Former ‘General Hospital’ actor Ingo Rademacher sues ABC over vaccine mandate

The soap star claimed that his application for religious exemption was denied by the Disney-owned network

Former “General Hospital” star Ingo Rademacher has sued the soap’s home network of ABC over Its vaccine mandate.

“General Hospital” alum Ingo Rademacher has sued ABC over their vaccine mandate, alleging they denied his applications for religious exemption.
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Disney World pauses COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Walt Disney World confirmed Saturday that it has paused its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

“We believe that our approach to mandatory vaccines has been the right one as we’ve continued to focus on the safety and well-being of our cast members and guests, and at this point, more than 90% of active Florida-based cast members have already verified that they are fully vaccinated,” a Disney spokesperson said. “We will address legal developments as appropriate.”

An internal memo from Disney said that the pause will remain in effect as the company “assesses the new state laws protecting workers from vaccine mandates,” according to FOX 35 Orlando. The station said it had obtained a copy of the internal memo sent to Disney cast members.

Nick Caturano, a cast member at Disney World for more than 16 years, said that he had heard managers were leaking e-mails detailing the move two hours before the cast members received them.

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Federal appeals court halts Biden administration’s vaccine requirement

A federal appeals court in New Orleans has halted the Biden administration’s vaccine or testing requirement for private businesses, delivering another political setback to one of the White House’s signature public health policies.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, helmed by one judge who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and two others who were appointed by President Donald Trump, issued the ruling Friday, after temporarily halting the mandate last weekend in response to lawsuits filed by Republican-aligned businesses and legal groups.

Calling the requirement a “mandate,” the court said the rule, instituted through the Labor Department, “grossly exceeds OSHA’s statutory authority,” according to the opinion, written by Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt and joined by Judges Edith H. Jones and Stuart Kyle Duncan.

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FDA authorizes boosters for people 65+, high risk

The outside of the Food and Drug Administration headquarters is seen in White Oak, Md., on Monday, November 9, 2015. The FDA is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and has been in commission since 1906

The US Food and Drug Administration late Wednesday authorized booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 65 and up. Also eligible for boosters will be those ages 18 to 64 who are at high risk of severe COVID-19 or at high risk from frequent occupational or institutional exposures to SARS-CoV-2, such as healthcare workers and teachers.

The single booster dose should only be given at least six months after the two initial doses. The authorization comes as an amendment to an Emergency Use Authorization.

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Feds capping Regeneron shipments

Officials set Florida’s weekly supply of monoclonal antibody treatments to 30,950 doses.

The Biden administration is capping the supply of a COVID-19 treatment heavily promoted by Gov. Ron DeSantis as demand soars in states hit hard by the delta surge.

DeSantis has opened 25 clinics across the state that provide Regeneron’s antibody cocktail at no cost to patients, but state officials are concerned about new supply limits implemented this week by the federal government, said Christina Pushaw, the governor’s spokesperson.

Federal health officials are setting Florida’s weekly supply of monoclonal antibody treatments at 30,950 doses, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A box and vial of the Regeneron monoclonal antibody is seen at a new COVID-19 treatment site opened by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Florida’s state clinics and private providers have been ordering about 72,000 doses a week, Pushaw said. About 36,000 doses are required weekly to supply the state clinics, she said.

“We didn’t get any notice or time to prepare for this — neither did any providers in Florida,” Pushaw said. “We were blindsided by this and the deficit is pretty significant, but it is the governor’s priority to make sure we fill that gap.”

Health care providers and states are no longer able to order the drug from the federal government. Instead, states will get a weekly allotment based on infection and hospitalization rates.

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