In giving the go-ahead for emergency use of the vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, Britain vaulted past the United States by at least a week.
A state Health Department whistleblower who helped to expose the agency’s failed efforts to conduct contact tracing for COVID-19 cases has been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of an “investigation,” sources tell Hawaii News Now.
Outbreaks of the coronavirus at the Oahu Community Correctional Center and an Iwilei homeless shelter sent Hawaii’s daily case count soaring Thursday, accounting for nearly a quarter of Thursday’s 355 new infections.
British officials say they are confident that the vaccines that have been authorized for use against COVID-19 will be effective against the new strain identified in the country.
In a statement, Ige said the changes to the budget forecast stemmed from the availability of additional federal funds and a more optimistic revenue projection by the Council of Revenues.
The COVID-19 vaccines rolling out in the United States, the United Kingdom and other parts of the world so far require two shots given a few weeks apart.
