Covid-19

Sitting in the consultation room of a swanky cosmetic surgery clinic in Washington, Hudson Young removed his mask under the satisfied gaze of his doctor.

Like a growing number of Americans, Young decided the right time to undergo plastic surgery was in the middle of a pandemic.

On Wednesday, Dave Boucher of the Detroit Free Press reported that Republicans in the Michigan state Senate are advancing an amendment that would bar the state from using a "social vulnerability index" to prioritize distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses — meaning that it would be illegal to prioritize areas based on race, socioeconomic status, or a number of other factors.

State Sen. Jim Runestad justified the bill by complaining that under the state rules, a 20-year-old with "minority status and you don't speak English that well" would get a vaccine ahead of a 65-year-old. This is false, as 20-year-olds are not yet eligible for vaccines in Michigan.

As the United States this week mourned the devastating milestone of 500,000 lives lost to the coronavirus, a report out Wednesday shows that the nation's billionaires have seen their collective wealth grow by $1.3 trillion since the deadly pandemic began last year.

According to the new analysis by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF), America's 664 billionaires now have a combined net worth of $4.2 trillion—a figure that stands in staggering contrast to the economic pain being felt by countless families across the U.S. as joblessness, uninsurance, and hunger remain sky-high.

The single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe Covid-19, including newer variants, according to documents released by the US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday.

The news came as the regulator was set to convene an independent panel Friday that will likely vote to authorize the vaccine, making it the third available in the country hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.

A group of anti-mask fanatics in the state of Maine believe they are waging a "spiritual war" and are vowing to stop mandatory vaccinations for the novel coronavirus.

Mainer News reports that anti-mask activists in the city of Belfast, Maine, have become increasingly aggressive in their efforts to stop their fellow citizens from following pandemic restrictions.

Mask-hating North Dakota Republicans this week passed a bill that would make mask mandates in their state illegal.

Local news station KFYR-TV reports that North Dakota House of Representatives moved to ban implementing mask mandates, no matter how severe future pandemics might be.

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on Tuesday flew into a rage about the ongoing COVID-19 safety restrictions.

A segment on Fox & Friends began by smearing Dr. Anthony Fauci for modifying his advice on masks throughout the pandemic.

"The View" co-host Meghan McCain got into a Twitter squabble on Tuesday morning after Dr. Vin Gupta -- a cable news regular who provides information on the COVID-19 pandemic -- blasted her for her "misguided" attack on Dr. Anthony Fauci.

On Monday, the always controversial McCain attacked the popular Fauci, saying he should be fired for his COVID-19 advice while complaining that she has been unable to obtain the vaccine.

That led to an avalanche of criticism of the daughter of John McCain, who appears to finally have had enough when she fired back at Gupta who tweeted, "The rejection of real, genuine expertise is what led us to today. So misguided to see people like @MeghanMcCain calling for the replacement of Dr Fauci. We should be empowering and amplifying his message to get out of this crisis and avoid any further milestones."

McCain responded "He told me not to wear a mask and that masks don't work when I was 3 months pregnant in the middle of Manhattan. He then later admitted it was an intentional lie so we would donate masks to essential workers. Now I'm being told to wear 2 masks. But yes I'm 'misguided'" followed by an emoji for emphasis.

She then tweeted, "The messaging is incredibly inconsistent and confusing. I voiced my frustration honestly despite the fact that if you and twitter don't like it, I represent the feelings of many Americans. I also believe sainting our public figures to infallibility is dangerous and irrational."

You can see the tweets below:

The United States crossed the grim milestone of 500,000 deaths from Covid-19 on Monday, a year since announcing its first known death from the virus on February 29, 2020 in the Seattle area.

Why does the world's leading power have the highest death toll and what lessons are American health specialists learning from the past year?

President Joe Biden made it clear that he wanted a bipartisan group to pass his hefty COVID-19 package, but Republicans disagree with the bill, instead proposing a much smaller bill. Now they're miffed by Biden going at it alone and without them, CNN reported.

"But Republicans, still irked by the lack of progress in the short-lived bipartisan talks, see a president who is hamstrung by both White House staff and Democrats in Congress whom they believe have far less interest in working with the GOP and seem more willing to advance their agenda without regard for the minority party," the report said. "Republicans' argument: Biden seems willing to cut a deal but won't do so because of pressure from the people around him."

CNN host Brianna Keilar on Monday got emotional when discussing the 500,000 Americans who have lost their lives to the novel coronavirus.

After showing videos telling stories of Americans who had lost loved ones to the disease, Keilar gave an impassioned monologue urging people not to become numb to the toll the virus has taken over the last year.