A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) overstepped its legal authority by issuing a nationwide eviction moratorium, a ruling that could affect millions of struggling Americans. In a 20-page order, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich vacated the CDC order, first put in place during the coronavirus pandemic under the Trump administration and now set to expire June 30.

The NFL announced on Wednesday that fans vaccinated against the coronavirus will have an opportunity to win free tickets to next year’s Super Bowl. Fans who share why they got vaccinated, or soon will, will be eligible to win a pair of tickets to Super Bowl LVI. The league said it is giving away 50 free tickets. Super Bowl LVI will be held at Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13. Other sports programs are also offering incentives. As an example, the Yankees and Mets will offer free tickets to spectators who get vaccinated against COVID-19 at sites set up right at the game. Fully vaccinated spectators will also be able to attend Yankees and Mets games in sections designated for 100 percent capacity starting this month.

In a significant move to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. government agreed to support a controversial proposal to temporarily waive intellectual property rights for vaccines in a bid to increase global supplies of desperately needed doses. The proposal, which was first introduced before the World Trade Organization last fall by South Africa and India, would cover patents, industrial designs, copyrights, and protection of trade secrets.

According to Axios, around 10 percent of Americans aren’t very eager to get the vaccine, but they’re not really hesitant either — they’re just waiting to get it until they get around to it, according to new Harris polling. The findings show that making vaccination more convenient will be a big part of the difficult process of getting more shots in arms, now that many of the most eager Americans have gotten their shots. As of late April, 43 percent of respondents said they’d already gotten a shot, 12 percent said they plan to go to get one the first day they’re able to, 10 percent said they’ll get the vaccine whenever they get around to it, and 21 percent said they will wait a while and see before getting the vaccine. Unfortunately, 14 percent of respondents said they won’t get a vaccine, a number that is virtually unchanged since January. In the real world, about 56 percent of U.S. adults had received at least one shot as of Saturday, per the CDC.

By serendipity, the World Health Organization designated 2020 the Year of the Nurse, in honor of the 200^th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. As we all know, the year, whether designated or not, truly did prove to be the year of the nurse. As we celebrate National Nurses Week 2021, to honor the special nurses working in Community Health Centers across the nation, NACHC has released a new publication: 52 Weeks In The Life Of A Community Health Center Nurse. While every community health center nurse is unique, they all have one thing in common: to provide their patients with the highest level of care, regardless of the challenges in front of them. From persistence and resilience to courageousness and heroism, these 52 stories provide examples of the awe-inspiring nurses working in our FQHCs and honor and celebrate their contributions and commitment to their patients and community.

The $145 million COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) launched by Pennsylvania Governor Wolf’s administration is successfully providing pandemic financial relief to Pennsylvania’s restaurant and hospitality industry. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the program early this year after his administration secured a transfer of $145 million for grants to support the hospitality industry.

“These state-funded grants provide the critical relief that family-owned and local businesses across the state need to recover from the pandemic and build our economy stronger,” said Gov. Wolf. “Millions of dollars in immediate relief has gone to business owners to help them get back on their feet, hire employees and support local economies. If the grants are still available in your county; I urge you to apply.”

The state has worked with counties and economic development partners to quickly disburse millions to the hospitality industry with several already announcing at least $50 million in grants. Most recently awarding funding to restaurants, bars, and other businesses in various counties across the state including: $15 million to Allegheny County, $6.5 million in York County, $4.1 million to Lehigh County, $3.5 million to Northampton County, $3.4 million in Luzerne County, $3.3 million in Berks County, $3 million in Erie County, $3 million in Dauphin County, more than $2 million to Washington County, $1.8 million in Centre County, $1.2 million in Lycoming County, more than $1 million to Adams County, and nearly $900,000 to Clearfield County.

Following the creation of the program, the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) acted quickly to disburse the $145 million in the form of block grants to all 67 counties based on population.

Counties administer the funding through one or more designated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) or Community Economic Development Organization (CEDO), which began processing applications from businesses in each county on March 15. Funding must be provided to businesses by July 15, 2021.

For more information on the program, including eligibility requirements and application procedures visit COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) or reach out to one or more Certified Economic Development Organizations or Community Development Financial Institutions.

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Governor’s Advisory Commission for Latino Affairs Executive Director Luz Colon visited a vaccine clinic at Giorgio Mushrooms in Berks County where more than 600 farmworkers received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The clinic was available through a mobile vaccine and testing unit operated in partnership by the Latino Connection and Highmark Blue Shield.

“These frontline workers have accepted risk and worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure the availability of food,” said Redding. “Now, as the COVID-19 vaccine is available, we see they’re not only dedicated to feeding Pennsylvania, but they’re dedicated to doing their part to ensure of a safer, healthier commonwealth.

“Thank you for saying ‘yes’ to agriculture and ‘yes’ to a brighter, healthier future. Your commitment to community makes Pennsylvania a better place,” added Redding.

In August 2020, a unique partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Latino Connection, and Highmark Blue Shield initiated a first-of-its-kind mobile Community-Accessible Testing & Education (CATE) unit to strategically reach underserved, diverse populations and meet their COVID-19 testing needs. Now, it’s used to administer COVID-19 vaccinations in coordination with community partners. So far, more than 1,500 agricultural and migrant farmworkers have been successfully vaccinated through the CATE mobile unit.

“We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has created great hardship and anxiety for Latino families that face barriers, especially with all of the misinformation out there,” said Colon. “This unique partnership makes the COVID-19 vaccine 100% accessible by meeting the Latinx community where they are.”

Pennsylvania is home to more than 60,000 farmworkers – both citizen and migrant – who work to ensure Pennsylvania’s farms run efficiently and produce food to feed the nation. Pennsylvania’s mushroom industry leads the nation in production, with nearly 60% of all mushroom production occurring in southeast Pennsylvania. The industry supports nearly 9,000 jobs and contributes $1.1 billion to the economy.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania’s nation-leading mushroom industry stepped up to the plate to both feed America and keep their workers safe. These farmworkers became eligible for vaccine as part of the commonwealth’s expanded special initiative to vaccinate frontline workers.

Essential workers who get the COVID-19 vaccine are protecting themselves, their family, their co-workers, and their community. In addition to this, farmworkers who choose to protect their health with the vaccine are also protecting the availability and accessibility of food.

Pennsylvania’s administration announced that event and gathering maximum occupancy limits will be increased to 50 percent for indoor events and gatherings and 75 percent for outdoor events and gatherings effective Monday, May 17 at 12:01 AM.

“As more Pennsylvania adults get vaccinated and guidance from the CDC evolves, we can continue to move forward with the commonwealth’s reopening efforts,” said Governor Wolf. “We recognize the significant strain businesses have faced during COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Throughout the last year and half, we have seen businesses continue to put the safety of their patrons first and I believe they will continue to do so even with this capacity increase.”

This update will not prevent municipalities, school districts, restaurants and venues from continuing and implementing stricter mitigation efforts. Based on current CDC guidance, social distancing is strongly recommended for municipalities, school districts, restaurants, and venues.

An event or gathering is defined as a temporary grouping of individuals for defined purposes, that takes place over a limited timeframe, such as hours or days. For example, events and gatherings include fairs, festivals, concerts or shows and groupings that occur within larger, more permanent businesses, such as shows or performances within amusements parks, individual showings of movies on a single screen/auditorium within a multiplex, business meetings or conferences, or each party or reception within a multiroom venue.

Face coverings are still to be worn indoors and outdoors if you are away from your home. In accordance with the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians are not required to wear a mask during certain activities. The current order requiring Pennsylvanians to wear masks will be lifted when 70 percent of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated.

“As we continue implementing our reopening plan as quickly as possible, the safety of Pennsylvanians remains at the forefront of our decision making,” said Gov. Wolf. “During the pandemic, all Pennsylvanians have worked collaboratively to stop the spread of COVID-19. We must continue that same mindset during our reopening efforts. I urge each eligible Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated to help protect your neighbors and loved ones as we work to safely reopen our beloved commonwealth communities.”

Currently, maximum occupancy is 25 percent for indoor events and gatherings and 50 percent for outdoor events and gatherings, regardless of venue size and only if attendees and workers are able to comply with the 6-foot physical distancing requirement.

All Pennsylvanians ages 16 and older are eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine. To find a vaccine provider, visit vaccines.gov. Pennsylvanians with questions about the vaccination process can call the Department of Health’s hotline at 1-877-724-3258.

A Tool to Increase Vaccine Confidence in Rural Areas

The White House launched the Rural Community Toolkit to increase confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines while reinforcing basic prevention measures in rural communities. This toolkit features tailored materials you can use to educate rural residents about the vaccines.

This material is intended for all organizations that communicate directly with rural audiences. Access the user guide to learn how to use it in your community.