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Added on the 01/07/2021 18:00:00 - Copyright : France 24 EN
Around 300 volunteer healthcare workers arrive at Orly aiport to head to the French overseas territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe where hospitals are overwhelmed with Covid-19 cases. IMAGES
Argentine healthcare workers from San Martin general Hospital in La Plata receive their second doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19. Argentina is one of the first countries in the world to use the Russian Sputnik V vaccine and has also signed deals to purchase the AstraZeneca/Oxford and Covax vaccines. IMAGES
Despite being well aware of the horrors of COVID-19, a surprising number of healthcare workers are refusing to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. Business Insider reports that in some institutions, as many as 80% of staff are turning down a vaccine. The resistance to vaccination is reportedly due to unfounded fears about the side-effects of these life-saving shots. The two vaccines administered in the US have been FDA approved, meaning that the benefits outweigh any potential risks. Dr. Joseph Varon says more than half of the nurses in his critical care unit are objecting to getting inoculated for political reasons. And in Portland, Oregon, cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Stephen Noble says resistance comes from not wanting to be a 'guinea pig.'
As if the end of the year weren't hard enough, the December jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics said 140,000 jobs were lost last month. According to Business Insider, the data shows all of those lost jobs were held by women. Among the newly-unemployed, Black and Latina women working in retail and education sectors were hit the hardest. The US posted a surprise decline in payrolls in December and all of the 140,000 jobs lost were held by women. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, the US economic recovery has been mostly stagnant. Small businesses nationwide have been hit particularly hard. Many are being forced to lay off staff or close altogether to curb the pandemic's spread.
Dr. Anthony Fauci had previously said it could take up to 90% of the US population to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity against the coronavirus. But on Sunday, he clarified his 'guesstimate' downwards to 70 to 85% of the population. Business Insider reports Fauci admitted on CNN's 'State of the Union' that 'we all have to be honest and humble, nobody really knows for sure.' This month, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized both Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. Healthcare professionals and frontline workers across the country have been getting vaccinations since the vaccine rollouts.
President Donald Trump faces a ticking clock with respect to the current proposed COVID-19 relief package. Trump has suggested he may reject the $900 billion package that Congress approved earlier this week unless lawmakers include $2,000 stimulus payments. Business Insider reports Trump could cost jobless workers a week of $300 federal unemployment benefits if he fails to sign the bill by midnight Saturday. Business Insider reports nearly 14 million Americans may lose all their unemployment aid this weekend if the bill doesn't pass. Labor experts say a two-to-three week gap in unemployment benefits is inevitable, as states need to recalibrate their computer systems to send the payments.
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