The Latest: More US airlines requiring employee vaccinations

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American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue are joining United Airlines successful requiring employees to beryllium vaccinated against COVID-19, arsenic the Biden medication steps up unit connected large U.S. carriers to necessitate the shots.

The airlines supply peculiar flights, cargo hauling and different services for the government. The companies accidental that makes them authorities contractors who are covered by President Joe Biden’s bid directing contractors to necessitate that employees beryllium vaccinated.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told employees precocious Friday that the hose is inactive moving connected details, but “it is wide that squad members who take to stay unvaccinated volition not beryllium capable to enactment astatine American Airlines.”

The aviator national astatine American precocious estimated that 4,200 — oregon 30% — of the airline’s pilots are not vaccinated.

Earlier, White House coronavirus advisor Jeffrey Zients talked to the CEOs of American, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines astir vaccine mandates.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— California to necessitate schoolhouse children get vaccines, erstwhile property approved

— Merck says experimental pill cuts effects of COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths

— Justice Kavanaugh tests positive for virus, has nary symptoms

— Foundations aim to persuade Americans to get vaccinated

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See each of AP's pandemic sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

DENVER — At slightest 92% of Denver’s municipal employees were vaccinated against COVID-19 arsenic of Friday, a time aft the city’s vaccine mandate took effect successful a bid to dilatory the dispersed of the microorganism during the autumn and winter, according to a reappraisal of metropolis compliance data.

The worker vaccination complaint is higher than Denver’s latest wide vaccination complaint of 76% and the statewide complaint of 70%.

Employees were required to either beryllium they were vaccinated oregon get an exemption to the mandate by the extremity of Thursday oregon look imaginable termination.

According to metropolis data, 98.6% of its existent 10,869 full-time employees complied with the mandate, either by being vaccinated oregon receiving an exemption. So far, 652 workers person been exempted, astir 6% of the workforce, portion different 14 exemption requests were inactive pending.

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HARTFORD, Conn. - A retired Connecticut doc and surgeon voluntarily surrendered her licence to signifier medicine connected Friday to the Department of Public Health aft being accused of providing fraudulent aesculapian exemption forms done the mail.

Dr. Sue Mcintosh had her licence suspended past week by the Connecticut Medical Examining Board during an exigency hearing. A afloat proceeding connected the merits of the lawsuit was scheduled for Oct. 5.

State officials, who had received an anonymous ailment astir the doctor, allege Mcintosh provided an chartless fig of blank, signed forms exempting radical from the COVID-19 and different vaccines, arsenic good arsenic mandatory mask-wearing and regular COVID investigating to radical who sent her a self-addressed envelope. Mcintosh, who hadn’t treated the patients, signed a missive included successful the packet of bogus forms with the operation “Let state ring!”

Mcintosh did not respond to a petition for comment.

Christopher Boyle, a spokesperson for DPH, said bureau officials are considering whether to notation the lawsuit to authorities and national instrumentality enforcement entities.

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MINNEAPOLIS — A diminution successful COVID-19 cases crossed the United States implicit the past respective weeks has fixed overwhelmed hospitals immoderate relief, but administrators are bracing for yet different imaginable surge arsenic acold upwind drives radical indoors.

Health experts accidental the 4th question of the pandemic has peaked wide successful the U.S., peculiarly successful the Deep South, wherever hospitals were stretched to the bounds weeks ago. But galore Northern states are inactive struggling with rising cases, and what’s up for wintertime is acold little clear.

Unknowns see however flu play whitethorn strain already depleted infirmary staffs and whether those who person refused to get vaccinated volition alteration their minds.

An estimated 70 cardinal eligible Americans stay unvaccinated, providing kindling for the highly contagious delta variant.

“If you’re not vaccinated oregon person extortion from earthy infection, this microorganism volition find you,” warned Mike Osterholm, manager of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

Nationwide, the fig of radical present successful the infirmary with COVID-19 has fallen to determination astir 75,000 from implicit 93,000 successful aboriginal September. New cases are connected the downswing astatine astir 112,000 per time connected average, a driblet of astir one-third implicit the past 2 1/2 weeks.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Amid a nationalist statement implicit the usage of pandemic alleviation funds, Alabama lawmakers swiftly approved a program Friday to pat $400 cardinal from the American Rescue Plan to assistance physique 2 super-size prisons, brushing disconnected disapproval from legislature Democrats that the wealth was not intended for specified projects.

In a bipartisan ballot that brought fewer dissents, the Alabama Senate voted 29-2 to o.k. the $1.3 cardinal situation operation plan, and 30-1 to steer $400 cardinal of the state’s $2.1 cardinal from the rescue funds to wage for it.

With legislative leaders lasting down her, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bills into law. Republican Sen. Greg Albritton said authorities officials are assured they tin legally usage the pandemic funds, and said the operation to regenerate galore existing prisons volition “go a agelong way” to addressing the state’s longstanding problems successful prisons.

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PHOENIX — Arizona’s reported COVID-19 decease toll has passed the grim milestone of 20,000 amid the state’s 3rd microorganism surge.

The latest surge has started easing but continues to strain hospitals. The authorities reported 55 further deaths arsenic good arsenic implicit 3,600 further confirmed cases Friday. That increases the pandemic totals to 20,039 deaths and astir 1.1 cardinal cases.

Arizona presently is 11th highest among states successful the fig of COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began, and sixth successful the fig of deaths per 100,000 population.

The existent surge has seen the state’s infirmary strategy burdened again with ample numbers of patients. More than 1,750 COVID-19 patients occupied infirmary beds arsenic of Thursday.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A highly contentious statement implicit a projected disguise mandate for Alaska’s largest metropolis that has included Holocaust imagery and a cheery slur volition proceed adjacent week connected Monday.

Mayor David Bronson opposes the disguise mandate and apologized Thursday for his comments supporting immoderate residents’ usage of Holocaust imagery, similar wearing yellowish Stars of David, to liken the projected mandate to the oppression of Jewish radical successful Nazi Germany.

The Anchorage Daily News reports Bronson besides called for radical connected some sides of the contented to beryllium much civil. Four radical astatine Wednesday’s gathering were arrested, including a antheral who called the assembly’s vice chair, Chris Constant, a homophobic slur.

“I didn’t basal up and talk successful your defense. And I apologize for doing that. Quite frankly, I was caught disconnected guard. And past helium was gone earlier I gathered my thoughts, and I apologize for not speaking up. What was said was intolerable.” Bronson said.

Constant said helium wasn’t amazed with the slur.

“The portion that successful information shocked maine to soundlessness was erstwhile astir 200 radical cheered zealously. That was the portion that zinged maine and truly took my enactment distant for a minute,” helium said.

Constant added: “What we person to bash is fig retired however together, we tin beryllium better. And that is not a that-tribe-versus-that-tribe issue. That is simply a assemblage contented successful Anchorage, and this infinitesimal is an accidental for america to determination done this to a amended place.”

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HONOLULU — Hawaii authorities arrested 2 radical from California for submitting fake COVID-19 trial results to debar a mandatory traveler quarantine meant to curb the virus’ dispersed successful the islands.

A 34-year-old antheral and a 33-year-old pistillate uploaded falsified antagonistic trial results into the Hawaii Safe Travels portal and arrived successful Lihue connected an American Airlines formation from Los Angeles earlier this week, Kauai constabulary said.

After they were arrested, they were released pending probe and caught a formation backmost to Los Angeles.

They couldn’t instantly beryllium reached for remark Friday.

Travelers entering Hawaii indispensable quarantine for 10 days unless they person been afloat vaccinated successful the United States oregon trial antagonistic for COVID-19 earlier departing for the islands.

Hawaii authorities person been arresting radical who interruption question rules, including a pistillate from Illinois investigators said uploaded a fake vaccination paper that misspelled Moderna arsenic “Maderna.”

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WASHINGTON — U.S. wellness officials are preparing to see much COVID-19 vaccine boosters for adults and the archetypal vaccine shots for children younger than 12.

The Food and Drug Administration said its sheet of extracurricular vaccine experts volition conscionable Oct. 14 and 15 to see whether to urge booster doses for adults who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The FDA is not required to travel the panel’s advice, though it often does.

If the FDA authorizes 3rd doses of the vaccines a abstracted sheet of advisers to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention volition marque circumstantial recommendations connected who should get them.

The FDA and CDC signed disconnected connected booster shots of Pfizer’s vaccine past period for cardinal Americans who look higher risks from COVID-19.

Additionally, the sheet volition perceive presentations connected the information and effectiveness of mixing antithetic vaccine brands erstwhile giving booster shots.

The FDA besides acceptable an Oct. 26 sheet gathering to see Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines for children 5 to 11 years old. Currently the vaccine is authorized for children 12 and older.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s bureau says much than $443 cardinal successful exigency rental assistance has been paid connected behalf of 49,100 authorities households done the Illinois Rental Payment Program.

It provides up to $25,000 successful exigency rental assistance to screen up to 12 months of past owed rent and up to 3 months of aboriginal rent payments for tenants suffering a fiscal hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Payments are made straight to the landlord connected behalf of the tenant, but lone if the landlord doesn’t prosecute eviction.

“Having a extortion implicit your caput is the instauration of a thriving life,” Pritzker said Friday successful a release, “and Illinois is fiercely combatting the pandemic’s destabilizing effects connected that instauration by keeping our residents connected their feet.”

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SAN FRANCISCO — California has announced the nation’s archetypal coronavirus vaccine mandate for schoolhouse children.

Gov. Gavin Newsom says the mandate won’t instrumentality effect until the COVID-19 vaccine has received last support from the U.S. authorities for assorted people levels.

The authorities has fixed last support for the vaccine for anyone 16 and older. Once last support comes for anyone 12 and older, the authorities volition mandate vaccines for students successful seventh done 12th grades.

The authorities volition mandate the vaccine successful kindergarten done sixth grades erstwhile the national authorities gives last support for anyone 5 and older.

The state’s vaccine mandate would instrumentality effect the semester aft the national authorities grants last approval. If it comes successful January, past the mandate would instrumentality effect successful July.

Students would beryllium granted spiritual and aesculapian exemptions, but the rules for however the authorities would use those exemptions person not been written yet.

In August, California became the archetypal authorities successful the U.S. to necessitate each teachers and unit successful K-12 nationalist and backstage schools to get vaccinated oregon acquisition play COVID-19 testing. Newsom besides issued a schoolhouse disguise mandate this summertime for indoor classes that applies to each teachers and students.

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NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana’s largest wellness strategy is ratcheting up unit to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate reports Ochsner Health told employees it volition complaint a monthly premium of $200 if a spouse oregon home spouse covered nether an Ochsner wellness program is not vaccinated. Ochsner has antecedently acceptable an Oct. 29 deadline for each employees to beryllium vaccinated.

President and CEO Warner Thomas says the surcharge is portion of an effort to support wellness premiums debased for employees. As a self-insured organization, Ochsner bears the outgo of COVID-19 attraction for patients who are connected its security plan.

“We spent much than $9 cardinal connected COVID attraction for those who are covered connected our wellness plans implicit the past year,” Thomas told The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate successful an emailed statement, which included intensive diligent care.

Thomas says the surcharge doesn’t magnitude to a mandate due to the fact that employees’ spouses and partners tin take different security coverage. The spouses and partners tin besides use for an exemption connected aesculapian oregon spiritual grounds.

More than 2.1 cardinal radical successful Louisiana are afloat vaccinated against COVID-19, astir 45% of the state’s population, according to wellness section data.

The authorities reported 872 coronavirus cases and 49 confirmed deaths connected Thursday. Louisiana has registered a full of 740,533 cases and 13,949 deaths.

(This point has been corrected to amusement Louisiana has afloat vaccinated 45% of population, not 56%.)

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WASHINGTON — Biden medication officials accidental a caller pill that could supply an easier, effectual mode to dainty COVID 19 is bully news, portion adding vaccination remains the cardinal to controlling the pandemic.

Officials astatine drugmaker Merck accidental they’ll soon question regulatory support for the experimental pill, which reduced hospitalizations and deaths by fractional successful radical precocious infected with the coronavirus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci calls it “very bully news” and Merck’s information connected its medicine “impressive.”

White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients says vaccination volition stay the government’s main strategy for controlling the pandemic.

“We privation to forestall infections, not conscionable hold to dainty them erstwhile they happen,” says Zients astatine the briefing connected Friday.

If it’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the authorities has contracted to bargain 1.7 cardinal doses of Merck’s medication.

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