WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to begin debate on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, after drafting a number of revisions that, among other changes, tweak the aid intended for state and local governments.The legislation approved in the House outlines $350 billion in direct aid to...
The Virginia Department of Health announced Thursday that a child in central Virginia died from COVID-19-related complications.It's the state's first COVID-19 death of a child under the age of 10.In September, the department reported that "an adolescent resident in the Southside Health District” — which includes Boydton, Lawrenceville, and...
For public health experts across Virginia, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was a more-than-welcome addition to the state’s weekly allocation.The one-dose shot boosted Virginia’s shipments by 69,000 this week, spurring a slew of new mass vaccination events. It doesn’t have the same cold storage requirements, making it easier to...
WASHINGTON — As Democrats seek to send President Joe Biden their latest $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, federal lawmakers remain deeply divided on the question of whether state and local governments need another infusion of federal aid.Supporters of the bill — including numerous Republican mayors — say the answer is a clear...
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is urging states to prioritize teachers for COVID-19 vaccines, setting a goal of ensuring that every pre-kindergarten through 12th grade educator, school staff member and childcare worker is able to receive at least one shot this month.At least 34 states and the District of...
I understand the wariness so many people harbor toward the new vaccines to fight the coronavirus. Some segments of the population, especially Black Americans, can point to a litany of egregious medical incidents over the decades, including sinister neglect, mistreatment and lack of consent for specific medical procedures.There could...
As the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic continue, the Virginia General Assembly has approved an extension of relief to customers of Dominion Energy, Virginia's largest utility, who are behind on their electric bills. Under a provision of the compromise budget released by the House of Delegates and Senate earlier...
Virginia’s frontline workers scored a victory on Saturday when the General Assembly nearly unanimously passed two bills making it easier for health care providers and first responders to claim workers’ compensation for contracting COVID-19 on the job.But the issue — a longstanding concern for workers throughout the pandemic —...
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on a nearly party-line vote passed President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic aid package early Saturday, in a rush to both boost COVID-19 vaccine funding and get legislation to the president’s desk before unemployment benefits expire in mid-March.The package, dubbed the American Rescue Plan, passed...
WASHINGTON — States struggling to provide enough COVID-19 vaccines are likely just a few days away from a pivotal development in the vaccination race: the availability of a shot that requires only one dose.The game-changing Johnson & Johnson vaccine would differ from the two current shots by Pfizer and...
