Iowa News
Less than 24 hours after CDC approval, kids line up in Coralville for COVID-19 vaccine
The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics prepared for the vaccine event weeks in advance, ready to open appointments as soon as it got the green light. That happened Tuesday evening, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children. It was the final safety hurdle to clear after the Food and Drug Administration’s authorization last week. The availability of vaccine is expected to reduce COVID-19 caseloads nationally by at least 8% between November and March, according to the CDC. Iowa City Press-Citizen
Polk County officials work to open sobering center
Polk County leaders want to open a sobering center for people facing addiction in the metro. It’s a place for law enforcement to take people for help rather than to an emergency room or jail. Sobering centers are designed to integrate social services with physical and mental health assistance. Axios
The federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate goes into effect Jan. 4. Here’s how it affects Iowans.
Workers at businesses with more than 100 employees must be vaccinated for COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing starting Jan. 4, under a new federal rule released Thursday. The new details immediately prompted an outcry from Republican leaders in Iowa who oppose COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and Gov. Kim Reynolds vowed to sue over the requirement. Once in effect, the new rule could cover more than 923,000 Iowa employees who work for 2,200 businesses. Des Moines Register
National News
Pfizer says COVID-19 pill cut hospital, death risk by 90%
Pfizer Inc. said Friday that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults, as the drugmaker joins the race to bring the first easy-to-use medication against the coronavirus to the U.S. market. US News
Tentative deal reached to end Mercy Hospital strike
Catholic Health System and the union representing about 2,500 of its workers announced a tentative agreement Thursday night on a new four-year labor contract that will end a 35-day strike that idled many services at Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo, put about 2,000 workers on the picket line and strained the region’s other hospitals in one of the most significant walkouts to hit Western New York in recent history. Buffalo News
Nurses union urges OSHA to institute permanent COVID-19 protections for healthcare workers
National Nurses United urged the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration Nov. 3 to adopt a permanent standard on COVID-19 in healthcare institutions, building on the emergency temporary standard adopted June 2020. The union said the standard should be built on the agency’s current emergency temporary standards. Becker’s Hospital Review