Blocking Borders Clearing the COVID Protest: Virus Updates
A protest against pandemic restrictions that for days disrupted trade between the United States and Canada at a major border crossing appears to be coming to an end on Saturday afternoon after a court ruling and an increased police presence.
Dozens of police moved into position Saturday morning near protesters on the Canadian side of the crossing. For six days, protesters have blocked the passage between Canada and the United States at the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor.
Protesters in pickup trucks and tractor-trailers left on Saturday morning, leaving crowds of protesters on foot. Around 50 to 70 protesters appeared to outnumber Windsor police, who warned them via a public address system that they would be arrested if they did not leave.
Protesters remained in or near their pickup trucks overnight Friday, despite warnings and a judge’s order on Friday to end the blockade that has crippled U.S.-Canadian trade across the crossing, prompting industry automobile to cut production in both countries.
Drivers have clogged the bridge since Monday as hundreds of other protesters paralyzed downtown Ottawa for two weeks.
Pandemic restriction protests have also resumed in other countries. New Zealand authorities lit sprinklers and blasted Barry Manilow’s songs to chase away vaccination mandate protesters who had been on the grounds of Parliament since Tuesday.
In Paris, police stopped at least 500 vehicles attempting to enter the city for Saturday’s protests against pandemic restrictions. More than 200 motorists received tickets and at least two protesters were arrested when police seized knives, hammers and other objects in a Paris square. Thousands of officers mobilized in preparation for the protests.
MORE UPDATES:Some protesters from the Ambassador Bridge truck leave as dozens of police take their stand
Also in the news:
► The NFL has not recorded a positive case of COVID-19 for a few weeks and hopes that this streak will continue until the Super Bowl on Sunday.
► More than 800 students and staff at the University of Nevada, Reno, have signed a petition urging education officials to reinstate mask mandates on campus a day after Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak canceled the statewide requirement.
► Immunocompromised people who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and then a second vaccine can now receive a third one two months later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday.
📈Today’s numbers: The United States has had more than 77.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 918,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: Over 409 million cases and over 5.8 million deaths. More than 213.5 million Americans — 64.3% — are fully immunized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
📘 What we read: Mask on? Without a mask? Here’s what experts are saying as several states lift mask mandates amid falling case numbers and pandemic fatigue. Read the full story.
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The NFL is optimistic about the Super Bowl, despite only 10% of players receiving boosters
With the Super Bowl approaching, National Football League executives expressed optimism this week that Sunday’s game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams would go ahead without major setbacks.
Still, Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said at a Monday news conference that it’s “absolutely possible” players could contract COVID-19 and miss the Super Bowl.
“If they have symptoms and we test them and they’re positive,” Sills said, “then obviously they would miss the game.”
Since mid-December, the NFL has used a revised testing model that involves testing players who show symptoms of COVID-19 or self-reported issues rather than a more regular and widespread system.
About 95% of NFL players are vaccinated, but only about 10% have received their boosters, Sills said, largely due to concerns about side effects.
“The booster rollout came at a difficult time for players,” Sills said. “We all know that during the season the players don’t want to do anything that can hurt their performance or waste their time.”
Vaccines for children under 5 delayed
Parents of young children who want to vaccinate their children will have to wait, as Pfizer and BioNTech have decided to delay the approval process again for COVID-19 vaccines under 5 years old.
The companies said in a statement that they want to wait until data is available on a third dose of the vaccine, likely in early April. They had initially said that this data would be available in late March or early April and that they would then seek permission.
But under pressure from the Food and Drug Administration, the companies submitted their data and sought approval for the first two doses, saying they could add a third in the future.
Friday’s news appears to reverse this and return to its prior position.
An FDA advisory committee was scheduled for Tuesday to review the application, but was canceled. No new date has been set.
– Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY
FDA clears new Eli Lilly monoclonal antibody treatment
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency use authorization for a new monoclonal antibody from pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, a day after the Biden administration purchased 600,000 doses to address dwindling treatment options. of COVID-19.
The new monoclonal antibody, called bebtelovimab, will ship to states free of charge, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We will try to be there to meet the demand,” he said.
The government’s decision comes after two leading monoclonal antibody treatments were found to be ineffective against the omicron variant, which now accounts for nearly all COVID-19 cases in the United States. The data indicate that the drug Lilly works against omicron, including the new BA.2 mutation. .
Contributor: Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY; Christine MacDonald and John Wisely, Detroit Free Press; The Associated Press
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