US officials address questions on coronavirus variant, vaccines

The first blurry image captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA’s new space telescope has captured its first starlight and even taken a selfie of its giant, gold mirror.All 18 segments of the primary mirror on the James Webb Space Telescope seem to be working properly 1 1/2 months into the mission, officials said Friday.The telescope's first target was a bright star 258 light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major."That was just a real wow moment," said Marshall Perrin of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.Over the next few months, the hexagonal mirror segments — each the size of a coffee table — will be aligned and focused as one, allowing science observations to begin by the end of June.NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launched successfully early Christmas morning from French Guiana on South America’s northeastern coast, riding a European Ariane rocket into the sky.

FILE - A baby koala is seen at Wild Life Sydney Zoo on Oct. 14, 2021 in Sydney, Australia.

Paddy McGuinness has shared a positive health update as he continues to recover following knee surgery. The 48-year-old Top Gear presenter picked up the injury whilst playing in Soccer Aid 2021 in September, alongside stars such as Usain Bolt, Olly Murs, Chunkz and Jamie Redknapp.He was eventually forced to retire from the charity football competition, joking at the time that the knock was “not something that can be sorted with the magic sponge”.Just last week the father-of-three underwent a procedure on the dodgy knee, having waited a whopping six months before the surgery could take place, reports the Express.

There was a lot of information to digest this week when it comes to COVID-19 and plans to ease restrictions. The decisions are being backed with a lot of scientific claims.

COVID-19 wave, if necessary.Under questioning from opposition health critics during a hearing at the legislature, Dubé suggested the passport could be dropped in the coming weeks.“When I said the vaccine passport was there to stay, will public health recommend that we, I hope in a few weeks, suspend it because it is going better?” Dubé said about the COVID-19 situation in the province. “Could we restore it if we were ever caught with another wave? That’s what you have to think about.”Quebec was the first province to introduce a vaccine passport on Sept.

COVID-19 dashboard available only to Saskatchewan Health Authority leaders no longer includes the number of people who died from the disease.Global News obtained images of the dashboard on several occasions. The latest, from Feb.

The Canadian Armed Forces is now investigating Maj. Stephen Chledowski, after the actively serving army officer released a new video denouncing COVID-19 measures.

Andrei Doroshin PHILADELPHIA - A graduate student in psychology whose COVID-19 vaccine operation got shut down by Philadelphia last year has settled with the state attorney general's office and agreed to destroy all personal health information his start-up gathered.The agreement was filed Friday in Commonwealth Court and requires a judge's approval to take effect.Central to the accusations against Andrei Doroshin, who had almost no public health experience when the city gave him the task, was that he had intended to profit from the vaccine operation run by his start-up, called Philly Fighting COVID.Mayor Jim Kenney says Philly Fighting COVID was a mistake after the Inspector General found no malice, no ill-intent, and no one seeking personal gain.Doroshin denied the allegations by the attorney general's office, including violating the state's nonprofit corporation law.Under the agreement, Doroshin and his associates are barred from managing charitable assets or soliciting charitable donations in Pennsylvania for 10 years.Doroshin also must destroy the personal health information gathered through the vaccine pre-registration service and is barred from receiving any financial benefit from the information or the vaccine.Doroshin must also dissolve Philly Fighting COVID.City officials said they gave him the job because he and his friends had organized one of the community groups that set up COVID-19 testing sites throughout the city in 2020.But they shut the vaccine operation down once they learned that Doroshin had switched his privacy notice to potentially sell patient data.

As protesters dig in their heels at border crossings and the nation’s capital, many truck drivers continue hauling shipments across the province. Shallima Maharaj heard from some of them at a stop north of Toronto.

Many members of Edmonton city council don’t agree with the removal of the provincial Restriction Exemption Program. Friday they decided on how the city will be moving forward measures. Sarah Komadina has the details

Inspiration4 mission commander Jared Isaacman, founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments, stands for a portrait in front of the recovered first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket at Space Exploration Technologies Corp. The charitable sector should hope that billionaire Jared Isaacman keeps seeking new adventures.Isaacman, who turned a payments-processing firm he started as a teenager into a multibillion-dollar company, periodically indulges his passion for aviation with head-turning flights.

LOS ANGELES - It’s time to meet the domino-toppling trios competing in the first-ever season of "Domino Masters." Hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Eric Stonestreet ("Modern Family"), the series will feature teams of domino enthusiasts facing off in an unbelievable chain reaction tournament. DOMINO MASTERS: The all-new competition series DOMINO MASTERS premieres Wednesday, March 9 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. © 2022 FOX Media LLC. CR: Ray Mickshaw/FOX.

Wendy Williams is firing back at Wells Fargo over claims she's the victim of «financial exploitation,» saying «she is fine» and «she is of sound mind.»In a statement to ET, Williams' lawyer, LaShawn Thomas, said on Friday that «Wendy wants the world to know that she strenuously denies all allegations about her mental health and well-being.» Thomas also offered details as to why Williams is in a legal battle with Wells Fargo.«Wendy had to unfortunately bring this action because Wells Fargo has refused to honor her Power of Attorney, granting her son authority to make inquiries to the bank on Wendy's behalf,» the statement read.

COVID-19 vaccination clinics in districts where rates are well below the Quebec average.Officials are hoping to increase the inoculation levels against COVID-19 in areas like Saint-Léonard and Montréal-Nord, where the vaccination levels are below 75 per cent (according to the latest data) while on average, 82 per cent of the Quebec population is considered adequately vaccinated.The shuttle buses run free of charge and take people to clinics in Saint-Léonard, Montréal-Nord, Ville-Émard and LaSalle. Health-care officials are hoping people with limited mobility and those who may have other appointments will get their first, second or booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Tairāwhiti has reached two vaccination milestones today; their eligible population reached 90% fully vaccinated –the 18th DHB to do so – and it’s eligible Māori population reached 90% first doses.

Premier Doug Ford denounced the protests both in the nation’s capital and on the border in Windsor Friday. While putting measures in place in a bid to move them along, the premier also attracted unwanted attention after a snowmobile trip and a secret recording.

PHILADELPHIA - At The Saul High School traditional learning is only the beginning, students also have the opportunity to participate in real-life farming."This is a dairy science class at Saul High School, it’s an Animal Science Class. We’ve been doing this for 50 or 60 years where we produce our milk, and then it’s been shipped to Land O'Lakes," said Jane Arbasak, Farm Manager with Saul High School.Enejha Dozier is a Senior at Saul High School and said this unique program helped fuel her passion."Yes, it definitely did, for the better.

Police found a 36-year-old man shot inside a Jeep and drove him to the hospital in critical condition. PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police officers responding to reports of a shooting found a man badly wounded inside a car and rushed the victim to an area hospital. According to investigators, the shooting happened on the 1800 block of East Allegheny Avenue in Kensington around 6:30 p.m.

Legislative bureau chief Keith Baldrey has the daily COVID-19 update on Friday, February 11, and how B.C. officials could be setting the stage to remove restrictions on Tuesday.

Ambassador Bridge border crossing in Windsor, Ont.Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz says the injunction will take effect at 7 p.m.He has asked a lawyer representing the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, which applied for the injunction, to send him a draft of an order.

COVID-19 receiving care in hospital on Friday, with 127 of them in intensive care units.That’s compared to 1,586 in hospital on Thursday, with 126 people in the province’s ICUs. Reality check on Alberta politicians’ statements on schools, COVID-19 transmission and vaccines On Tuesday, Premier Jason Kenney announced his plan to relax COVID-19 measures.

PHILADELPHIA - The Transportation Security Administration at Philadelphia International Airport said it’s "highly concerned" about the number of firearms it took from passengers last year.Federal Security Director Gerardo Spero reports that the agency scanned around eight million passengers in 2021 and confiscated 39 weapons. That figure far outpaces the number of firearms the agency confiscated in the previous two years.Spero said he does not know what motivates people to carry guns to the airport, but he knows "guns and airports don’t mix."The TSA demonstrated for reporters Friday how a pistol can be safely transported by air.

Ontario’s premier has called a state of emergency following days of blockades at the country’s largest border crossing. This move is applauded by federal officials who are asking protesters to go home as police forces expect demonstrations across the country to ramp up over the weekend.

The efficacy of third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines wanes substantially by the fourth month after administration, a new study by the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has said.

A monoclonal treatment site located in a tent is closed for patients on January 25, 2022 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) WASHINGTON - U.S. health regulators on Friday authorized a new antibody drug that targets the omicron variant, a key step in restocking the nation's arsenal against the latest version of COVID-19.The Food and Drug Administration said it cleared the Eli Lilly drug for adults and adolescent patients with mild-to-moderate cases of COVID-19.

HOUSTON - It’s no secret Houston has a bustling Muslim population with residents stemming from all walks of life. There’s a rich tapestry of work focusing on the legacy left behind by Muslims in this city, yet little has been touched on when it comes to African American efforts. For example, Houston’s oldest and most historic mosque, Houston Masjid Al-Islam, located in the 6600 block of W Bellfort Ave.

AirTag clipped onto a bag. Apple announced it’s cracking down on unwanted tracking among AirTag users, according to a company news release. AirTags launched last April for $29 apiece and allows users to keep track of their personal items, such as keys, wallets, purses, backpacks and luggage through Apple's "Find My' app. But the seemingly harmless tool is being used by some to stalk people and even commit car thefts. Police departments have called this recent string of crimes "AirTag stalking." "We’ve become aware that individuals can receive unwanted tracking alerts for benign reasons, such as when borrowing someone’s keys with an AirTag attached or when traveling in a car with a family member’s AirPods left inside," the tech giant wrote in an update on its website Thursday.

MRI department at Royal University Hospital has decreased to the point where health officials have decide to scale back hours of operation, creating concerns about wait times for the service.A memo sent earlier this week to Saskatoon physicians and staff within the Saskatchewan Health  Authority (SHA) cites “ongoing recruitment challenges” due to a “recent critical shortage of MRI technologists.” Saskatchewan moves to end COVID-19 public health orders The shortage means the department at RUH will only operate from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A new study on outcomes among infants whose mothers received the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine in pregnancy showed that no detrimental outcomes were associated with maternal vaccination, including preterm birth, small birth weight for gestational age (SGA), congenital malformations, and infant death.It was published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics.The po

Supplies of the eagerly awaited oral COVID-19 antiviral prescription medications are slowly arriving at US pharmacies, but despite strong evidence that they can help reduce symptoms and prevent severe illness, federal data and experts suggest that many patients don't know about them or don't want to take them.

FILE - RN inoculates a woman at a COVID-19 vaccine. TRENTON - A New Jersey appeals court rejected a lawsuit from law enforcement unions challenging Gov.

In a sudden turnabout, Pfizer and BioNTech today announced they were delaying the application process for an emergency use authorization (EUA) for their vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years old, and gathering more information on two and three doses of the vaccine.

COVID-19 wastewater signal in the last few weeks has slowed or plateaued at all sites,” medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang told reporters on Friday morning.

COVID-19 patients in area hospitals continues to decline but that has not relieved the pressure on hospitals, according to the region’s top doctor.According to Friday’s dashboard update, there are 75 patients in the three hospitals in Waterloo Region, including 20 who are in need of intensive care. Premier Doug Ford declares state of emergency amid protests at land border and in Ottawa Three weeks ago, on Jan.

As protesters remain at the Ambassador Bridge, the blockade disrupting the busiest border crossing between Canada and the U.S. is taking a toll on economies on both sides.

Ayrshire residents are being urged to roll up their sleeves for Covid-19 vaccination jabs.

Doug Ford says the province is on track to “very soon” lift “almost all” COVID-related restrictions on businesses.The premier made the remarks during a press conference Friday morning, where he declared a state of emergency in the province due to ongoing protests and blockades, sparked by opposition to COVID-19 measures.Ford said he understands many people are frustrated, but urged the “illegal occupation” in Ottawa and at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor to end.“There’s no doubt these were the right decisions,” Ford said of his government’s move to impose measures in a bid to combat COVID-19. Timeline to lift all COVID-19 measures in Ontario coming soon, top doctor says “There’s no doubt they protected our hospitals from collapse and saved lives.

Middlesex-London Health Unit reported three deaths and 117 COVID-19 cases on Friday, compared with three deaths and 122 cases last Friday.The deaths involved three women in their 70s, 80s and 90s. The woman in her 90s was associated with a long-term care home. LHSC, meanwhile, is caring for 87 inpatients with COVID-19, 20 of whom are in adult critical care.As noted, LHSC is caring for 87 COVID-19 inpatients, with 20 inpatients in adult critical care.

Rural US counties with low COVID-19 vaccination rates had 2.4 times more infections per 100,000 people than urban counties amid the summer 2021 Delta surge, according to a study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

#AbEd #AbLeg pic.twitter.com/NIDW973Tg0— Adriana LaGrange (@AdrianaLaGrange) February 10, 2022Dr. Chris Mody, head of the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious disease at the University of Calgary, said there’s no data to suggest children “pose absolutely no threat” as the education minister claimed.However, Mody said the correlation between symptom severity and viral load taken with the observations that children tend to have less severe symptoms could mean children have less viral load with a COVID-19 infection, with a caveat.

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. regulators on Friday put the brakes on their push to speed Pfizer's COVID-19 to children under 5, creating major uncertainty about how soon the shots could become available.The Food and Drug Administration had urged Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to apply for authorization of extra-low doses of its vaccine for the youngest children before studies were even finished — citing the toll the omicron variant has taken on children.Kids between the ages of 5 and 11 are now eligible to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.Next week, FDA advisers were supposed to publicly debate if youngsters should starting getting two shots before it's clear if they'd actually need a third.But Friday, the FDA reversed course and said it had become clear it needed to wait for data on how well that third shot works for this age group.

Los Angeles - Love is in the air — well, on Tubi it is! FOX’s free streaming platform kicks off its Valentine’s Day slate with "10 Truths About Love," a new original rom-com starring Camilla Belle and David LaFontaine. Written by frequent romance scribe Shannon Latimer ("A Whirlwind Wedding," "Ghosts of Christmas Past"), the feel-good movie features a thriving romance columnist Carina (Belle) who thinks she’s got her love life all figured out — until her longtime boyfriend unexpectedly breaks up with her.Meanwhile, Carina’s editor hires a new writer, Liam (Lafontaine), to work with her and give the column a male perspective. Subsequently, the two clash over their approach, but to prove himself, Liam offers to help Carina get her ex-boyfriend back.

James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets passes the ball against the Sacramento Kings during the second half of their game at Golden 1 Center on February 02, 2022 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by d CAMDEN, N.J. - The oversized Ben Simmons magazine cover that hung inside the 76ers' training complex was gone.The former MVP acquired for the one-time franchise guard? Well, James Harden wasn't in town, either, and his debut for Philadelphia is on hold at least until next week.But yet another new era is soon set to begin for the Sixers as they chase their first NBA title since 1983, this time with the superstar pairing of Harden and MVP candidate Joel Embiid.The clock is ticking for Harden to win a championship.Harden, though, will not play for the Sixers in games Friday and Saturday night, and he won't play until he's evaluated this weekend by the team's performance staff.The earliest Harden could play for Philly is at home Tuesday against Boston.

WASHINGTON - The White House is urging Americans to leave Ukraine in next "24 to 48 hours," warning U.S. won't rescue civilians if Russia invades.The White House has expressed increasing alarm about the prospects of a war, and Biden has been looking to solidify support among European allies for economy-jarring sanctions against Russia if it moves further with an invasion.KHARKIV REGION, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 10, 2022 - Soldiers operate a military vehicle during the drills of the Ivan Sirko 92nd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kharkiv Region, northeastern Ukraine.

TORONTO - Canadian authorities Friday turned up the legal and public pressure on protesters to lift their blockades in Ottawa and at the U.S. border, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warning: "This unlawful activity has to end and it will end."Federal, provincial and local officials moved simultaneously on different fronts to break the standoff, which began with truckers and others angry over the country's COVID-19 restrictions and has morphed into a broader attack from the right on Trudeau and his Liberal government, cheered on by conservatives in the U.S."We heard you.

The Lancet, in part using Gallup World Poll data, demonstrated a significant correlation between trust in government and COVID-19 infections. The review looked at COVID-related outcomes, trust in government and interpersonal trust (along with many other variables) across 177 countries.

The Queen's recent Covid-19 scare has sparked debate over which royals should be allowed to step in for her if she is unable to fulfil her duties.

COVID-19 update, health officials said Friday the strain on Manitoba hospitals is slowly easing.According to the province, six Manitobans were checked out of hospital putting the number of those receiving care at 656. The ICU also went down by one, leaving the number of occupants at 41.