A confirmation hearing was held Thursday for Dr. Rachel Levine, President Joe Biden's pick to serve as assistant health secretary, who would make history as the first out transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate.
Pennsylvania’s Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said in a press release on February 12 that only four groups are allowed to handle distribution of Covid-19 vaccines going forward: hospitals, federally qualified health centers, county health departments, and pharmacies in effect shutting out primary care doctors from Covid-19 vaccine distribution.
Monday, February 15, 2021
Since inauguration, the Biden Administration has used Executive Orders, guidance and regulations, and cabinet nominations to make clear that LGBTQ+ protections are a top policy priority. In the January 26, 2021, press briefing, Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice stated that “[e]very agency will place equity at the core of their public engagement, their policy design, and program delivery to ensure that government resources are reaching Americans of color and all marginalized communities rural, urban, disabled, LGBTQ+, religious minorities, and so many others.” The following is a summary of President Biden’s early actions impacting the LGBTQ+ Community.
On December 16, 2020, President Biden formally nominated Pete Buttigieg to be his Transportation Secretary. Pete Buttigieg was confirmed with an 86-13 final vote, making him the first openly gay man to be confirmed by the Senate as a Cabinet member and one of the youngest cabinet members i
Biden will repeal 2017 ban on transgender people enlisting in the military as soon as Monday - the latest effort by his administration to roll back many of Trump s policies
President Joe Biden is poised to repeal Donald Trump s ban on transgender people enlisting in the US military, a person familiar with the matter said
The source claimed that the president could lift the ban as soon as Monday
Plan marks latest effort by Biden administration to roll back Trump s policies
Trump announced the ban in July 2017, reversing a landmark decision by Barack Obama, which allowed transgender people to serve openly
Nearly all Pa. counties show substantial spread of COVID-19, positive test rate drops for 6th week
Updated Jan 25, 2021;
The state’s rate of positive tests for COVID-19 continues to decline and for the first time in seven weeks, not all of the state’s counties show a substantial spread of the virus, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Monday.
The state’s positive test rate for the coronavirus fell to 10.5% during the week of Jan. 15-21, down from 12.7% during the previous week. The positive test rate has now dropped for six
consecutive weeks after reaching a high of 16.2% in December.