FDA Final Approval
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for people aged 16 and up. Previously the vaccine had been authorized for emergency use.
President Joe Biden: “While all three COVID vaccines have met FDA’s strict standards for emergency use, this FDA approval should give added confidence that this vaccine is safe and effective. ”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) demanded that the FDA not give final approval to COVID vaccines.
Notable Infections
Rev. Jessie Jackson and his wife Jacqueline tested positive for coronavirus. They were both vaccinated in January 2021.
Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel tested positive for coronavirus.
Vaccine Mandates
After the FDA approval, the US Department of Defense said they were preparing a vaccine mandate for members of the US military.
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said businesses and universities were likely to enact more vaccine mandates after the FDA gives full approval to a COVID vaccine.
A study from Peterson-KFF found that a spike in hospitalizations for unvaccinated Americans in June and July 2021 cost the health care system more than $2 billion.
Conservatives And Vaccine
At a rally in Alabama, Donald Trump suggested that his supporters should get a COVID-19 vaccine and they booed him in response.
Ivermectine Usage
The FDA issued a warning, telling people not to take Ivermectine, a livestock drug, as a treatment for coronavirus. The medicine is designed for use by horses and cows. “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it,” the FDA tweeted.
Calls to Mississippi’s poison control center increased after people took the treatment.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow criticized hosts on Fox News for promoting the use of Ivermectine.
Anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson, who spoke at the 2020 Republican convention, promoted the use of Ivermectine despite the possible side effects.
Florida
Five police officers from South Florida died from COVID-19 in a single week.
Doctors in South Florida staged a walk out in protest of unvaccinated people causing a surge in coronavirus.
Mississippi
Mississippi ordered people who tested positive for coronavirus to isolate or face a possible 5 years in prison.
New York
Two judges ordered defendants in court cases before them to take a COVID vaccine shot.
New York City announced that all education staff, including teachers and principals, are required to get the COVID vaccine.
Oregon
A group of 50 health care workers in Oregon signed a letter asking people to get vaccinated: “We cannot keep fighting this fight without your help.”
Texas
Texas doctors turned to antibody treatments and infusion therapy as coronavirus therapy instead of vaccines.
Violence
A man in Santa Clarita, California, drove a car into workers at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic. Police say they believe the attack was intentional.
Vaccine Boosters
Researchers in Israel found that a vaccine booster shot significantly lowered the risk of infection with COVID-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) called for a two-month moratorium on COVID booster shots, pointing out issues with vaccine inequality.
World
Israel began testing for COVID antibodies in children under 3 years old.
Australian officials were criticized after a group of impounded rescue dogs were shot and killed over COVID-19 transmission fears.
New Zealand enacted a national COVID-19 lockdown.
The first changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace since the beginning of the pandemic occurred on August 23 2021.
Delta Variant
The increase in the Delta variant coincided with a shortage of health care workers in the United States, decreasing the level of care for other medical needs.
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.