The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will hold a mass vaccination clinic next week in the Rio Grande Valley to vaccinate Border Patrol agents in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott and National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) Brandon Judd said in a joint statement on Friday.
“We are glad to hear that the Biden Administration is finally stepping up and holding a mass vaccination clinic next week for Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley who had been left vulnerable and exposed to COVID,” they wrote in the statement.
They added that they had to publicly request the federal government provide vaccines for Border Patrol agents.
Beijing Pushes for Door-to-Door COVID-19 Vaccinations
Chinese authorities recently launched a door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination program in Chaoyang District, in the capital city of Beijing. Some residents shared their concerns with The Epoch Times over their distrust of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its propaganda about COVID-19 vaccines and the pandemic.
Mainland Chinese media reported on March 10 that Beijing’s Chaoyang District began a new door-to-door vaccination program in residential communities and villages. The program is also carried out in five types of places such as government offices, the Central Business District (CBD), industrial parks, business offices, and school campuses.
Italy Seeks to Triple Vaccination Pace as Nation Eyes New Lockdown and ‘New Wave’ of CCP Virus Outbreak
Italy’s new premier, Mario Draghi, has pledged to triple the number of daily vaccinations administered daily throughout the country as CCP virus cases rise and restrictions for Easter weekend tighten as many hospitals across the country warn they’re running out of ICU beds.
The government decided at a Cabinet meeting the entire nation will be under strict “red zone” rules on the Easter weekend of April 3-5. The day after Easter, called ‘’Little Easter,’’ is a national holiday when many Italians travel for vacations or gather in parks or at beaches for picnics with friends and families. Travel between regions is already banned under previous restrictions.
US Passenger Airline Traffic Fell 63 Percent in January: USDOT
U.S. airline passenger traffic fell 63.3 percent in January, as the industry recorded its worst month since September amid CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus concerns, the U.S. Transportation Department said Friday.
The largest U.S. airlines carried 25.8 million passengers in January, compared with 70.5 million passengers in the same month last year. For all of 2020, U.S. airline passenger traffic fell by 60 percent to 368 million passengers, the lowest since 1984, as the industry reported pre-tax losses of $46 billion.
All Restrictions Lifted From New Zealand’s Largest City
All remaining restrictions in New Zealand’s Auckland have been lifted after no locally transmitted cases of the CCP virus were reported for two weeks, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Friday.
Ardern imposed a seven-day lockdown on the city of 1.7 million after a cluster of cases were detected domestically. The lockdown was eased earlier this month but some restrictions were retained, including limits on large public gatherings under an alert level 2 setting.
Country Star Larry Gatlin Tests Positive After Getting 2nd Moderna Vaccine Dose
Country music star Larry Gatlin of The Gatlin Brothers said he tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving his second Moderna vaccine dose.
Gatlin, 72, told Fox News he is feeling fine after the diagnosis. “What are the odds?” he said.
According to the singer, he received his second Moderna vaccine dose on March 4. On March 8, he received a rapid test that came back positive. A second test on Tuesday also showed a positive result for the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19.
Bulgaria Halts AstraZeneca Vaccine Rollout, Citing Safety Concerns
Bulgaria has temporarily suspended inoculations with the AstraZeneca CCP virus vaccine and demanded safety guarantees from the European Union.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told a cabinet meeting that the immunization with this vaccine will be suspended until the European Medicines Agency issues a written statement that it is safe.
Bulgaria becomes the tenth European country to suspend vaccination using the AstraZeneca-Oxford jab following reports of blood clots in some people following the jab.
Hong Kong Reports 60 New Infections, Majority Linked to Gym Cluster
Hong Kong on Friday reported 60 new infections of the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, the highest number of infections in the city since late January, prompting fears of a fifth wave of the virus.
Of the new infections, 47 were linked to an outbreak at a gym in the Sai Ying Pun neighborhood that is popular among expatriates. Health authorities have ordered all employees of gyms in Hong Kong to be screened for the virus. The gym cluster has so far infected 64 people.
Medical Examiner Not Jumping to Conclusions After Utah Mom Dies Following Vaccination
A Utah medical examiner on March 12 said there is not yet any evidence to suggest a connection between a death following a COVID-19 vaccination.
Kassidi Kurill, a 39-year-old mother of one from Ogden, received the vaccine due to her work as a surgical tech for several plastic surgeons. She received her second dose of the Moderna vaccine on Feb. 1. She had no underlying medical conditions.
Just four days after receiving the second dose of the vaccine, Kurill passed away. Her family believes her death may be directly linked to the vaccine.
Slovenian School Closed as Teachers Report Side Effects From Vaccine
A school in Slovenia cancelled classes on Friday after 26 teachers called in sick due to COVID-19 vaccine side effects.
Slovenian media say the staff at the school in the northwestern town of Velenje received AstraZeneca jabs on Wednesday and later reported side effects to the jabs including strong headaches, dizziness, high fever, and nausea.
Thailand Delays Use of the AstraZeneca Vaccine
Thailand delayed the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday after several European countries temporarily suspended the jabs following reports of blood clots in some people.
A publicity event with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha receiving his first shot was canceled with dozens of media attending, less than an hour before the scheduled start. Instead, health officials held a news conference to explain the delay was based on the decision made by Denmark, Austria, and others as a precaution. The Danish health authority said Thursday it has found no evidence yet the vaccine was responsible for blood clots.
Texas AG Sues Austin Officials Over Not Lifting Mask Mandate
The Attorney General for Texas is suing officials in Austin after they refused to enforce an order that ended a statewide mask mandate, he said on Thursday.
Texas announced the lifting of that restriction—which had made mask-wearing compulsory in public buildings and many outdoor spaces to help contain the CCP virus—along with an end to occupancy curbs on businesses. The city council in Austin, the state capital, voted to still require masks to be worn.
Katabella Roberts, Jack Phillips, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
