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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, listens during a Senate Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Hearing on the federal government response to COVID-19 Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Washington. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP) ** FILE **

Dr. Anthony Fauci: Joe Biden mask request may go beyond 100 days

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that Americans might need to wear masks beyond the 100-day commitment that presumptive President-elect Joseph R. Biden will outline at his inauguration but that it's still a good idea to make the defined request.

December 4, 2020
In this Nov. 6, 2020, file photo, Certified Nursing Assistant Angelica Corral constantly changes her personal protective equipment (PPE) as she travels from room to room at the El Paso Long Term Acute Care hospital in central El Paso, Texas. U.S. hospitals slammed with COVID-19 patients are trying to lure nurses and doctors out of retirement and recruiting nursing students and new graduates who have yet to earn their licenses. (Mark Lambie/The El Paso Times via AP, File)

U.S. hits 100K hospitalizations for the coronavirus

U.S. hospitalizations for COVID-19 reached 100,000 for the first time and the nation hit an all-time high for deaths in a single day, according to new figures that show the country is paying the price for widespread transmission.

December 3, 2020
This May 4, 2020, file photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.  Pfizer and BioNTech say they've won permission Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in Britain, the world’s first coronavirus shot that’s backed by rigorous science -- and a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic. (Courtesy of University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP, File)

U.S. sticks to timeline after U.K. vaccine approval

The Trump administration said Wednesday it expects two coronavirus vaccines to be approved before Christmas but isn't moving up its deadlines after British regulators beat the Americans to the punch by approving Pfizer's version first.

December 2, 2020
Moderna asked federal regulators for emergency approval Monday for a coronavirus vaccine. The company said its vaccine was 94% effective in its final analysis. (Associated Press)

Coronavirus vaccine: CDC panel approves ‘phase 1a’ distribution in 13-1 vote

The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine should be given to health care workers who might be exposed to the coronavirus and residents of long-term care facilities where people tend to be elderly and have underlying conditions that put them at high risk of dying, an influential panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel said Tuesday.

December 1, 2020
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II said the CDC is wording on a public-service campaign about the vaccine's safety. (Associated Press)

Health officials work to calm fears on COVID-19 vaccines

The U.S. government is on pace to approve two COVID-19 vaccines by Christmas, prompting officials to double down on safety promises and highlight eye-popping data from Pfizer and Moderna as they try to overcome lingering skepticism and get those shots into actual arms.

November 29, 2020
President Donald Trump departs behind Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar as Azar puts on a face mask to protect against the spread of the coronavirus after a roundtable discussion on the coronavirus outbreak and storm preparedness at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., Friday, July 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Alex Azar, health secretary: Already briefing Biden team on COVID-19

The government is preparing to ship the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines in "just a few weeks," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II said Tuesday as the Trump administration started to brief presumptive President-elect Joseph R. Biden's transition team on coronavirus planning.

November 24, 2020
This Thursday, April 23, 2020, file screen grab taken from video issued by Britain's Oxford University shows a person being injected as part of the first human trials in the U.K. to test a potential coronavirus vaccine, untaken by Oxford University in England. AstraZeneca says late-stage trials of its COVID-19 vaccine were “highly effective’’ in preventing disease. A vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford prevented 70% of people from developing the coronavirus in late-stage trials, the team reported Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. (Oxford University Pool via AP, File)

AstraZeneca reports promising results from coronavirus vaccine trial

A coronavirus vaccine from AstraZeneca was "highly effective" and staved off severe disease in an early look at trial data from the U.K. and Brazil, the company said Monday, signaling there could be a vaccine that's easier to store than two versions nearing approval in the U.S.

November 23, 2020
In this Nov. 18, 2020, file photo, people line up to be tested for the coronavirus at a free testing site in Seattle. With coronavirus cases surging and families hoping to gather safely for Thanksgiving, long lines to get tested have reappeared across the U.S. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)  **FILE**

CDC ‘strongly’ recommends against travel on Thanksgiving

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday strongly recommended against travel this Thanksgiving, urging families to celebrate within their households or hold online gatherings as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus surpassed a quarter-million.

November 19, 2020
Mendy McNulty swabs the nose of her husband, Joe, in their home in Mount Juliet, Tenn., Tuesday, July 28, 2020. The family is participating in testing done twice a month to help answer some of the most vexing questions about the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) **FILE**

FDA approves first rapid at-home test for coronavirus

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first at-home test for the coronavirus, allowing people to self-collect a swab and get results in 30 minutes to determine if they are positive and need to isolate themselves from society.

November 18, 2020
This May 4, 2020, file photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.  Pfizer announced Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, more results in its ongoing coronavirus vaccine study that suggest the shots are 95% effective a month after the first dose. (Courtesy of University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP, File)

Pfizer seeks approval for 95% effective COVID-19 vaccine

Two drugmakers in the race for a COVID-19 vaccine are on track for emergency approval before the end of the year, the Trump administration said Wednesday, with Pfizer reporting its shots were 95% effective in a final analysis and Moderna set to follow close behind.

November 18, 2020