.

Well being Minister Alex Azar resigns on January 20th

Alex Azar, Secretary for Health and Human Services, at the White House in Washington, DC on August 23, 2020.

Pete Marovich | Getty Images

Minister of Health and Human Services Alex Azar will step down on January 20, the day President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

In his January 12 resignation letter, Azar shot a farewell shot at President Donald Trump and mentioned last week’s US Capitol riot that saw a violent crowd of Trump’s supporters break through the building, injuring dozens of police officers and causing five deaths.

Azar wrote that “post-election actions and rhetoric, particularly last week, threatened to tarnish the legacy of this government”. “The attacks on the Capitol were an attack on our democracy and on the tradition of peaceful power transfers that the United States first brought into the world.”

Azar’s resignation came after U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and several other Trump administration officials resigned after the president was accused of inciting the violence by instructing protesters to go to the U.S. Capitol, where the legislature finally determined Biden’s victory. The mob descended on the Capitol shortly after the trial began on Wednesday to count the votes of the electoral college and confirm Biden’s election.

“Given the pandemic, the ongoing need to deliver vaccines and therapeutics to the American people, and the need to ensure a smooth transition to the Biden administration, I have found it is in the best interests of the people we serve as Secretary until the end of the term, “said Azar in his letter to Trump.

“I ask you to continue to unequivocally condemn all forms of violence, to demand that no one attempt to disrupt the opening activities in Washington or elsewhere, and to continue to give your unreserved support to the peaceful and orderly transfer of power on January 20, 2021.”

In a tweet last week, Azar condemned the riot, saying he was “disgusted”.

“Physical violence and the desecration of this sacred symbol of our democracy must come to an end. People must disperse immediately and peacefully,” he said on Twitter.

Trump selected Azar, a former pharma executive, to head the U.S. agency in late 2017, replacing Trump’s first HHS boss, Dr. Tom Price. His department is responsible for overseeing extensive Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as US public health, medical research, and food and drug safety. He was an integral part of the government’s Covid-19 response.

Prior to joining, Azar was General Counsel to the division from 2001 to 2005 and Assistant Secretary from 2005 to 2007. From 2012 to 2017 he was President of Lilly USA, the American arm of drug giant Eli Lilly.

Azar’s resignation comes amid a one-off pandemic. The US currently has more than 23.33 million cases of coronavirus and has by far the most virus deaths, with more than 389,000 confirmed deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Federal and state officials are trying to distribute vaccines to prevent Covid-19 and end the pandemic.

Azar highlighted his efforts to lead his department during an “unprecedented pandemic”.

“Because of my leadership in pandemic flu preparedness during my previous tenure at HHS and subsequent experience in the private sector, we have formed a historic partnership with the Department of Defense, our scientists, and the pharmaceutical industry to bring therapeutics and vaccines to Americans Record time, “wrote Azar. “Operation Warp Speed ​​has achieved in nine months what many doubted it would be possible in a year and a half or more. From that date, two safe and effective vaccines will be given to millions of Americans, with more vaccines likely to be approved shortly We have two safe and effective therapeutics that can help keep the vulnerable out of our hospitals, with more therapies on the way … As we mourn for every life lost, our early, aggressive, and extensive efforts have saved hundreds of thousands or even millions of American life. “

President-elect Joe Biden plans to work with FEMA and the National Guard to establish coronavirus vaccination clinics in the United States. This emerges from new details of his vaccination schedule for Covid-19 released on Friday by his transition team.

Read Azar’s full resignation letter below:

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Small companies can get a second PPP however not a second EIDL mortgage

Jovita Carranza, Administrator of the US Small Business Administration, testifies at a Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing on June 10, 2020 in Washington.

Al Drago Pool / Getty Images)

Second EIDL grants

This can be confusing for business owners as Covid’s $ 900 billion aid package passed last month allows some businesses to get a second EIDL grant.

These grants were a new facet of the disaster loan program that was available prior to Covid to cover lost revenue due to hurricanes and other events. (The federal government has expanded availability for businesses across the country due to the pandemic.)

The CARES Act allowed entrepreneurs to apply for grants of up to $ 10,000 through an EIDL advance that did not have to be repaid. The amount of the grant was based on the number of employees in a company.

Now business owners can get another grant. The legislature also lifted the size limit. Eligible entrepreneurs will receive the difference between $ 10,000 and their initial grant allowance. (First-time applicants would be eligible for $ 10,000.)

Applications for a second grant – a targeted EIDL advance – will be available in the coming days, Clements said. The relief bill provided $ 20 billion for the measure.

OLIVIER DOULIERY | AFP | Getty Images

The first $ 20 billion in grants under the CARES bill expired by July. Almost 6 million companies have been funded.

Affected entrepreneurs may be frustrated with the inability to obtain a second EIDL loan. Many may need additional funding to survive until a Covid vaccine is widely available and the economy recovers.

Small business revenue fell by nearly a third, and 30% of small businesses closed last year, according to Opportunity Insights.

“It hurts badly,” President-elect Joe Biden said in a speech Thursday evening in which he outlined a $ 1.9 trillion aid package, the American Rescue Plan, that would provide additional grants to small businesses.

Lower-income communities

EIDL grants are only available to companies in low-income municipalities whose income has fallen by at least 30% over an eight-week period since early March (compared to the same point in 2019).

A focus on businesses in less affluent neighborhoods is in line with that of the new PPP financing.
This pandemic-time lending program reopened to applicants on Monday through a few municipal lenders focused on underserved borrowers.

DEA / M. BORCHI | De Agostini | Getty Images

“What [lawmakers are] Trying to do with the second round PPP and the EIDL grant is to get money to those minority-owned small businesses that got out of the way in the first round, “said Brooke Lively, president of Cathedral Capital , the financial work for them is done by small business customers.

Federal lawmakers use the same metrics as a new market tax credit to determine what constitutes “low income”. The law defines such a disadvantaged area as one where the poverty rate is above 20%, although other measures may also apply.

PPP loan

PPP applicants can receive a maximum loan of USD 2 million in the second round of funding. You must have 300 or fewer employees and a 25% loss in revenue (in each quarter of 2020 from the same period last year) to be eligible.

The Discharge Act also removes a previous requirement in the CARES Act that EIDL grants must be deducted from the forgivable amount of a PPP loan.

Shuttered Venue Operators Grant

A separate grant, the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, will also be open to applicants in the coming days, Clements said.

The federal government is providing $ 15 billion to operators or organizers of live venues, museums, cinemas, theater producers, and live performing arts venues that have lost 25% revenue due to the downturn in Covid.

Businesses can receive initial grants of up to $ 10 million and additional grants of up to one half.

The program is initially open to companies that have lost 90% or more of their sales.

Queen Elizabeth’s great-nephew Arthur Chatto is a real royal heartbreaker

With Prince Harry and Prince William Outside the market, we’ve been looking for another royal piece to crave.

After reviewing some worthy candidates, we think we’ve found our man: Queen ElizabethGreat nephew Arthur Chatto. Age: 21. Zodiac sign: Aquarius. Occupation: athlete. World records: two. Check, check, check, check !!

The internet is already obsessed with the personal trainer and his oh-so-inspiring training videos, if you know what we mean.

His grandmother is none other than Princess MargaretElizabeth’s sister we all know Helena Bonham Carter on the crown. Arthur’s parents are Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel ChattoThis puts him in 26th place on the British throne. Basically, that means he has family relationships with no likelihood of actual responsibility, right?

Arthur’s Instagram bio lists his world record titles as the youngest team and youngest person to row in the UK.

And like the Good Samaritan he is, Arthur and his rowing group, Exe Endurow, have tried to raise £ 150,000 for the UK Red Cross while frontline workers fight the COVID-19 pandemic. They are also raising funds for Just One Ocean to help remove plastic from waters around the UK. Charming, isn’t it?

TSA weighs lots of of flights and will increase safety previous to inauguration

A TSA officer checks a man’s ID at a checkpoint at Orlando International Airport.

Paul Hennessy | SOPA pictures | Getty Images

The Transportation Security Administration said Friday it is screening hundreds of people to see if they should be banned from flights as it will increase security ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

“Currently TSA is processing hundreds of names with law enforcement agencies for a thorough risk assessment,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “Our intelligence and screening professionals are working diligently around the clock to ensure that those who pose a threat to our aviation sector are subjected to enhanced screening or are unable to board a plane.”

TSA said it is also increasing the number of Federal Air Marshals on some flights, random gate screenings, and more law enforcement and canine explosives detection teams. The staff is also being increased at some train stations.

The additional measures come after the deadly riot in the U.S. Capitol last week and a spate of flight disruptions, some of which are politically motivated.

In the aftermath of the uprising, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents around 50,000 flight attendants on more than a dozen airlines, raised safety concerns about “mob mentality” on some flights to Washington DC last week, saying that people should be involved in the riot flying will be banned.

The FAA promised to have a zero-tolerance policy for unruly behavior on flights and to impose a fine of up to $ 35,000.

Airlines and airports also increase security. Major US airlines are banning passengers from checking guns on flights in the Washington DC area for next week starting this weekend. American Airlines stops selling alcohol on flights, while Alaska Airlines limits the number of tickets sold into the city.

Biden goes public with a tailwind

President-elect Joe Biden speaks as he announces members of the business and jobs team at his interim headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware on Jan. 8, 2021.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

President-elect Joe Biden moves into the White House next week with the greatest tailwind in the stock markets since a presidential election day dating back at least 1952.

According to CFRA data starting this year, the nearly 13% gain since Nov. 3 would be the S&P 500’s biggest surge between election and inauguration if gains persist. The 8.8% increase in President John F. Kennedy was the best, followed by President Dwight Eisenhower with 6.3% and President Donald Trump with 6.2%.

Biden’s promise of the $ 1.9 trillion bailout he announced Thursday is one of the reasons stock markets surge. This will be a big focus of the markets in the coming week as investors hurt their chances of getting Congressional approval.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day holidays begin during the week, and over the next four days several dozen S&P 500 companies are reporting profits. Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Intel, and Procter & Gamble are among the companies reporting.

Biden won’t have a honeymoon

The stimulus package of $ 1.9 trillion is high on the agenda. But there’s also a significant focus on whether his government can better control the pandemic and roll out the vaccine as he promised.

“This is the number he came in on. Where are negotiations going from here?” Quincy Krosby, chief marketing strategist at Prudential Financial, said of the $ 1.9 trillion package. She highlighted concerns about a weakening economy, reflected in December retail sales, with a surprising drop of 0.7% and weekly jobless claims at their worst level since August.

“You could argue that this is related to Covid. So the most important thing going forward is to see the logistics of vaccines and get vaccinations going properly. This is vital for the market,” she said.

Krosby said the market is focused on the inauguration.

“They want it to run smoothly and that there is no security breach. The market has absorbed the events of January 6th. The market looked ahead to find that at that point it was a one-off and the market higher ended on Jan 6, “she said. “But the market becomes much more defensive when what we viewed as an isolated event suddenly expands.”

The inauguration is raised after a crowd of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol while Congress confirmed the election of the electoral college. Parliament decided last week to indict Trump with incitement to mob, and now there are concerns about further incidents in Washington or in state capitals.

Stimulus and stocks

Markets are also watching closely to see if Biden can bridge some of the deep gulf between Republicans and Democrats who now have a slim majority in Congress.

“We get suggestions, and now the question is, ‘OK, you should be this great compromise maker,” said Sam Stovall, CFRA’s chief investment strategist.

Political strategists expect Biden to receive his stimulus package, but it is being cut. Ed Mills, Washington political scientist at Raymond James, said the package could be cut to about $ 1 trillion based on the size previously discussed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and outgoing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

“After an extraordinarily weak start to this year, does Congress want to show bipartisan support, to say the least?” Mills said. He said the stock market should continue to do well as it will receive stimulus spending.

“DC will be there with more spending or consumers will be there with more spending if they have the opportunity to get into a post-vaccination world sooner,” he said.

Stovall said if history is a guide, the exchange should do well with Biden. The average profit of the S&P 500 in the first 100 days for Democratic presidents is 3.5% and dates back to 1952. For Republicans over the same period, the average was 0.5%.

The S&P 500 rose an average of 11.3% in the first year of a Democratic president, but only 5.7% for Republicans, which goes back to World War II.

The stock market will continue to monitor the bond market after the 10-year government bond yield hit a high of 1.18% last week, its highest level since March. It has since fallen to around 1.08% on Friday’s weak data.

“There are other things going on in the back room. Bond yields have been up lately, and it’s been a change. You got a sense of how fast rates can move,” said James Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Leuthold Group. “It could be a preview of what to expect this year.”

Calendar for the week ahead

Monday

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Markets closed

Tuesday

Merits: Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Netflix, Charles Schwab, Comerica, Halliburton, State Street, Interactive Brokers, JB Hunt, Zions Bancorp, FNB

8:30 a.m. Survey among managing directors

4:00 p.m. TIC data

Wednesday

Inauguration day

Merits: Procter & Gamble, US Bancorp, Citizens Financial, Bank of New York Mellon, Fastenal, United Airlines, Alcoa, Discover Financial

10:00 am NAHB survey

Thursday

Merits: Intel, IBM, Travelers, Baker Hughes, CSX, PPG Industries, Intuitive Surgery, Northern Trust, Union Pacific, Truist Financial, Fifth Third, KeyCorp

8:30 a.m. first claims

8:30 a.m. Housing construction begins

8:30 a.m. Manufactured by the Philadelphia Fed

Friday

Merits: Regions Financial, Schlumberger, Ally Financial, Huntington Bancshares, South Kansas City

9:45 a.m. Manufacturing PMI

9:45 am Services PMI

10:00 a.m. Existing home sales

The NRA recordsdata for chapter and says it’ll reincarnate in Texas

Guns are on display in a shop on June 17, 2016 in Lake Barrington, Illinois.

Scott Olson | Getty Images

WASHINGTON – The National Rifle Association filed for bankruptcy on Friday as part of a restructuring plan aimed at moving the influential gun rights group to Texas.

The filing comes six months after the New York State Attorney General filed a lawsuit to disband the NRA for alleged embezzlement of funds.

The advocacy group said it would be restructuring as a not-for-profit organization in Texas to get out of what it has been called “the corrupt political and regulatory environment in New York” in which it is currently registered

The NRA, which said it was not financially broke, applied for Chapter 11 protection in the US bankruptcy court in Dallas.

In its filing, the group stated that it had assets between $ 100 million and $ 500 million and liabilities in the same dollar range.

The NRB’s largest unsecured creditor was former advertising agency Ackerman McQueen, owed $ 1.27 million, according to the filing. The weapons group and the advertising company have filed lawsuits against each other.

“The plan can be summed up very simply: We’re DUMPING New York and pursuing plans to reintegrate the NRA in Texas,” wrote Wayne LaPierre, CEO and Executive Vice President of the NRA, in a statement on Friday announcing the filing.

He added that “no significant changes to the operations or workforce of the NRA are expected”.

LaPierre also said the NRA was not insolvent and moving to Texas would strengthen the organization. “We are financially as strong as we have been in years,” he said.

He added that the organization currently has no plans to move the NRA headquarters from Fairfax, Virginia.

The NRA said it expected bankruptcy within six months and said in a letter to its sellers that it would “propose a plan that will see full payment of all valid claims from creditors”.

“The NRA will be moving through the restructuring process quickly. Its day-to-day operations, training programs and advocacy for the second change will continue as usual, which means that the NRA will continue to rely on the service of its valued suppliers,” the letter said.

New York attorney general Letitia James said in a statement that the state would review the NRA filing but added: “We will not allow the NRA to use this or any other tactic to evade accountability and oversight from my office . “

“The NRA’s claimed financial status has finally reached its moral status: bankrupt,” she added.

James’ lawsuit accuses the NRA leadership of diverting millions for their personal use, resulting in a loss of $ 64 million to the organization.

Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President and CEO of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Lucas Jackson | Reuters

Gun safety organizations described the NRA’s decision to file for bankruptcy as a “desperate maneuver”.

“Let’s be clear what’s going on here: The NRA, which is losing power and money is bleeding, is now filing for bankruptcy to avoid legal debt for years of financial mismanagement and proprietary trafficking,” said John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety wrote in a statement Friday.

“This desperate maneuver is a de facto admission of guilt,” he added.

Similarly, Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, said the NRA could try “to run away from its years of deception, decadence and proprietary trading, but it cannot hide”.

“The NRA has grown into a front group for arms manufacturers and a personal piggy bank for its leadership – while putting millions of lives at risk. They have been out of touch with the American people for decades, and now they’re out of money.” too, “said Watts.

New York Attorney General Letitia James

Lucas Jackson | Reuters

In a statement last August when it attempted to disband the group, AG James said: “The influence of the NRA has been so strong that the organization has remained uncontrolled for decades while top executives put millions in their own pockets.

“The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why we are trying to disband the NRA today because no organization is above the law,” she added at the time.

James is asking a court to dissolve the NRA and seek full refunds from each of the current and former executives named in the lawsuit.

Continue reading: New York AG seeks to disband the NRA in a lawsuit accusing the leaders of self-trafficking and causing losses of $ 64 million

Carolyn Meadows, president of the NRA, said in a statement at the time of filing that the lawsuit is “an unfounded, deliberate attack on our organization and the freedoms of the second amendment that she is fighting to defend”.

The suit is another step in a long-running battle between New York and the gun rights group that has been chartered in the state since 1871.

CNBC’s Tucker Higgins contributed to this report from New York. Dan Mangan reports from New York.

Biden will use FEMA, Nationwide Guard, to arrange Covid vaccination clinics in america

President-elect Joe Biden plans to work with FEMA and the National Guard to establish coronavirus vaccination clinics in the United States. This emerges from new details of his vaccination schedule for Covid-19 released on Friday by his transition team.

The Biden administration will also “quickly get underway” efforts to make vaccines available at local pharmacies in the US to ensure Americans have access to doses in facilities just miles from their homes as per the plan are away.

“Here’s the deal: the more people we vaccinate, the faster we do it, the sooner we can save lives and leave this pandemic behind and get back to our lives and loved ones,” Biden said in a speech in Wilmington, Delaware. Thursday night. “We’re not going to come out overnight and we can’t do it as a separate nation.”

Drug chains and pharmacies should play a bigger role in distributing the vaccine once the government expanded access to more people. But the slower than expected rollout has frustrated pharmacy chains. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores earlier this week called on the federal government to allow states to send more doses directly to pharmacies than hospitals and health departments do.

The group estimated that the country’s retail pharmacies could deliver at least 100 million doses of vaccines each month, surpassing the incoming government’s promise of 100 million shots in 100 days.

The Biden administration said current vaccination efforts are insufficient to vaccinate the vast majority of the US population quickly and fairly, adding, “We need to make sure local people have what they need to get vaccinations to get into people’s arms. “

The pace of vaccination in the US is much slower than officials hoped. More than 31.1 million doses of vaccine had been distributed in the U.S. as of 6 a.m. ET Friday, but just over 12.2 million vaccinations had been given, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The cases are now increasing rapidly. The United States records at least 238,800 new Covid-19 cases and at least 3,310 virus-related deaths every day, based on a seven-day average calculated by CNBC using data from Johns Hopkins University.

“We are staying in a very dark winter,” said Biden during a speech on Friday. “Almost a year later, we are still a long way from going back to normal. The honest truth is, things get worse before they get better,” he said. He called the vaccine rollout in the US a “failure”.

According to the plan, Biden will also apply the Defense Production Act to “maximize vaccine production and vaccine supplies for the country.”

The new president’s advisors had previously indicated that he would be invoking the wartime manufacturing law, which allows the president to force companies to prioritize manufacturing for national security in order to bolster vaccine production.

“The policy changes we are going to make will take some time to show up in the Covid statistics. It’s not just statistics, it’s people’s lives,” Biden said on Friday.

The plan says the law will increase the supply of necessary equipment that could otherwise lead to bottlenecks in the introduction of the vaccine if that shortage exists, including vials, syringes, stoppers and needles. It will also increase the capacity to vial the vaccines.

Biden’s plan will also encourage states to open eligibility beyond health workers and residents and long-term care facility workers to include key frontline workers such as teachers, first responders, grocery store workers, and anyone age 65 and over.

The CDC issued new guidelines on Tuesday extending eligibility for coronavirus vaccines to anyone aged 65 and over, as well as those with comorbid conditions such as diabetes. About 53 million Americans aged 65 and over and 110 million people between the ages of 16 and 64 with comorbid conditions can now get the vaccine if every state adopts the guidelines, according to the CDC.

“It does not mean that everyone in these groups will be vaccinated immediately because the care is not where it needs to be,” wrote the transition team. “But it will mean that once vaccines are available, they will reach more people who need them.”

Biden said the government also plans to launch a public information campaign to “rebuild that confidence” as some polls indicate Americans are skeptical about getting a Covid-19 vaccine.

“We will help people understand what science is telling us. That the vaccines can reduce the risk of Covid infections and better protect our health and the health of our families and our communities,” said the president-elect.

“Our plan is as clear as it is brave,” he added. Let more people vaccinate for free, create more places to get vaccinated, mobilize more medical teams to get the shots in people’s arms, increase the supply and get it out the door ASAP . This will be one of the most challenging operations our country has ever undertaken, but you have my word. We’re going to make hell out of this operation. “

Lagen reveal his new smile after burying his notorious gold tooth

Locations

Plies has been a TSR zaddy since the days of Buss It Baby, but part of his appeal has always been in his golden teeth! The infamous Plies gold grill was a staple in his look as far as we can remember, but it looks like he’s had a change of heart for 2021.

Plies went to the Gramm on Thursday to tell the world that he removed his golden teeth and even held a memorial service for them. With a kitchen spoon he buried his old dependents right in his own backyard.

“Let’s all bow our heads,” he said during the service. “Heavenly Father for giving me those golden teeth. Made lots of money with them and ate some of the best nookies this world has ever seen. But moving forward is a different me. I don’t know what Imma is doing. The golden teeth are finally buried. “

Well, just a day later, Plies surprised us with a whole new smile and he really looks like a brand new man!

“I just showed my mother my new smile. She hugged me, started crying and said, “I finally have my baby back,” he signed the photo. “One of the proudest moments of my life, 2021, could become a full-time brand ambassador with this new smile. No coochie ate with it. It took me so long to post this picture because I was shy. Ladies how did I do? “

Do you feel the new pearly whites on Plies, roommate? Let us know in the comments!

Would you like updates directly in your text inbox? Contact us at 917-722-8057 or https://my.community.com/theshaderoom

Small companies welcome further assist in Biden’s Covid Aid Plan

A normally busy main street in Livingston, Montana after Governor Steve Bullock ordered restaurants, bars and theaters to close on March 20, 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

William Campbell | Corbis via Getty Images

As President-elect Joe Biden presents his comprehensive $ 1.9 trillion economic plan and response to the pandemic, small business advocates welcome additional help for a main drag that continues to be hammered by Covid.

Biden’s US bailout plan includes $ 15 billion in grants for the hardest hit businesses and $ 35 billion in funding programs for small businesses.

“An economy that is fully open and recovering relatively quickly will save countless businesses and jobs on Main Street and give new entrepreneurs the spark to start and stop new businesses,” said Karen Kerrigan, President and CEO of SBE Council , in a statement. She added that the small business recovery is an integral part of the macroeconomic recovery.

“It is clear that certain industries and areas of the country are harder hit than others and initiatives that focus on those sectors and communities will result in a more balanced recovery,” said Kerrigan.

The assistance provided by Biden would be on top of the current Paycheck Protection program, which reopened this week with new fraud protection and an emphasis on serving smaller businesses that may have missed help when the program was launched last year. Community lenders started offering first-time loans on Monday and PPP loans for the second drawing on Wednesday. The staggered opening continues on Friday for lenders with assets under $ 1 billion. It opens Tuesday for all other lenders.

At Sunrise Banks in St. Paul, Minnesota, demand for help from smaller businesses has been high since the program opened on Monday. CEO David Reiling praised the Small Business Administration’s decision to let community lenders take the lead in this round. The incoming requests for assistance are low, but show that micro and sole proprietorships are in need.

“The vast majority will be sole proprietorships and these loans will cost maybe a few thousand dollars. In some cases, our lowest value today was $ 250,” said Reiling.

In addition to helping small businesses, Biden’s proposal includes $ 1,400 direct payments to individuals, a national vaccination strategy, and a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour.

Biden’s call to more than double the current federal minimum wage met with both criticism and praise. Pew Research found that 67% of Americans are in favor of increasing their wages to $ 15 an hour.

The International Franchise Association was delighted with the vaccination strategy and helping businesses, but said the wage increase could be counterproductive.

“Our goal is to ensure that small businesses can continue to care for their communities and their employees. However, asking for some workers to more than double wages will hurt businesses in trouble and likely slow recovery,” said Matt Haller , IFA senior vice president of government and public affairs, in a press release.

Small business confidence fell in December as Covid-19 cases spiked and Main Street awaited the changing of the guard in DC. The monthly index of the National Federation of Independent Business fell 5.5 points to 95.9. It’s below the NFIB’s historical average of 98 as fewer small businesses expect sales to rise or the economy to improve over the next six months. In addition, there is still uncertainty for small business owners in the New Year.

“Concerns about economic policies in the new government and the increasing spread of Covid-19, which is leading to new government-mandated business closings, leave owners pessimistic about future conditions in the first half of 2021,” said chief economist William Dunkelberg.