A long road lies ahead of Joe Biden as he decides how to address the COVID pandemic.
USA TODAY
Opinion columnists
The USA TODAY Opinion section asked members of our Board of Contributors, What is the most important step Joe Biden can immediately take to address COVID?
Stand firm and lead
Biden pandemic relief package is a strong starting point signaling that his administration plans to do not only what it can but what is necessary to curb this crisis. He also has to send a strong signal to Congress and the nation that these vital solutions won’t be politicized or picked apart, holding firm on his proposal and bringing along every Democrat and maybe even some Republicans in support. The last president divided us while exploiting and exacerbating the virus of political motives. This president can indeed unite us around our common suffering and competent solutions if he stands firm and leads.
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Suppose Smokey the Bear were to go on a tear and start setting forest fires instead of putting them out. That roughly describes the behavior of certain cells of our immune system that become increasingly irascible as we grow older. Instead of stamping out embers, they stoke the flames of chronic inflammation.
Biologists have long theorized that reducing this inflammation could slow the aging process and delay the onset of age-associated conditions, such as heart disease, Alzheimer s disease, cancer and frailty, and perhaps even forestall the gradual loss of mental acuity that happens to nearly everyone.
Yet the question of what, exactly, causes particular cells of the immune system to kick into inflammatory overdrive has lacked a definitive answer.
Residents at Channing House, a senior independent living and long-term care center, say vaccines are the first step in bringing back a sense of normalcy.
Few health care providers are going that far, however. Kaiser, which previously announced it was making the vaccines available to a limited number of people 65 years and older, has now scaled back to those who are age 75 and older, Smith said.
County leaders said they will soon be opening a mass-vaccination center at the Mountain View Community Center, which will soon be taking appointments, but once again, it isn t open to patients with primary care physicians. Patients of county medical centers should receive their vaccines through their providers.
When it comes to protecting against the novel coronavirus, are two face masks better than one?
While face masks have proven to tamp down on droplet spread, including harmful, virus-laden particles, questions remain if doubling up on masks could boost protection, with several experts chiming into the debate.
Those who spoke to Fox News said there’s little to no evidence to sway the issue in either direction, though some may disagree. There are no data to support (or refute) the idea that wearing two face masks would provide more protection against coronavirus, Dr. Dean Winslow, infectious disease expert at Stanford Health Care, wrote in an email.
Allergic reactions to Moderna vaccine batch cause a pause from health officials
Allergic reactions to Moderna vaccine batch cause a pause from health officials
California has stopped administering one batch of the Moderna vaccine after state officials say a higher-than-usual number of possible allergic reactions were reported in Southern California.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - California has stopped administering one batch of the Moderna vaccine after state officials say a higher-than-usual number of possible allergic reactions were reported in Southern California.
The incidents happened at a mass drive-through vaccination site at Petco Park in San Diego.
The state didn t provide an exact number but said fewer than 10 individuals required medical attention in one day.