What we’re reading: Pfizer vaccine shows effectiveness in teens, Biden unveils infrastructure plan

By Iris Lopez

Published Mar 31, 2021

In this Wednesday, March 24, 2021 image from video provided by Duke Health, Alejandra Gerardo, 9, looks up to her mom, Dr. Susanna Naggie, as she gets the first of two Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations during a clinical trial for children at Duke Health in Durham, N.C. In the U.S. and abroad, researchers are beginning to test younger kids to make sure the shots are safe and effective for each age. (Shawn Rocco/Duke Health via AP)

Pfizer announces its COVID-19 vaccine is effective for younger teens

Pfizer announced that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children as young as 12, according to AP News.

The vaccine is currently authorized only for people ages 16 and older, but vaccinating younger teens entering school in the fall could be crucial in stopping the spread of COVID-19.

A study of 2,260 volunteers ranging from ages 12-15 showed no cases of COVID-19 out of the fully vaccinated teens.

Among the teens who were vaccinated, side effects such as pain, fever, chills and fatigue were similar to what many young adults experienced.

“It’s hard to get kids to comply with masking and distancing, so something that gives them hard protection and takes them out of the mix of spreading the virus is all for the good,” Dr. Philip J. Landrigan of Boston College said.

Moderna is also expected to release results from a U.S. study of its vaccine in 12-17-year-olds by mid-2021.

President Biden expected to announce $2 trillion infrastructure plan

In this photo from March 30, 2021, President Joe Biden speaks after signing the PPP Extension Act of 2021 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Biden wants $2 trillion to reengineer America’s infrastructure and expects the nation’s corporations to pay for it. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Biden announced his $2 trillion plan that will help support infrastructure and create jobs across the country Wednesday, according to The New York Times.

The proposition would be paid for by 15 years of higher taxes on corporations.

The infrastructure plan would go towards transportation, buildings, utilities, jobs, innovation and in-home care.

Pair of U.S. Capitol Police officers sue Trump

Two U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Officers are suing former President Donald Trump over the riot that occurred on Jan. 6, according to CBS News.

The USCP officers filed their complaint in the federal district court in the District of Columbia on Tuesday.

Officers James Blassingame, 17-year veteran of the Capitol Police, and Sidney Hemby, 11-year veteran of the force, argue that Trump’s claims of election fraud are what led to the attack and ended in a deadly assault leaving the officers with physical and emotional injuries.

The officers, both from Maryland, are seeking compensatory damages of at least $75,000 apiece.

The complaint states that “through his words in the months following the 2020 presidential election and speaking from a position of authority over his followers, [Trump] planted the seeds that made likely the violence that was unleashed on James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby on January 6, 2021,” according to CBS News.

The U.S. Capitol Police said that Blassingame and Hemby are acting individually from the department.