TORONTO (AP) — Canada won’t be getting any Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccines next week and 50% fewer than expected over the next month, officials said Tuesday, prompting the leader of Canada’s most populous province to ask U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to share a million doses from Pfizer’s Michigan plant.

Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin, who is leading Canada’s logistical rollout and distribution of vaccines, called it a major reduction, but said Pfizer is still expected to meet its contractual obligation to ship four million doses to Canada by the end of March.

U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer confirmed last week it would temporarily reduce deliveries to Europe and Canada of its COVID-19 vaccine while it upgrades production capacity at its plant in Puurs, Belgium. Pfizer’s Belgian plant supplies all shots delivered outside the U.S. Fortin said other countries have been impacted this week and that Canada will be impacted next week.

“Pfizer assured me and Canada of equitable treatment,” Procurement Minister Anita Anand said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said when he spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel this week, she told him that media have been asking her why Germany isn’t doing as well as Canada on vaccines.

Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, said he’s angry. He asked Biden to help Canada out, noting there’s a Pfizer plant in Michigan.

“Our American friends, help us out,” Ford said. “You have a new president, no more excuses. Help us out.”

Ford notes Ontario is a large trading partner to the U.S.

“I can’t help but ask the president,” Ford said. “The least thing you can do … give us a million vaccines. You have a hundred million down there. Give your great neighbor which stands shoulder to shoulder with you a million vaccines to get us over the hump. That’s what we would love to see from the president.”

A mass vaccination clinic in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, temporarily closed due to the shortage.

 

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Norm Mitry, President and CEO of Heritage Valley Health System, joined Mike Romigh on Teleforum Wednesday to discuss the COVID-19 Vaccine and Heritage Valley Health Systems roll in trying to vaccinate all Beaver County residents. Mitry talked about the recent changes that were handed down by the health department and with those changes how Heritage Valley will go about administering the vaccine.  You can listen to the entire interview by pressing the play button below:

 

 

Pennsylvania expands vaccine eligibility to 65 and older
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
Pennsylvania is expanding eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine in the initial phase of the rollout to include people age 65 and over as well as younger people with serious health conditions that put them at higher risk. State health officials made the announcement Tuesday. The Health Department says its updated coronavirus vaccine plan tracks recommendations from the federal government, but it’s uncertain how the expanded rollout will work given the slow pace of vaccinations so far and limitations on supplies. The major expansion comes amid word that the state’s top health official, Dr. Rachel Levine, is President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to be assistant secretary of health.

HARRISBURG—Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul today led a coalition of nine attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to stop the last ditch effort by the Trump Administration to allow employers to withhold tips from their employees.

The lawsuit challenges a U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) rule that unlawfully seeks to remove the limit on non-tipped work a tipped worker may complete and still receive only the tipped minimum wage, $2.13 per hour federally and $2.83 per hour in Pennsylvania. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is the federal law establishing a baseline of critical workplace protections, such as minimum wage and overtime, for workers across the country. It permits employers to take a credit against their minimum wage obligations for the tips workers receive.

For thirty years, USDOL regulations have capped the amount non-tipped work a tipped worker may do at twenty percent of their working time called the “80/20 rule.” The new rule eliminates that cap, among other provisions. Illinois, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania led a coalition of nineteen state attorneys general in a comment opposing the proposed rule.

This is the second time the PA Office of Attorney General has sued Trump’s Department of Labor. When USDOL tried to make it easier for employers to escape liability for violating workers’ rights, AG Shapiro partnered with New York Attorney General Letitia James, and others, and had the rule struck down.

“This new rule issued by the U.S. Dept. of Labor is indefensible and would result in tipped workers doing more work for less pay all in the midst of a global pandemic,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “Businesses and employers are struggling and need real relief during this pandemic but it cannot come out of the pockets of their employees. My office will continue to fight for workers in Pennsylvania and across the country to earn fair pay for a fair day’s work.”

The coalition asserts that the rule contradicts the text and purpose of the FLSA, and that the USDOL violated the rulemaking process requirements, including failing to analyze the impact the rule would have on tipped workers. In addition, the rule fails to justify its departure from the longstanding 80/20 rule. The states argue that the rule will harm the states by reducing income tax revenue, increasing public benefits expenditures, and imposing administrative costs.

As so many businesses and their employers — especially restaurants — struggle through this pandemic, the coalition argues relief should come from the federal government and not at the expense of workers.

The suit was co-led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and joined by Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and New Yor

Coronavirus deaths rising in 30 US states amid winter surge
By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Coronavirus deaths are rising in nearly two-thirds of American states as a winter surge pushes the overall toll toward 400,000 amid warnings that a new, highly contagious variant is taking hold. As Americans observed a national holiday Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pleaded with federal authorities to block travelers from countries where new variants are spreading. He cited new versions detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil. A vast effort is underway to get Americans vaccinated, but the campaign is off to an uneven start. According to the latest federal data, about 31 million doses of vaccine have been distributed, but fewer than 11 million people have received at least one dose.

(File Photo)

(Beaver, Pa.) Beaver County Commissioners Chairman Dan Camp reported that Heritage Valley Health system has accounted for 96 percent of the COVID-19 vaccines that have been distributed to them. Camp said that the 96 percent includes first responders who will receive an e-mail this week to schedule their vaccination. Camp reported that Heritage Valley said that is roughly around 4,000 doses. He went on to talk about how the county and Heritage Valley are working together to get the vaccine distributed and that they will continue to work together as the next wave of vaccines becomes available to make sure it is available to all Beaver Countians.

Click the play button below to hear Commissioner Camp during the work session:

All Six PA Veterans Homes have Begun Vaccinating
Residents, Staff for COVID-19 

Annville, PA – Pennsylvania’s six veterans homes, operated by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), have begun onsite COVID-19 vaccination clinics for residents and staff. The vaccination clinics, which are administered by CVS/OmniCare as part of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program, will continue to be administered through early February to ensure all residents and staff who want the vaccine receive it.

“This long-awaited and welcome vaccine is bringing some positive energy to our veterans homes in the New Year,” said Charles Terrery, DMVA’s chief pharmacist. “While the COVID-19 vaccine will not be the cure for the virus, it will help us to further safeguard the health of the residents who live in our homes and the staff who care for them. We are grateful to everyone who worked expeditiously to make the vaccine available and are looking forward to a much brighter and healthier 2021.”

Residents and staff at long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania are prioritized as part of the PA Department of Health’s first phase of those eligible to receive the free vaccine. A second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is required after three weeks to reach full effectiveness and will be scheduled accordingly at each of the six homes. Vaccinations are being made available to all residents and staff, but they are not required to receive the vaccine.

Each Veterans Home will continue to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PA Department of Health (DOH) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) care guidance.

For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit the PA Department of Health website.

For DMVA updates visit www.dmva.pa.gov or learn more by following DMVA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/padmva or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/padmva.

Study suggests Pfizer vaccine works against virus variant
By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer
New research suggests the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech can still work against a mutated coronavirus. Two easier-to-spread new variants of the virus have the world on edge. One was first discovered in Britain, the other in South Africa, but they share a common mutation. Pfizer researchers say laboratory testing shows that mutation doesn’t block the vaccine. But more tests are needed to see if an additional mutation is cause for concern. The preliminary study was posted on an online research site late Thursday and has not been reviewed by other experts.

Pennsylvania: Send elementary students back to school
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
Pennsylvania health and education officials say schools should consider a return to in-person instruction for elementary-age students. That’s a change from previous state guidance that recommended online-only education in areas of the state where the coronavirus is raging. State officials now want schools to consider bringing elementary students back to the classroom, saying that’s where they belong. The state’s largest teachers union is panning the new guidance. The state made the announcement Thursday as health officials said a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus has been detected in Pennsylvania for the first time.