Pfizer pill gets approval for at-home use for coronavirus

US health regulators have approved Pfizer's Paxlovid, a pill to treat coronavirus symptoms at home for those who get sick, which has shown to be about 90% effective in treating serious aspects of COVID-19 with limited side effects. The FDA approved it for individuals 12 and older, with the condition that it is prescribed after a positive test and is most effective within five days of symptom onset. The US will ration shipments to areas most affected by COVID-19, and Pfizer plans to reduce manufacturing time and ship 80 million doses globally. Another at-home COVID-19 drug from Merck is also expected to be approved soon.

US congressional Muslim staff members demand action on Islamophobia

Dozens of Muslim congressional staff members have demanded action from the US House of Representatives' leadership against Republican Lauren Boebert for her Islamophobic comments about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. The letter, signed by 62 Muslim staff members and nearly 400 allies, condemns Boebert's remarks and calls for rejecting rhetoric that endangers staff well-being. Boebert's apology was deemed insufficient by Omar and other Democrats, who are urging Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to strip Boebert of her committee assignments. Omar is confident that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will take action against Boebert.