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Merck's antiviral pill Molnupiravir. (Handout/AFP/Getty Images)

Biden touts antiviral pill as more than a dozen Republican AGs file suit against vaccine mandate

Updated November 5, 2021 at 7:57 p.m. EDT|Published November 5, 2021 at 2:47 p.m. EDT
In what could be another turning point in the grueling fight against a virus that has upended lives and killed more than 749,000 people in the country, President Biden said Friday that the United States has already secured millions of doses of Pfizer’s antiviral pill, which the drugmaker says is extremely effective in treating covid-19 for at-risk people.  

Here’s what to know

  • An experimental coronavirus pill reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent in high-risk people infected with the virus, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Friday.
  • Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers defended his decision not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, decrying the “woke mob and what he described as a “witch hunt” against him.
  • The federal government has canceled a deal worth $628 million with Emergent BioSolutions, a Maryland-based vaccine manufacturer that was a vanguard of the Trump administration’s program to rapidly produce vaccines.
  • Classes for Chicago Public Schools will be canceled on Nov. 12 to give students an opportunity to get vaccinated.
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An experimental coronavirus pill reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent in high-risk people infected with the virus, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Friday.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers defended his decision not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, decrying the “woke mob and what he described as a “witch hunt” against him.
The federal government has canceled a deal worth $628 million with Emergent BioSolutions, a Maryland-based vaccine manufacturer that was a vanguard of the Trump administration’s program to rapidly produce vaccines.
Classes for Chicago Public Schools will be canceled on Nov. 12 to give students an opportunity to get vaccinated.

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Coronavirus: What you need to know

End of the public health emergency: The Biden administration ended the public health emergency for the coronavirus pandemic on May 11, just days after WHO said it would no longer classify the coronavirus pandemic as a public health emergency. Here’s what the end of the covid public health emergency means for you.

Tracking covid cases, deaths: Covid-19 was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States last year with covid deaths dropping 47 percent between 2021 and 2022. See the latest covid numbers in the U.S. and across the world.

The latest on coronavirus boosters: The FDA cleared the way for people who are at least 65 or immune-compromised to receive a second updated booster shot for the coronavirus. Here’s who should get the second covid booster and when.

New covid variant: A new coronavirus subvariant, XBB. 1.16, has been designated as a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization. The latest omicron offshoot is particularly prevalent in India. Here’s what you need to know about Arcturus.

Would we shut down again? What will the United States do the next time a deadly virus comes knocking on the door?

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