Gracias por SEGUIRNOS, este artículo contiene la revista digital de HOUSTON de ¡Que Onda Magazine! De fecha 17 de diciembre – 23 de diciembre / 2020
Publicación 1186 de SAN ANTONIO – Revista Digital 17 de diciembre – 23 de diciembre / 2020
Gracias por SEGUIRNOS, este artículo contiene la revista digital de SAN ANTONIO de ¡Que Onda Magazine! De fecha 17 de diciembre – 23 de diciembre / 2020
Coronavirus updates in Central Texas, Dec. 16
Here are the latest COVID-19 updates, closures, and postponements in Central Texas for Wednesday, Dec. 16.
COVID-19 numbers:
- Texas: More than 1.3 million cases have been reported in the state, and more than 23,900 people in Texas have died, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
- Central Texas counties:
- Travis County: At least 43,836 cases have been reported and at least 511 people have died. At least 39,527 people have recovered from the virus.
- Hays County: At least 8,569 confirmed cases have been reported and at least 113 people have died. At least 7,253 people have recovered from the virus.
- Williamson County: At least 16,693 cases have been reported in the county and at least 182 people have died. At least 15,350 people have recovered from the virus.
Biden says deal close on new coronavirus relief bill
It’s been a lively morning in US political news as we await agreement on a deal for a new round of coronavirus economic relief legislation on Capitol Hill
Here’s what’s occurred so far today:
- Joe Biden said it seems coronavirus stimulus negotiators are “very, very close” to reaching a deal and that the new coronavirus economic relief package looks “encouraging”. He added that the bill would be a “down payment” to “what’s going to have to be done” when he enters office in January.
- Biden and his vice-president-elect, Kamala Harris, presented Pete Buttigieg as the incoming administration’s nominee to become transportation secretary. Biden described Buttigieg, who ran for the party nomination eventually won by Biden, as a policy wonk with a big heart and would be the first openly gay cabinet member in US history to be confirmed (assuming that happens) by the Senate.
- The outgoing secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, is in quarantine after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. Pompeo’s most recent test showed he was negative for Covid-19.
- After months of roller-coaster negotiations, it looks as though a new, compromise coronavirus economic relief bill is close to agreement on Capitol Hill.
Mitch McConnell congratulates Joe Biden on US election victory
Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s top Republican, has congratulated Joe Biden on winning the US presidential election, making him the highest-ranking Republican yet to break with Donald Trump, who has refused to concede. Mr. McConnell, the Republican majority leader in the Senate, said on Tuesday that the US “has officially a president-elect and a vice-president-elect” following a meeting of the Electoral College on Monday. “Many of us hoped that the presidential election would yield a different result, but our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on January 20,” added Mr. McConnell, a senator from Kentucky. Mr. Biden later told reporters that he had called Mr. McConnell to thank him for his congratulations. The president-elect said the two had a “good conversation”. Monday’s Electoral College confirmation of Mr. Biden’s victory also prompted congratulations from several world leaders who had held off on acknowledging the election result, including presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, and Mexico’s Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday a telegram had been sent wishing Mr. Biden “the utmost success” and hoping that Moscow and Washington could “really help to solve many problems and challenges that the world is encountering now, despite their differences”. “For my part, I am prepared for interaction and contact with you,” the Kremlin quoted Mr. Putin as writing. Mr. López Obrador praised Mr. Biden’s more liberal stance on immigration and said he hoped the two leaders could speak soon.
Recommended Courtney Weaver A changed US Senate awaits Joe Biden “We are certain that with you as US president, it will be possible to continue applying the basic foreign policy principles enshrined in our constitution, especially non-intervention,” Mr. López Obrador said. Mexico’s congress is weighing two bills that critics say could complicate co-operation between the countries on security and finance. Mr. Bolsonaro, a rightwing populist who forged a close personal relationship with Mr. Trump, said in a statement on Tuesday that he “will be ready to work with the new government and continue to build the Brazil-US alliance, in defense of sovereignty, democracy, and freedom around the world”. Since the US election on November 3, most Republican lawmakers in Washington have hesitated to contradict Mr. Trump, who has claimed, without evidence, that the vote was rife with fraud.
But late on Monday, senior Republicans, including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, acknowledged Mr. Biden was the president-elect after the former vice-president officially received 306 electoral votes, to Mr. Trump’s 232. Under the US constitution, the president and vice-president are officially selected not by the popular vote but by the Electoral College. The system allocates a number of electors equal to a state’s total congressional delegation, which is in turn determined by the census. Chuck Schumer, Mr. McConnell’s Democratic counterpart in the Senate, urged Mr. Trump to “take his cue from Leader McConnell that it’s time to end his term with a modicum of grace and dignity, qualities that his predecessors took great pains to display during our grand tradition of a peaceful transfer of power.” Mr. Trump has not directly commented on Monday’s Electoral College vote.
However, on Tuesday morning he retweeted several messages calling into question the election result, including one supporter saying Mr. Trump was the “rightful president and winner” and another saying that Republicans Brian Kemp and Brad Raffensperger in Georgia would “soon be going to jail” for failing to overturn the election result there. Mr. Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the southern state in almost three decades. US presidential election 2020: You tell us How do you feel now the election is over? Are you happy with the winner? Do you feel the election process was fair? How do you see the outlook for America? Do you feel positive about the incoming president or uncertain? Share your thoughts with us. Mr. McConnell on Tuesday called Mr. Biden, a longtime senator who later served as Barack Obama’s second-in-command, as “no stranger to the Senate”.
Mr. McConnell stands to be a thorn in the side of the Biden administration if Democrats are unable to win two Senate run-offs in Georgia next month, which would allow the party to reclaim control of the upper chamber of Congress. Mr. Biden has insisted that he will work across the political aisle to strike compromises and said late on Monday that he had already spoken with a number of his former Republican colleagues in the Senate. Plans are already underway for Mr. Biden’s inauguration on January 20. However, his inauguration committee has said events will be scaled back in light of the Covid-19 pandemic — while Mr. Biden and Kamala Harris, the vice-president-elect, will be sworn in on the steps of the Capitol building, the traditional inauguration parade will be “reimagined”.
Winter storm takes aim at Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston
More than 60 million Americans are under winter storm advisories, watches, and warnings, from northern Georgia to New England, as a powerful nor’easter takes aim at the East Coast.
The storm is forecast to strike most of the eastern coast Wednesday into Thursday, and several feet of snow and heavy ice could cause power outages throughout the region.
Boston and New York could see as much as a foot of snow, while parts of the tri-state area could see up to 16 inches.
“Confidence is high that this winter storm will result in significant impacts, including travel disruptions and power outages across much of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England,” the Weather Prediction Center said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed a disaster emergency proclamation as the state prepares for the first big storm of the winter. In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that residents need to prepared for what could be the biggest storm in several years.
Wind gusts as strong as 50 mph could also hit the coast of New England, according to the National Weather Service in Boston.
Storm trajectory
The storm system is moving out of the Rockies through Tuesday, bringing snow into the southern Plains before meeting cooler air farther east.
Freezing rain will fall along Interstate 80 and in the mountains of Virginia, with ice accumulation of more than a quarter of an inch possible in Roanoke and Charlottesville, and west to Beckley, West Virginia.
A mixture of precipitation will stretch from North Carolina to Pennsylvania, with heavy snow throughout the tri-state area and New England maps from the Weather Prediction Center show.
Lighter snow accumulations from Indiana to New Hampshire are expected by Wednesday, the center said.
Blustery wind conditions will also be a concern, with some areas, especially along the coast, coming close to blizzard conditions. Sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph are possible, with gusts as high as 45 mph at times.
Here’s a list of how the Moderna & Pfizer vaccines compare
Health experts are on the verge of possibly having two COVID-19 vaccines and ABC13 has learned how the two compare.
According to the FDA, it was 94.1% effective in preventing symptomatic cases. The Pfizer vaccine has claimed a 95% effectiveness.
Both vaccines require two doses, however. For those receiving the Pfizer vaccine, the second dose is administered 21 days after the first. Moderna’s second dose is administered 28 days after the first.
They both also developed the messenger RNA, a new type of vaccine that creates a blueprint for those essential antibodies, without actually infecting people with COVID-19.
They differ once again in how they are stored.
Pfizer’s needs to be stored at 94 degrees below zero. After it thaws, it can be stored in a normal fridge for five days.
Moderna’s vaccine still needs to be kept cold, but rather at a standard freezer temperature, negative four degrees. After it thaws, it can be refrigerated for 30 days.
Pfizer’s vaccine was authorized for people ages 16 and up. Moderna is still seeking authorization for people 18 and older.
The side effects seem to be the biggest thing on people’s minds. So far minor temporary side effects like tiredness and headache have been reported by the CDC.
Here’s a full list of possible side effects that both vaccines can have on people:
- Pain at the site of injection
- Headache
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Chills
- Muscle and joint pain
The difference is that the Moderna vaccine’s side effects were found to be more common after the second dose. Either way, health experts said people may want to consider taking the day off work after getting the second shot.
There are still some areas we need to learn more about. For example, how the vaccine works in children and in pregnant women. Many are also wondering if you can choose which vaccine to get.
Dr. Jill Weatherhead said it’s very unlikely people will get to choose which vaccine they get because it’ll depend on which is available in their area.
Vaccines must not be mixed and matched.
On Tuesday, the first Houston nurses and doctors received a card showing which vaccine they took. Others are likely to get something similar, so it can be presented when receiving the second dose.
U.S. quarantines Pfizer vaccine shipments in California and Alabama after transit ‘anomaly’ left vials too cold
U.S. officials said Wednesday they quarantined several thousand doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine in California and Alabama this week after an “anomaly” in the transportation process caused the storage temperature to get too cold.
Pfizer’s vaccine, which was developed with German drugmaker BioNTech, requires a storage temperature of around minus 70 degrees Celsius. Vials of the vaccine are stored in trays, which carry a minimum of 975 doses each, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gen. Gustave Perna, who oversees logistics for President Donald Trump’s vaccine program Operation Warp Speed, told reporters that two trays of vaccine that arrived at two separate locations in California had to be returned to Pfizer after the temperature somehow fell to minus 92 degrees Celsius.
The vaccine “never left the truck,” he said during a press briefing Wednesday. “We returned them immediately back to Pfizer and we sent immediate shipments to replace those two trays. We’re working with the FDA now, CDC, FDA, and Pfizer to determine if that anomaly is safe or not, but we’re taking no chances and we can see that.”
He said the “anomaly” happened again in Alabama.
“All the way on the other side of the country in Alabama, two trays were received at one location. The same anomaly went to minus 92. We were able to stop and quarantine the vaccine, stop and get a replacement shipment to Alabama,” he said.
It’s unclear what caused the storage temperature to fall. Pfizer didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Americans began receiving some of the first shots of Pfizer’s vaccine on Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s vaccine Friday. Officials and medical experts had already acknowledged that Pfizer’s vaccine would present some new logistical challenge as it has to be stored at ultracold temperatures.
“We’re talking super cold. It’s completely unprecedented,” Soumi Saha, a pharmacist and vice president of advocacy for Premier, a consulting firm that works with thousands of hospitals and nursing homes.
She said it was “completely new territory” for health systems. “And so this is a brand new logistical challenge in order to distribute this vaccine and get it to the right place and to do so while maintaining the integrity of the product,” she said.
During the briefing, Perna said vaccine deliveries in the U.S. remain on track, with another 886 deliveries expected to be shipped across the nation Thursday. The federal government delivered 2.9 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine this week. Next week, the government plans to ship an additional 2 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine as well as 5.9 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine if cleared by the FDA, Perna said.
The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, an outside group of medical experts that advises the agency, votes on whether to recommend Moderna’s vaccine for emergency use on Thursday. A favorable vote from the committee will likely clear the path for Moderna’s vaccine to become the second one approved for use in the U.S. behind Pfizer’s. FDA clearance could come as early as Friday.
“It’s about a steady cadence of deliveries to the American people,” Perna said.
Moderna COVID vaccine to be considered for emergency use authorization by FDA in America
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is the next to be considered for emergency use authorization in the United States after the vaccine by Pfizer and BioNTech was approved last week.
Shipments of a second vaccine are likely to coming soon as the FDA gives authorization for the Moderna vaccine.
“The FDA found no serious safety concerns with the Moderna vaccine and affirmed its 95% efficacy,” Gov. JB Pritzker said.
Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are similar in terms of dosage. Both vaccines require two doses with three weeks in between for Pfizer and four weeks for Moderna. However, they differ in storage. Moderna does not require extremely low temperatures. It is likely that the Pfizer vaccine stays at hospitals when it comes to distribution.
“Using that to vaccinate healthcare workers makes more sense than taking that to the long-term care facilities, so it might be that Moderna is used more for that upfront than the Pfizer vaccine,” said Dr. Stephen Schrantz, University of Chicago Medicine.
Moderna has yet to reveal details about its vaccine and distribution plan. Unlike Pfizer, Moderna is a small company that will work with outside contractors.
“The whole distribution plan with Moderna is very different from Pfizer because essentially there is a company called McKesson that is going to handle the entire distribution of the vaccine,” said Hani Mahmassani, director of Northwestern University Transportation.
When Moderna arrives at its destination points, handling the vaccine will be easier than Pfizer due to the less extreme temperature requirements, according to Professor Mahmassani. The Moderna vaccine will be coming from the East Coast instead of Michigan and Wisconsin, where the Pfizer vaccine is located, Mahmassani added.
“From day one, when people ask me, ‘What can go wrong?’ I said, ‘Weather,'” Mahmassani said.
The vaccine will likely not be from Moderna or Pfizer by the time most people get the vaccine. Experts said there will likely be another vaccine in the pipeline that requires one dose and regular refrigeration.
Two Texas universities receive multimillion-dollar donations from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
Two Texas A&M System universities that predominantly serve students of color have received multimillion-dollar donations from writer and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
Prairie View A&M University, a historically Black university, received a $50 million donation, and Texas A&M International University in Laredo, which primarily serves Hispanic students, received $40 million. Both gifts are the largest in each university’s history.
The universities can use the money for whatever they like. At Prairie View, a historically Black university, school leaders have chosen to allocate $10 million to juniors and seniors who had dealt with financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rest of the money will go toward other university initiatives, including faculty development and recruiting academic improvements and scholarships.
“This is a historic gift for Prairie View, coming at a time when the University had already decided and begun to invest heavily in key areas to strengthen its academic programs and improve student success,” President Ruth Simmons said in a statement. “The timing of this gift could therefore not be better.”
In a statement, Texas A&M International leaders said they are still creating a plan to maximize the gift.
“In the New Year, we will convene to map out a brighter future for TAMIU. In this time of such tremendous adversity and challenge, we hope that this news will continue to inspire hope and appreciation for the power of giving and kindness to change the world,” President Pablo Arenaz said.
The donation increases Prairie View’s endowment by nearly 40% to almost $130 million, making it one of the largest endowments at any historically Black college or university.
Last month, Prairie View received a $10 million donation from an anonymous donor to help students impacted by the pandemic.
Scott, who is the former wife of Amazon CEO and billionaire Jeff Bezos, also donated $50 million to Morgan State University, a historically Black college in Maryland.
According to an announcement Scott made on Medium, she has given away $4 billion dollars in the past four months.
“This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling,” she wrote. “Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of color, and for people living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.”
At least four other HBCUs received multimillion-dollar donations from Scott earlier this year.
