With the already staggering coronavirus case and death toll expected to climb further in the US following Thanksgiving, there’s at least more good news on the vaccine front. The biotech firm Moderna released the final results of its 30,000-person vaccine trial in a press release Monday, reporting a 94.1 percent rate of efficacy. The finding…
Belfast venue confirmed for Antrim-Cavan game as Ulster SFC fixtures released
CORRIGAN PARK IN Belfast will host Antrim’s Ulster senior football championship tie against Cavan in April. There had been uncertainty over Antrim retaining home advantage after a motion from Cavan to move the game was passed last week. There was concerns due to the limited capacity of under 4,000 at the Belfast vene, which can…
Why Trump taking credit for the Covid-19 vaccines could be a good thing
Donald Trump clearly wants credit for the recent successes of the Covid-19 vaccines US companies are developing. “I came up with vaccines that people didn’t think we’d have for five years,” he said on Fox News Sunday. He’s now apparently not only taking credit for his administration’s Operation Warp Speed, which has pumped billions in…
Joe Biden should do everything at once
Joe Biden will become the US president during an extraordinary moment in history, one that could very well prove to be the calm before the storm, a brief prelude to dissolution and illiberalism. Trump’s bid to become a full-on authoritarian failed, but Democrats could easily lose the House in a 2022 backlash. Biden could face…
“The stakes are life and death”: Addiction treatment’s Covid-19 challenge
When the Covid-19 pandemic forced much of the US to lock down in the spring of 2020, officials and experts worried the necessary social distancing measures would make another public health crisis — the opioid epidemic — worse. Addiction treatment is traditionally done in person, and restrictions on gatherings and closed businesses would make it…
Who will get the Covid-19 vaccine first? A CDC advisory panel just weighed in.
With two Covid-19 vaccine candidates expected to be approved for the US market in the coming weeks, a group of experts met Tuesday to advise on which Americans should be immunized first. In a 13-1 vote, they put health care personnel and staff and residents of long-term care facilities at the front of the line….
GPA chief insists ‘false’ to suggest they ‘would be happy to allow over training’
THE GPA HAVE released a detailed statement this evening as the dispute with the GAA over player expenses continues. Written by Wexford hurler and GPA National Executive Committee Co-Chair Matthew O’Hanlon, the GPA chief insists it is false to suggest that the group would be happy to allow over training continue. The statement also questions…
The rise in murders in the US, explained
As if the Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t bad enough, America is also seeing a surge in homicides this year. A new report, by the Council on Criminal Justice, found homicides have increased sharply this year across 21 US cities with relevant data: “Homicide rates increased by 42% during the summer and 34% in the fall over…
The UK is the first country to grant emergency approval to Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine
The United Kingdom on Wednesday granted temporary authorization for emergency use of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech to adults age 16 and older, with the first 800,000 doses of the two-dose vaccine slated to be offered in the country next week. This makes the UK the first country to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech…
Why the CDC changed its Covid-19 quarantine guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested on Wednesday that some people who have been exposed to Covid-19 can quarantine for less than two weeks. The agency said a 14-day quarantine, in which people stay home and avoid interacting with others, is still the safest option if they come into close contact — within…