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Biden gets vaccine booster shot; Arizona judge finds ban on school mask mandates unconstitutional: COVID-19 updates

President Joe Biden received his COVID-19 vaccine booster shot on live TV Monday afternoon, days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed booster shots for millions of Americans who received their second shot of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago.

"Boosters are important, but the important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated," Biden said, noting about 23% of Americans haven't received a first shot.

"That distinct minority is causing an awful lot of damage for the rest of the country," Biden said. "One thing's for certain: A quarter of the country can't go unvaccinated and us not continue to have a problem."

People 65 years and older, residents in long-term care settings and people 50–64 with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot, the CDC said Thursday. People 18–49 with underlying medical conditions and people 18-64 years who are at increased risk for exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster, the CDC said.

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The other two available vaccines – Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – have not received federal authorization for a booster shot. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday that the agency expected to review applications for booster shots from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson "with urgency" in the future.

Biden, 78, said he planned to travel to Chicago on Wednesday to speak with businesses about the importance of vaccinations. He encouraged Americans to text 438829 to find a nearby vaccination location.

Biden said he didn't have any side effects after his first or second dose. The first lady was also expected to receive a booster shot, he said.

President Joe Biden receives a COVID-19 booster shot at the White House Sept. 27, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden receives a COVID-19 booster shot at the White House Sept. 27, 2021, in Washington.

Also in the news:

►Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has ordered flags throughout the state to be flown at half-staff to honor COVID-19 victims as Kansas exceeded 6,000 reported deaths.

►ChristianaCare, the largest private employer in Delaware, has fired 150 employees for not complying with its COVID-19 vaccine requirement, the health system announced Monday. ChristianaCare employs more than 14,000 people.

►A North Carolina-based hospital system said Monday more than 175 of its workers have been fired for failing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccination requirement. More than 99% of Novant Health’s 35,000-plus employees are now compliant with the mandate.

►Nearly 2,200 schools across 539 districts in 43 states have temporarily closed in-person learning because of COVID-19 outbreaks so far this school year, according to Burbio, a New York-based data service that is tracking K-12 school reopening trends.

►More than two dozen breweries across the U.S. have been making a special beer to benefit musicians and others in the music industry, many of whom saw their livelihoods quashed by the pandemic.

►French President Emmanuel Macron and the World Health Organization chief kicked off construction Monday of a multimillion-dollar "WHO Academy" that aims to educate health workers and others in-person and virtually.

►A pharmacy owner in Puerto Rico pleaded guilty to illegally vaccinating two dozen children against COVID-19 with shots that had not been approved as safe for that age group, federal authorities said Monday.

📈Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 43 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 689,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 232.1 million cases and 4.7 million deaths. More than 183 million Americans – 55% of the population – have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

📘 What we're reading: Some vaccine resisters have been galvanized by the idea that the shot is the "mark of the beast." Is there a connection to the Bible? Read more here.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY's Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox and join our Facebook group.

Arizona judge finds ban on school mask mandates and other laws in budget unconstitutional

School districts in Arizona can enact their own mask standards as a result of a sweeping court ruling issued Monday that found portions of four state budget-related bills unconstitutional.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper found the Legislature violated the Arizona Constitution when it packed numerous policy issues into the $12.8 billion budget package.Her ruling affects not just masks and vaccine limitations, but also a law regarding the teaching of controversial topics, election-related changes and a host of other provisions.

The role of the budget-related bills where these other policies were included is to relate to the spending allowed in the budget, Cooper said. "It was not to enact laws prohibiting mask mandates, regulating school curriculum, or authorizing special interest projects unrelated to the budget or budget reconciliation," Cooper wrote. Read more here.

– Mary Jo Pitzl, Arizona Republic

State Department spokesperson tests positive for COVID-19

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said he tested positive for COVID-19 Monday and will quarantine for 10 days.

"I'm feeling under the weather but am grateful for the protection from severe illness offered by safe and effective vaccines," Price said in a tweet.

Jalina Porter, the agency’s deputy spokesperson, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken undergoes regular testing and tested negative Monday morning. Porter said it is not clear where or when Price was exposed to the virus but said other State Department employees would follow COVID-19 protocols.

Price and Blinken were both in New York last week to attend meetings of the United Nations General Assembly's annual session. Blinken met with foreign ministers from around the world. But Porter said Price only began experiencing symptoms on Monday morning and suggested he was not contagious before Saturday.

– Deirdre Shesgreen

Tens of thousands of New York health care workers could lose jobs

Tens of thousands of health care workers across New York state could lose their jobs as soon as Monday, the state-imposed deadline for them to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. All health care workers at hospitals and nursing homes are required to have at least one dose under the mandate issued last month by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

At least 8,700 nursing home workers chose to get the vaccine to avoid losing their jobs, state data showed. The percentage of nursing home staff receiving at least one dose of COVID-19 increased to 89% as of Sunday, up from 83% on Wednesday. Still, that means about 16,000 of the 145,000 total nursing home workers statewide had yet to comply with the vaccine mandate.

As for hospitals, the number of workers who waited to the 11th hour to comply with the vaccine mandate remains unclear. Hospitals reported 84% of their roughly 450,000 workers were vaccinated as of last week. That left the future employment of about 72,000 hospital workers unclear.

The state Labor Department said those who lose their jobs won't be eligible for unemployment benefits in most cases.

Gov. Kathy Hochul says she is considering plans to declare a state of emergency, bring in the National Guard and hire workers from others states and countries if staffing issues become dangerously low. "We are still in a battle against COVID to protect our loved ones, and we need to fight with every tool at our disposal," Hochul said in a statement.

Home care, hospice and adult care workers must be vaccinated by Oct. 7 under the rules, which some workers are challenging in the courts. Read more here.

– David Robinson and Joseph Spector, New York State Team

4.75M global COVID-19 deaths? That's a drastic undercount

The world has reported its 4,750,000th COVID-19 death, Johns Hopkins University data shows. That number almost certainly represents a drastic undercount. India alone underreports deaths by about 4 million, some estimates suggest.

The world in 2020 reported about 1.88 million COVID-19 deaths, and about 2.87 million so far in 2021.

Vietnam reported 35 deaths last year and about 18,500 this year. Mongola reported one death last year and 1,205 this year. Fiji so far this year has reported 588 deaths to last year's two. The United States in about a week could report more cases in 2021 than it did in 2020.

But not every country is reporting more deaths this year than last. Belgium and Australia have reported about a third as many deaths so far this year as they did last year. China reported 67 deaths this year, compared with 4,782 deaths last year.

– Mike Stucka

Massachusetts troopers plan to quit over vaccine mandate

The State Police Association of Massachusetts said dozens of troopers are planning to leave their jobs after a judge on Thursday denied a request to delay Gov. Charlie Baker’s state employee COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

"We are disappointed in the judge’s ruling; however, we respect her decision. It is unfortunate that the governor and his team have chosen to mandate one of the most stringent vaccine mandates in the country with no reasonable alternatives," SPAM President Michael Cherven said in a statement.

As a result of Judge Jackie Cowin's decision, "dozens of troopers have already submitted their resignation paperwork, some of whom plan to return to other departments offering reasonable alternatives such as mask wearing and regular testing," the union wrote.

The union is also seeking to have COVID-19 infections listed as a line-of-duty injury.

Police, firefighter outbreaks in LA blamed for thousands of infections

Public health officials in Los Angeles have identified 211 coronavirus outbreaks at police or fire agencies throughout the county since the start of the pandemic, according to data obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

The outbreaks, accounting for more than 2,500 cases from March 2020 to last month, represent 9% of total workplace outbreaks across the county, the newspaper reported Sunday. Outbreaks have occurred regularly even as vaccination rates increased among police and fire personnel and the number of individual coronavirus cases per outbreak has fallen since last winter.

The data showed 38 outbreaks at public safety agencies were identified in April 2021, the most in any month since the start of the pandemic. A month later, 35 outbreaks – the second most – were recorded by the county Department of Public Health.

Vaccination rates for Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Fire Department employees generally lag behind the 68% of eligible county residents who have gotten their shots. Critics have accused the police officers and city firefighters of ignoring public safety – and their sworn duties to uphold it – by refusing to get vaccinated.

Officials issue warning over COVID-19 vaccine protests in Cincinnati

Anti-vaccine demonstrators attempting to block highways in the Cincinnati area as part of nationwide protests will face felony charges, according to the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office.

Prosecutor Joe Deters said his office has learned of protesters' plans to shut down highways across the country on Monday morning in a denouncement of mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

"I want to be perfectly clear," Deters said in a release. "Anyone who attempts to shut down the highways in Hamilton County will be removed from their vehicles, charged with felony Disrupting Public Services, and they will go to jail."

Posts have surfaced on social media platforms, specifically TikTok and Facebook, urging truckers and other drivers to participate in the "Patriot Shutdown" protests by blocking traffic at specific highway mile markers, including three Hamilton County locations, Amy Clausing, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office, told The Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network. Read more here.

– Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer

Alabama lawmakers weigh using virus funds to build prisons

Alabama lawmakers on Monday are scheduled to begin a special session focused on a $1.3 billion construction plan to build at least three new prisons and renovate others.

The projects would be done in phases and funded with a $785 million bond issue, $150 million in general fund dollars and $400 million from the state’s $2.2 billion share of American Rescue Plan funds.

Gov. Kay Ivey and Republican legislative leaders have defended the use of the COVID funds, saying it will enable the state to essentially "pay cash" for part of the construction and avoid using state dollars as well as paying interest on a loan.

"We don’t have to borrow quite as much money and pay all that money back," Ivey told reporters this week of why the virus funds should be used for prison construction.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Joe Biden gets a vaccine booster shot: COVID Updates