PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) - A Sarpy County man who broke into a home, tied up and sexually assaulted a woman and then stole money from her was sentenced Monday to 165 to 220 years in prison.

Sarpy County District Judge George Thompson sentenced Stephen R. Prior, 56, after agreeing with a jury that he met the criteria as a habitual criminal, The Omaha World-Herald&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/sarpy-county-man-is-sentenced-to-165-plus-years-in-prison-for-sexual-assault-other/article_7e97c994-3e15-11eb-9764-b3389465d6b8.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest" target="_blank">reported</a>.

Prior has been jailed in Sarpy County since he was arrested in October 2017. He was found guilty Sept. 30 of nine felonies stemming from the break-in and assault at a home on Oct. 18, 2017.

Prior had served about eight years in the 1980s and 1990s for burglary and robbery. He also had a number of protection orders against him in the Omaha area from women who said Prior had harassed them, according to court records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607984442972.png" alt="Stephen Prior" />
 <figcaption>Stephen Prior</figcaption>
 </figure>PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) - A Sarpy County man who broke into a home, tied up and sexually assaulted a woman and then stole money from her was sentenced Monday to 165 to 220 years in prison.Sarpy County District Judge George Thompson sentenced Stephen R. Prior, 56, after agreeing with a jury that he met the criteria as a habitual criminal, The Omaha World-Herald&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/sarpy-county-man-is-sentenced-to-165-plus-years-in-prison-for-sexual-assault-other/article_7e97c994-3e15-11eb-9764-b3389465d6b8.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest" target="_blank">reported</a>.Prior has been jailed in Sarpy County since he was arrested in October 2017. He was found guilty Sept. 30 of nine felonies stemming from the break-in and assault at a home on Oct. 18, 2017.Prior had served about eight years in the 1980s and 1990s for burglary and robbery. He also had a number of protection orders against him in the Omaha area from women who said Prior had harassed them, according to court records.

Nebraska man sentenced to 165 to 220 years on several felonies

LINCOLN – Attorney General Doug Peterson today&nbsp;helped lead a&nbsp;bipartisan&nbsp;coalition of 28&nbsp;additional&nbsp;attorneys general&nbsp;urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to hold accountable drug manufacturers that are unlawfully refusing to provide discounts to&nbsp;federally qualified health centers,&nbsp;hospitals, and other providers that serve vulnerable patient populations through the 340B Drug Pricing Program.&nbsp;

The 340B Drug Pricing Program provides&nbsp;discounts to&nbsp;covered&nbsp;healthcare&nbsp;entities&nbsp;that serve uninsured and low-income patients, including those in rural communities, and helps these providers keep costs low even as prescription drug prices rise.&nbsp; In today’s letter&nbsp;addressed to&nbsp;Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the attorneys general argue that by withholding or threatening to withhold these critical discounts, drug manufacturers Eli Lilly &amp; Company, AstraZeneca PLC, Sanofi SA, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Merck &amp; Co.,&nbsp;United Therapeutics Corp.,&nbsp;and others,&nbsp;put&nbsp;low-income patients at risk of losing&nbsp;access to affordable medications while communities continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp; The 340B Drug Pricing Program has strong bipartisan support, and&nbsp;Congress has acted numerous times to ensure drug manufacturers continue to comply with the program’s mandates.

As a condition of having their drugs covered by Medicaid and Medicare Part B, Congress required drug manufacturers to enter into Pharmaceutical Pricing Agreements (PPA) with&nbsp;the HHS Secretary&nbsp;to limit the amount public hospitals, community health centers, and others serving indigent patients have to pay drug manufacturers for medications.&nbsp; These PPAs require the companies to offer each covered medication to providers “at or below the applicable ceiling price.”&nbsp; Instead of complying with their obligations, certain drug manufacturers have unlawfully refused to provide discounts, potentially depriving Americans who rely on them with essential healthcare resources that they need as the country deals with a public health crisis.&nbsp; Under the 340B Drug Pricing Program,&nbsp;HHS has the authority to address violations of the program by drug manufacturers.&nbsp; For example, HHS may require manufacturers to reimburse covered healthcare&nbsp;centers and/or terminate&nbsp;manufacturers’&nbsp;PPAs.&nbsp; While HHS has recently published regulations establishing an&nbsp;administrative dispute resolution (ADR) process under which covered entities can file complaints and seek relief, the&nbsp;ADR process is not sufficient to address immediate harm caused by&nbsp;drug companies.

Joining Attorney General Peterson on today’s letter are the&nbsp;attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

LINCOLN – Attorney General Doug Peterson today&nbsp;helped lead a&nbsp;bipartisan&nbsp;coalition of 28&nbsp;additional&nbsp;attorneys general&nbsp;urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to hold accountable drug manufacturers that are unlawfully refusing to provide discounts to&nbsp;federally qualified health centers,&nbsp;hospitals, and other providers that serve vulnerable patient populations through the 340B Drug Pricing Program.&nbsp;The 340B Drug Pricing Program provides&nbsp;discounts to&nbsp;covered&nbsp;healthcare&nbsp;entities&nbsp;that serve uninsured and low-income patients, including those in rural communities, and helps these providers keep costs low even as prescription drug prices rise.&nbsp; In today’s letter&nbsp;addressed to&nbsp;Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the attorneys general argue that by withholding or threatening to withhold these critical discounts, drug manufacturers Eli Lilly &amp; Company, AstraZeneca PLC, Sanofi SA, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Merck &amp; Co.,&nbsp;United Therapeutics Corp.,&nbsp;and others,&nbsp;put&nbsp;low-income patients at risk of losing&nbsp;access to affordable medications while communities continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp; The 340B Drug Pricing Program has strong bipartisan support, and&nbsp;Congress has acted numerous times to ensure drug manufacturers continue to comply with the program’s mandates.As a condition of having their drugs covered by Medicaid and Medicare Part B, Congress required drug manufacturers to enter into Pharmaceutical Pricing Agreements (PPA) with&nbsp;the HHS Secretary&nbsp;to limit the amount public hospitals, community health centers, and others serving indigent patients have to pay drug manufacturers for medications.&nbsp; These PPAs require the companies to offer each covered medication to providers “at or below the applicable ceiling price.”&nbsp; Instead of complying with their obligations, certain drug manufacturers have unlawfully refused to provide discounts, potentially depriving Americans who rely on them with essential healthcare resources that they need as the country deals with a public health crisis.&nbsp; Under the 340B Drug Pricing Program,&nbsp;HHS has the authority to address violations of the program by drug manufacturers.&nbsp; For example, HHS may require manufacturers to reimburse covered healthcare&nbsp;centers and/or terminate&nbsp;manufacturers’&nbsp;PPAs.&nbsp; While HHS has recently published regulations establishing an&nbsp;administrative dispute resolution (ADR) process under which covered entities can file complaints and seek relief, the&nbsp;ADR process is not sufficient to address immediate harm caused by&nbsp;drug companies.Joining Attorney General Peterson on today’s letter are the&nbsp;attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

NE AG Joins Bipartisan Letter On Drug Pricing Program

By:&nbsp;&nbsp;Justin Pinkerman,&nbsp;Executive Writer

Governor Pete Ricketts announced that the State is moving from the “orange” to “yellow” phase of its coronavirus pandemic response plan.&nbsp; As a result, the State of Nebraska is issuing new Directed Health Measures (DHMs) effective 12:01 AM on Saturday, December 12, 2020.&nbsp; The new DHMs change some of the restrictions put in place to help manage the coronavirus pandemic.&nbsp;

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, protecting Nebraska’s hospitals has been the ‘north star’ guiding our strategic response to the coronavirus,” said Gov. Ricketts.&nbsp; “Coronavirus hospitalizations have decreased from where they were three weeks ago.&nbsp; As a result, we’re updating the State’s DHMs in keeping with our pandemic plan. &nbsp;The virus is still present in our communities, and we all need to continue using the tools we have to slow its spread.&nbsp; I especially urge Nebraskans to be mindful of at-risk loved ones when making plans to celebrate the holidays. &nbsp;Let’s all take personal responsibility to stay healthy and keep Nebraska headed in the right direction.” &nbsp;

Nebraska’s pandemic response plan links DHM restrictions to the percentage of staffed hospital beds in Nebraska filled by coronavirus patients.&nbsp; The percentage is below 20% (7-day rolling average), which is the threshold for the State moving to the “yellow” phase of its pandemic plan.

Moving from the “orange” to “yellow” phase involves the following DHM changes:

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fan attendance at&nbsp;extracurricular activities—both school and club—is no longer limited to household members of participants.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Parties at restaurants and bars remain limited to groups of 8 or less.&nbsp; Individuals must still be seated unless ordering food, using the restroom, or playing games.&nbsp;&nbsp;Six feet of separation&nbsp;between groups returns to a guidance.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The maximum&nbsp;capacity for indoor gatherings&nbsp;goes from 25% to 50%.

o&nbsp;&nbsp;Only certain venues where people convene are considered “gatherings” under the State’s DHMs.&nbsp; Go to&nbsp;<a href="http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx" target="_blank">dhhs.ne.gov/coronavirus</a>&nbsp;and click on “Directed Health Measures” for details.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Masks&nbsp;are recommended, rather than required, for establishments such as childcare centers, salons, barber shops, massage therapists, and body art studios.&nbsp;

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elective surgeries&nbsp;can resume as long as a hospital keeps 10% of its capacity available to treat coronavirus patients.

New DHMs will be posted on the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website in the coming days.&nbsp; To view them, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx" target="_blank">dhhs.ne.gov/coronavirus.gov</a>, and click on the link for “Directed Health Measures.”&nbsp;

Executive Order 20-36 will remain in place.&nbsp; It gives public bodies the option to meet virtually by videoconference or teleconference through January 31, 2021.&nbsp;

By:&nbsp;&nbsp;Justin Pinkerman,&nbsp;Executive WriterGovernor Pete Ricketts announced that the State is moving from the “orange” to “yellow” phase of its coronavirus pandemic response plan.&nbsp; As a result, the State of Nebraska is issuing new Directed Health Measures (DHMs) effective 12:01 AM on Saturday, December 12, 2020.&nbsp; The new DHMs change some of the restrictions put in place to help manage the coronavirus pandemic.&nbsp;“Since the beginning of the pandemic, protecting Nebraska’s hospitals has been the ‘north star’ guiding our strategic response to the coronavirus,” said Gov. Ricketts.&nbsp; “Coronavirus hospitalizations have decreased from where they were three weeks ago.&nbsp; As a result, we’re updating the State’s DHMs in keeping with our pandemic plan. &nbsp;The virus is still present in our communities, and we all need to continue using the tools we have to slow its spread.&nbsp; I especially urge Nebraskans to be mindful of at-risk loved ones when making plans to celebrate the holidays. &nbsp;Let’s all take personal responsibility to stay healthy and keep Nebraska headed in the right direction.” &nbsp;Nebraska’s pandemic response plan links DHM restrictions to the percentage of staffed hospital beds in Nebraska filled by coronavirus patients.&nbsp; The percentage is below 20% (7-day rolling average), which is the threshold for the State moving to the “yellow” phase of its pandemic plan.Moving from the “orange” to “yellow” phase involves the following DHM changes:·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fan attendance at&nbsp;extracurricular activities—both school and club—is no longer limited to household members of participants.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Parties at restaurants and bars remain limited to groups of 8 or less.&nbsp; Individuals must still be seated unless ordering food, using the restroom, or playing games.&nbsp;&nbsp;Six feet of separation&nbsp;between groups returns to a guidance.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The maximum&nbsp;capacity for indoor gatherings&nbsp;goes from 25% to 50%.o&nbsp;&nbsp;Only certain venues where people convene are considered “gatherings” under the State’s DHMs.&nbsp; Go to&nbsp;<a href="http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx" target="_blank">dhhs.ne.gov/coronavirus</a>&nbsp;and click on “Directed Health Measures” for details.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Masks&nbsp;are recommended, rather than required, for establishments such as childcare centers, salons, barber shops, massage therapists, and body art studios.&nbsp;·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elective surgeries&nbsp;can resume as long as a hospital keeps 10% of its capacity available to treat coronavirus patients.New DHMs will be posted on the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website in the coming days.&nbsp; To view them, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx" target="_blank">dhhs.ne.gov/coronavirus.gov</a>, and click on the link for “Directed Health Measures.”&nbsp;Executive Order 20-36 will remain in place.&nbsp; It gives public bodies the option to meet virtually by videoconference or teleconference through January 31, 2021.&nbsp;

Ricketts announces new DHM

The largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history got underway Monday as health workers in select hospitals rolled up their sleeves for shots to protect them from COVID-19 and start beating back the pandemic — a day of optimism even as the nation’s death toll neared 300,000.

“I feel hopeful today. Relieved,” said critical case nurse Sandra Lindsay after getting a shot in the arm at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York.

Shipments of precious frozen vials of vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech began arriving at hospitals around the country Monday.

“This is the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s a long tunnel,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said as he watched Lindsay’s vaccination via video.

Several other countries also have OK’d the vaccine,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-gives-first-covid-19-vaccine-doses-719288c35d8ef8815b56b1c9c5fff24c">including the U.K.</a>, which started vaccinating last week.

For health care workers who, along with nursing home residents, will be first in line for vaccination, hope is tempered by grief and the sheer exhaustion of months spent battling a coronavirus that still is surging in the U.S. and around the world.

“This is mile 24 of a marathon. People are fatigued. But we also recognize that this end is in sight,” said Dr. Chris Dale of Swedish Health Services in Seattle.

Packed in dry ice to stay at ultra-frozen temperatures,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405">the first of nearly 3 million doses&nbsp;</a>being shipped in staggered batches this week made their way by truck and by plane around the country Sunday from Pfizer’s Kalamazoo, Michigan, factory. Once they arrive at distribution centers, each state directs where the doses go next.

Some hospitals across the country spent the weekend tracking their packages, refreshing FedEx and UPS websites for clues.

More of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will arrive each week. And later this week, the FDA will decide whether to green light the world’s second rigorously studied COVID-19 vaccine, made by Moderna Inc.

Now the hurdle is to rapidly get vaccine into the arms of millions, not just doctors and nurses but other at-risk health workers such as janitors and food handlers — and then deliver a second dose three weeks later.

“We’re also in the middle of a surge, and it’s the holidays, and our health care workers have been working at an extraordinary pace,” said Sue Mashni, chief pharmacy officer at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City.

Plus, the shots can cause temporary fever, fatigue and aches as they rev up people’s immune systems, forcing hospitals to stagger employee vaccinations.

A wary public will be watching closely to see whether health workers embrace vaccination. Just half of Americans say they want to get vaccinated, while about a quarter don’t and the rest are unsure, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-us-half-want-vaccine-shots-4d98dbfc0a64d60d52ac84c3065dac55">recent poll&nbsp;</a>by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Health Research.

The FDA, considered the world’s most strict medical regulator, said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine appears safe and strongly protective -- and laid out the data behind it in a daylong public meeting last week for scientists and consumers alike to see.

“Please people, when you look back in a year and you say to yourself, ‘Did I do the right thing?’ I hope you’ll be able to say, ‘Yes, because I looked at the evidence,’” Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. “People are dying right now. How could you possibly say, ‘Let’s wait and see.’”

Still, emergency use means the vaccine was cleared for widespread use before a final study in nearly 44,000 people is complete -- and that research is continuing to try to answer additional questions. While effective against COVID-19 illness, it’s not yet clear if vaccination will stop the symptomless spread that accounts for half of all cases.

The shots still must be studied in children, and during pregnancy. But the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said late Sunday that vaccination should not be withheld from pregnant women who otherwise would qualify.

While the vaccine was determined to be safe, regulators in the U.K. are investigating several severe allergic reactions. The FDA’s instructions tell providers not to give it to those with a known history of severe allergic reactions to any of its ingredients.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607960673587.png" alt="Sandra Lindsay, an ICU Nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens is the first American to get the vaccine in a non-trial setting, according to the office of New York Governor.&nbsp;Dr. Michelle Chester administered the shot." />
 <figcaption>Sandra Lindsay, an ICU Nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens is the first American to get the vaccine in a non-trial setting, according to the office of New York Governor.&nbsp;Dr. Michelle Chester administered the shot.</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated PressThe largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history got underway Monday as health workers in select hospitals rolled up their sleeves for shots to protect them from COVID-19 and start beating back the pandemic — a day of optimism even as the nation’s death toll neared 300,000.“I feel hopeful today. Relieved,” said critical case nurse Sandra Lindsay after getting a shot in the arm at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York.Shipments of precious frozen vials of vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech began arriving at hospitals around the country Monday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Watch LIVE as the first person in New York gets vaccinated: <a href="https://t.co/a3p8QOtK6w">https://t.co/a3p8QOtK6w</a>&mdash; Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/1338488030416388098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“This is the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s a long tunnel,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said as he watched Lindsay’s vaccination via video.Several other countries also have OK’d the vaccine,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-gives-first-covid-19-vaccine-doses-719288c35d8ef8815b56b1c9c5fff24c">including the U.K.</a>, which started vaccinating last week.For health care workers who, along with nursing home residents, will be first in line for vaccination, hope is tempered by grief and the sheer exhaustion of months spent battling a coronavirus that still is surging in the U.S. and around the world.“This is mile 24 of a marathon. People are fatigued. But we also recognize that this end is in sight,” said Dr. Chris Dale of Swedish Health Services in Seattle.Packed in dry ice to stay at ultra-frozen temperatures,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405">the first of nearly 3 million doses&nbsp;</a>being shipped in staggered batches this week made their way by truck and by plane around the country Sunday from Pfizer’s Kalamazoo, Michigan, factory. Once they arrive at distribution centers, each state directs where the doses go next.Some hospitals across the country spent the weekend tracking their packages, refreshing FedEx and UPS websites for clues.More of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will arrive each week. And later this week, the FDA will decide whether to green light the world’s second rigorously studied COVID-19 vaccine, made by Moderna Inc.Now the hurdle is to rapidly get vaccine into the arms of millions, not just doctors and nurses but other at-risk health workers such as janitors and food handlers — and then deliver a second dose three weeks later.“We’re also in the middle of a surge, and it’s the holidays, and our health care workers have been working at an extraordinary pace,” said Sue Mashni, chief pharmacy officer at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City.Plus, the shots can cause temporary fever, fatigue and aches as they rev up people’s immune systems, forcing hospitals to stagger employee vaccinations.A wary public will be watching closely to see whether health workers embrace vaccination. Just half of Americans say they want to get vaccinated, while about a quarter don’t and the rest are unsure, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-us-half-want-vaccine-shots-4d98dbfc0a64d60d52ac84c3065dac55">recent poll&nbsp;</a>by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Health Research.The FDA, considered the world’s most strict medical regulator, said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine appears safe and strongly protective -- and laid out the data behind it in a daylong public meeting last week for scientists and consumers alike to see.“Please people, when you look back in a year and you say to yourself, ‘Did I do the right thing?’ I hope you’ll be able to say, ‘Yes, because I looked at the evidence,’” Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. “People are dying right now. How could you possibly say, ‘Let’s wait and see.’”Still, emergency use means the vaccine was cleared for widespread use before a final study in nearly 44,000 people is complete -- and that research is continuing to try to answer additional questions. While effective against COVID-19 illness, it’s not yet clear if vaccination will stop the symptomless spread that accounts for half of all cases.The shots still must be studied in children, and during pregnancy. But the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said late Sunday that vaccination should not be withheld from pregnant women who otherwise would qualify.While the vaccine was determined to be safe, regulators in the U.K. are investigating several severe allergic reactions. The FDA’s instructions tell providers not to give it to those with a known history of severe allergic reactions to any of its ingredients.___

 🎥 ICU nurse is first to get Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination

By ERIC TUCKER, FRANK BAJAK and MATT O'BRIEN-Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hackers broke into the networks of the Treasury and Commerce departments as part of a monthslong global cyberespionage campaign revealed Sunday, just days after the prominent cybersecurity firm FireEye said it had been breached in an attack that industry experts said bore the hallmarks of Russian tradecraft.

In response to what may be a large-scale penetration of U.S. government agencies, the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity arm issued an emergency directive calling on all federal civilian agencies to scour their networks for compromises.

The threat apparently came from the same cyberespionage campaign that has afflicted FireEye, foreign governments and major corporations, and the FBI was investigating.

“This can turn into one of the most impactful espionage campaigns on record,” said cybersecurity expert Dmitri Alperovitch.

News of the hacks, first reported by Reuters, came less than a week after FireEye disclosed that foreign government hackers had broken into its network and stolen the company’s own hacking tools. Many experts suspect Russia is responsible. FireEye’s customers include federal, state and local governments and top global corporations.

The apparent conduit for the Treasury and Commerce Department hacks — and the FireEye compromise — is a hugely popular piece of server software called SolarWinds. It is used by hundreds of thousands of organizations globally, including most Fortune 500 companies and multiple U.S. federal agencies that will now be scrambling to patch up their networks, said Alperovitch, the former chief technical officer of the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://cyber.dhs.gov/ed/21-01/" target="_blank">DHS directive&nbsp;</a>— only the fifth since they were created in 2015 — said U.S. agencies should immediately disconnect or power down any machines running the impacted SolarWinds software.

FireEye, without naming any specific targets,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fireeye.com/blog/products-and-services/2020/12/global-intrusion-campaign-leverages-software-supply-chain-compromise.html" target="_blank">said in a blog post&nbsp;</a>that its investigation into the hack of its own network had identified “a global campaign” targeting governments and the private sector that, beginning in the spring, had slipped malware into a SolarWinds software update. Neither the company nor U.S. government officials would not say whether it believed Russian state-backed hackers were responsible.

The malware gave the hackers remote access to victims’ networks, and Alperovitch said SolarWinds grants “God-mode” access to a network, making everything visible.

“We anticipate this will be a very large event when all the information comes to light,” said John Hultquist, director of threat analysis at FireEye. “The actor is operating stealthily, but we are certainly still finding targets that they manage to operate in.”

On its website, SolarWinds says its 300,000 customers worldwide including all five branches of the U.S. military, the Pentagon, the State Department, NASA, the National Security Agency, the Department of Justice and the White House. It says the 10 leading U.S. telecommunications companies and top five U.S. accounting firms are also among customers.

FireEye said it had confirmed infections in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including in the health care and oil and gas industry — and had been informing affected customers around the world in the past few days. It said that malware that rode the SolarWinds update did not seed self-propagating malware — like the 2016 NotPetya malware blamed on Russia that caused more than $10 billion in damage globally — and that any actual infiltration of an infected organization required “meticulous planning and manual interaction.”

That means it’s a good bet only a subset of infected organizations were being spied on by the hackers. Nation-states have their cyberespionage priorities, which include COVID-19 vaccine development.

Cybersecurity experts said last week that they considered Russian state hackers to be the main suspect in the FireEye hack.

On Sunday, Russia’s U.S. embassy described as “unfounded” in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RusEmbUSA/posts/1488755328001519" target="_blank">post on its Facebook page&nbsp;</a>the “attempts of the U.S. media to blame Russia for hacker attacks on U.S. governmental bodies.”

Earlier, National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said in a statement that the government was “taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to this situation.” The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at DHS said it was working with other agencies to help “identify and mitigate any potential compromises.”

President Donald Trump last month fired the director of CISA, Chris Krebs, after Krebs vouched for the integrity of the presidential election and disputed Trump’s claims of widespread electoral fraud.

In a tweet Sunday, Krebs said “hacks of this type take exceptional tradecraft and time,” adding that he believed that its impact was only beginning to be understood.

Federal government agencies have long been attractive targets for foreign hackers.

Hackers linked to Russia were able to break into the State Department’s email system in 2014, infecting it so thoroughly that it had to be cut off from the internet while experts worked to eliminate the infestation.

The intrusions disclosed Sunday included the Commerce Department’s agency responsible for internet and telecommunications policy.

Treasury deferred comment to the National Security Council. A Commerce spokesperson confirmed a “breach in one of our bureaus” and said “we have asked CISA and the FBI to investigate.” The FBI said it was engaged in a response but declined to comment further.

Austin, Texas-based SolarWinds confirmed Sunday a “potential vulnerability” related to updates released between March and June for software products called Orion that help monitor networks for problems.

“We believe that this vulnerability is the result of a highly-sophisticated, targeted and manual supply chain attack by a nation state,” said SolarWinds CEO Kevin Thompson said in a statement. He said it was working with the FBI, FireEye and intelligence community.

FireEye announced on Tuesday that it had been hacked, saying foreign state hackers with “world-class capabilities” broke into its network and stole tools it uses to probe the defenses of its thousands of customers. The hackers “primarily sought information related to certain government customers,” FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia said in a statement, without naming them.

Former NSA hacker Jake Williams, the president of the cybersecurity firm Rendition Infosec, said FireEye surely told the FBI and other federal partners how it had been hacked and they determined that Treasury had been similarly compromised.

“I suspect that there’s a number of other (federal) agencies we’re going to hear from this week that have also been hit,” Williams added.

FireEye responded to the Sony and Equifax data breaches and helped Saudi Arabia thwart an oil industry cyberattack — and has played a key role in identifying Russia as the protagonist in numerous aggressions in the burgeoning netherworld of global digital conflict.

Mandia said there was no indication they got customer information from the company’s consulting or breach-response businesses or threat-intelligence data it collects.

By ERIC TUCKER, FRANK BAJAK and MATT O'BRIEN-Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — Hackers broke into the networks of the Treasury and Commerce departments as part of a monthslong global cyberespionage campaign revealed Sunday, just days after the prominent cybersecurity firm FireEye said it had been breached in an attack that industry experts said bore the hallmarks of Russian tradecraft.In response to what may be a large-scale penetration of U.S. government agencies, the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity arm issued an emergency directive calling on all federal civilian agencies to scour their networks for compromises.The threat apparently came from the same cyberespionage campaign that has afflicted FireEye, foreign governments and major corporations, and the FBI was investigating.“This can turn into one of the most impactful espionage campaigns on record,” said cybersecurity expert Dmitri Alperovitch.News of the hacks, first reported by Reuters, came less than a week after FireEye disclosed that foreign government hackers had broken into its network and stolen the company’s own hacking tools. Many experts suspect Russia is responsible. FireEye’s customers include federal, state and local governments and top global corporations.The apparent conduit for the Treasury and Commerce Department hacks — and the FireEye compromise — is a hugely popular piece of server software called SolarWinds. It is used by hundreds of thousands of organizations globally, including most Fortune 500 companies and multiple U.S. federal agencies that will now be scrambling to patch up their networks, said Alperovitch, the former chief technical officer of the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.The&nbsp;<a href="https://cyber.dhs.gov/ed/21-01/" target="_blank">DHS directive&nbsp;</a>— only the fifth since they were created in 2015 — said U.S. agencies should immediately disconnect or power down any machines running the impacted SolarWinds software.FireEye, without naming any specific targets,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fireeye.com/blog/products-and-services/2020/12/global-intrusion-campaign-leverages-software-supply-chain-compromise.html" target="_blank">said in a blog post&nbsp;</a>that its investigation into the hack of its own network had identified “a global campaign” targeting governments and the private sector that, beginning in the spring, had slipped malware into a SolarWinds software update. Neither the company nor U.S. government officials would not say whether it believed Russian state-backed hackers were responsible.The malware gave the hackers remote access to victims’ networks, and Alperovitch said SolarWinds grants “God-mode” access to a network, making everything visible.“We anticipate this will be a very large event when all the information comes to light,” said John Hultquist, director of threat analysis at FireEye. “The actor is operating stealthily, but we are certainly still finding targets that they manage to operate in.”On its website, SolarWinds says its 300,000 customers worldwide including all five branches of the U.S. military, the Pentagon, the State Department, NASA, the National Security Agency, the Department of Justice and the White House. It says the 10 leading U.S. telecommunications companies and top five U.S. accounting firms are also among customers.FireEye said it had confirmed infections in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including in the health care and oil and gas industry — and had been informing affected customers around the world in the past few days. It said that malware that rode the SolarWinds update did not seed self-propagating malware — like the 2016 NotPetya malware blamed on Russia that caused more than $10 billion in damage globally — and that any actual infiltration of an infected organization required “meticulous planning and manual interaction.”That means it’s a good bet only a subset of infected organizations were being spied on by the hackers. Nation-states have their cyberespionage priorities, which include COVID-19 vaccine development.Cybersecurity experts said last week that they considered Russian state hackers to be the main suspect in the FireEye hack.On Sunday, Russia’s U.S. embassy described as “unfounded” in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RusEmbUSA/posts/1488755328001519" target="_blank">post on its Facebook page&nbsp;</a>the “attempts of the U.S. media to blame Russia for hacker attacks on U.S. governmental bodies.”Earlier, National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said in a statement that the government was “taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to this situation.” The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at DHS said it was working with other agencies to help “identify and mitigate any potential compromises.”President Donald Trump last month fired the director of CISA, Chris Krebs, after Krebs vouched for the integrity of the presidential election and disputed Trump’s claims of widespread electoral fraud.In a tweet Sunday, Krebs said “hacks of this type take exceptional tradecraft and time,” adding that he believed that its impact was only beginning to be understood.Federal government agencies have long been attractive targets for foreign hackers.Hackers linked to Russia were able to break into the State Department’s email system in 2014, infecting it so thoroughly that it had to be cut off from the internet while experts worked to eliminate the infestation.The intrusions disclosed Sunday included the Commerce Department’s agency responsible for internet and telecommunications policy.Treasury deferred comment to the National Security Council. A Commerce spokesperson confirmed a “breach in one of our bureaus” and said “we have asked CISA and the FBI to investigate.” The FBI said it was engaged in a response but declined to comment further.Austin, Texas-based SolarWinds confirmed Sunday a “potential vulnerability” related to updates released between March and June for software products called Orion that help monitor networks for problems.“We believe that this vulnerability is the result of a highly-sophisticated, targeted and manual supply chain attack by a nation state,” said SolarWinds CEO Kevin Thompson said in a statement. He said it was working with the FBI, FireEye and intelligence community.FireEye announced on Tuesday that it had been hacked, saying foreign state hackers with “world-class capabilities” broke into its network and stole tools it uses to probe the defenses of its thousands of customers. The hackers “primarily sought information related to certain government customers,” FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia said in a statement, without naming them.Former NSA hacker Jake Williams, the president of the cybersecurity firm Rendition Infosec, said FireEye surely told the FBI and other federal partners how it had been hacked and they determined that Treasury had been similarly compromised.“I suspect that there’s a number of other (federal) agencies we’re going to hear from this week that have also been hit,” Williams added.FireEye responded to the Sony and Equifax data breaches and helped Saudi Arabia thwart an oil industry cyberattack — and has played a key role in identifying Russia as the protagonist in numerous aggressions in the burgeoning netherworld of global digital conflict.Mandia said there was no indication they got customer information from the company’s consulting or breach-response businesses or threat-intelligence data it collects.

US agencies hacked in monthslong global cyberspying campaign

By BERNARD CONDON and MATT SEDENSKY-Associated Press

(AP)-After 110,000 deaths ravaged the nation’s nursing homes and pushed them to the front of the vaccine line, they now face a vexing problem: Skeptical residents and workers balking at getting the shots.

Being first has come with persistent fears that the places hit hardest in the pandemic — accounting for nearly 40% of the nation’s death toll — could be put at risk again by vaccines sped into development in months rather than years. Some who live and work in homes question if enough testing was done on the elderly, if enough is known of side effects and if the shots could do more harm than good.

“You go get that first and let me know how you feel,” said Denise Schwartz, whose 84-year-old mother lives at an assisted living facility in East Northport, New York, and plans to decline the vaccine. “Obviously it would be horrible for her to get COVID, but is it totally safe for someone who’s elderly and in fragile health?”

As the U.S. begins shipping out freezer-packed vials of newly approved vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, public health officials say the answer is yes.

Everyone from members of the military to former presidents have announced their intentions to get the shots, echoing the refrains of others who say the drugs are the product of rigorous review, firm data and independent experts.

In an ongoing study of nearly 44,000 people, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the vaccine was safe and more than 90% effective across recipients of different ages, including older adults and those with health problems that put them at high risk of COVID-19.

But the undercurrent of doubt in nursing homes persists, sometimes fueled by divisive politics, distrust of institutions and misinformation. And so far, the workers are the ones being heard the loudest.

“Folks are concerned about it, that it was rushed through by people who were not listening to the science,” said Denise Allegretti, a director at 1999 SEIU, the nation’s largest healthcare worker union.

Internal surveys by groups including the American Nurses Foundation suggest many workers in long-term care facilities are so concerned about the vaccine they would refuse it.

“I will not be the test dummy,” wrote one respondent to a survey by the National Association of Health Care Assistants. “It’s not going to be safe and I won’t trust it,” added another. Some respondents just answered, “No way!”

Christina Chiger, a 33-year-veteran nurse’s aide at a nursing home in Tampa, Florida, is exhausted and frightened after a relentless nine months that left two dozen residents dead and made 16-hour shifts common. But she has no plans to take the vaccine, for now at least.

“Will there be side effects? Will it actually work?” she asked. “If we all get sick from taking this, who’s going to take care of our patients?”

Resistance to the vaccine in nursing homes is not entirely unexpected — about 3 in 10 staffers, and 2 in 10 residents were not vaccinated for the flu last year, for example — but it’s no less worrisome.

Given how easily COVID-19 spreads, particularly in communal settings, experts believe around 70% of the population will need to receive the vaccine for it to be successful.

“Nursing home staff has always been a challenge to vaccinate,” said Litjen Tan, chief strategist at the advocacy group Immunization Action Coalition. “We’re cutting it close.”

Cultural issues could also be at play. People of color make up a majority of aides and other frontline workers in nursing homes, and some minorities express mistrust of medicine that experts see linked with past abuses.

A poll released last week by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found Black and Hispanic people in the U.S. are far less likely than white people to agree to be vaccinated. Some 53% of whites said they would get the shots, compared with 24% of Blacks and 34% of Hispanics.

The AP-NORC poll also found women were less likely than men to say they would be vaccinated. An estimated 9 in 10 front-line nursing home workers are women. Overall, about a quarter of U.S. adults said they would refuse to get a vaccine, and another quarter said they weren’t sure.

“They don’t trust it. They don’t trust the science,” said Lori Porter, who heads the health assistants group and blames the Trump administration for making faith in science a political issue and undermining his own experts. “There’s so much misinformation that has circled over this pandemic this whole year that they don’t feel they can trust anyone.”

The federal government is seeking to blunt such attitudes with a $250 million ad campaign set to roll out this week that will eventually target healthcare workers and vulnerable groups. The pitch touts how vaccines will help beat COVID-19 the same way they defeated smallpox, measles and polio.

“One of the great triumphs of medical science ... has been vaccinations,” Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease scientist, said in one video.

The American Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes, has called for every resident and staff member to get both vaccine doses by March 1, even though it expects no federal or state mandates requiring shots.

“Our hope is that we get widespread acceptance of the vaccine,” said AHCA’s president, Mark Parkinson. “But if we don’t, I assure you that our organization as well as individual operators will be analyzing whether or not they can mandate the vaccine. We’re just hoping that we don’t have to go there.”

John Sauer, head of the Wisconsin branch of LeadingAge, which represents non-profit long-term care facilities, said the misery most residents and workers have already witnessed should be all the convincing they need. “They know that this could literally be a life-and-death situation.”

No reliable gauges of nursing home residents’ opinion on the coronavirus vaccine have emerged. Among older adults in general, the AP-NORC poll found greater acceptance of the vaccine than among younger people.

But fears persist among many older people, over the possibility of bad interactions for people already on a long list of drugs, or of undiscovered problems specific to their age group.

As with many vaccines, the drug companies say recipients may experience fever, fatigue or sore arms from the injection. Authorities are investigating several allergic reactions reported in Britain by health workers with a history of severe allergies.

Penelope Ann Shaw, a 77-year-old nursing home resident in Braintree, Massachusetts, said she plans to refuse the vaccine, as she does with annual flu shots, because of drug allergies and her concerns about how little is known about the new coronavirus drugs.

“For me, I think it’s a little premature,” said Shaw, who has Guillain-Barre syndrome, an immune system disorder, and was the lone long-term care resident to serve on the federal Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes. “You’re not doing it with me.”

After a year in which many facilities have walled off to the world, crippling some residents in isolation, and leading to medical declines and deaths in others, some need no convincing.

Among them is 85-year-old Harriet Krakowsky, a resident of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in New York City, who had friends killed by the virus and is still waiting for visitation restrictions to ease so she can meet two great-grandchildren who were born this year.

“For the first time in six or seven months,” she said, “there’s a little light at the end of the tunnel.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/9/1568903138747.png" alt="Photo: STEVEN DEPOLO / FLICKR--CC" />
 <figcaption>Photo: STEVEN DEPOLO / FLICKR--CC</figcaption>
 </figure>By BERNARD CONDON and MATT SEDENSKY-Associated Press(AP)-After 110,000 deaths ravaged the nation’s nursing homes and pushed them to the front of the vaccine line, they now face a vexing problem: Skeptical residents and workers balking at getting the shots.Being first has come with persistent fears that the places hit hardest in the pandemic — accounting for nearly 40% of the nation’s death toll — could be put at risk again by vaccines sped into development in months rather than years. Some who live and work in homes question if enough testing was done on the elderly, if enough is known of side effects and if the shots could do more harm than good.“You go get that first and let me know how you feel,” said Denise Schwartz, whose 84-year-old mother lives at an assisted living facility in East Northport, New York, and plans to decline the vaccine. “Obviously it would be horrible for her to get COVID, but is it totally safe for someone who’s elderly and in fragile health?”As the U.S. begins shipping out freezer-packed vials of newly approved vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, public health officials say the answer is yes.Everyone from members of the military to former presidents have announced their intentions to get the shots, echoing the refrains of others who say the drugs are the product of rigorous review, firm data and independent experts.In an ongoing study of nearly 44,000 people, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the vaccine was safe and more than 90% effective across recipients of different ages, including older adults and those with health problems that put them at high risk of COVID-19.But the undercurrent of doubt in nursing homes persists, sometimes fueled by divisive politics, distrust of institutions and misinformation. And so far, the workers are the ones being heard the loudest.“Folks are concerned about it, that it was rushed through by people who were not listening to the science,” said Denise Allegretti, a director at 1999 SEIU, the nation’s largest healthcare worker union.Internal surveys by groups including the American Nurses Foundation suggest many workers in long-term care facilities are so concerned about the vaccine they would refuse it.“I will not be the test dummy,” wrote one respondent to a survey by the National Association of Health Care Assistants. “It’s not going to be safe and I won’t trust it,” added another. Some respondents just answered, “No way!”Christina Chiger, a 33-year-veteran nurse’s aide at a nursing home in Tampa, Florida, is exhausted and frightened after a relentless nine months that left two dozen residents dead and made 16-hour shifts common. But she has no plans to take the vaccine, for now at least.“Will there be side effects? Will it actually work?” she asked. “If we all get sick from taking this, who’s going to take care of our patients?”Resistance to the vaccine in nursing homes is not entirely unexpected — about 3 in 10 staffers, and 2 in 10 residents were not vaccinated for the flu last year, for example — but it’s no less worrisome.Given how easily COVID-19 spreads, particularly in communal settings, experts believe around 70% of the population will need to receive the vaccine for it to be successful.“Nursing home staff has always been a challenge to vaccinate,” said Litjen Tan, chief strategist at the advocacy group Immunization Action Coalition. “We’re cutting it close.”Cultural issues could also be at play. People of color make up a majority of aides and other frontline workers in nursing homes, and some minorities express mistrust of medicine that experts see linked with past abuses.A poll released last week by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found Black and Hispanic people in the U.S. are far less likely than white people to agree to be vaccinated. Some 53% of whites said they would get the shots, compared with 24% of Blacks and 34% of Hispanics.The AP-NORC poll also found women were less likely than men to say they would be vaccinated. An estimated 9 in 10 front-line nursing home workers are women. Overall, about a quarter of U.S. adults said they would refuse to get a vaccine, and another quarter said they weren’t sure.“They don’t trust it. They don’t trust the science,” said Lori Porter, who heads the health assistants group and blames the Trump administration for making faith in science a political issue and undermining his own experts. “There’s so much misinformation that has circled over this pandemic this whole year that they don’t feel they can trust anyone.”The federal government is seeking to blunt such attitudes with a $250 million ad campaign set to roll out this week that will eventually target healthcare workers and vulnerable groups. The pitch touts how vaccines will help beat COVID-19 the same way they defeated smallpox, measles and polio.“One of the great triumphs of medical science ... has been vaccinations,” Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease scientist, said in one video.The American Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes, has called for every resident and staff member to get both vaccine doses by March 1, even though it expects no federal or state mandates requiring shots.“Our hope is that we get widespread acceptance of the vaccine,” said AHCA’s president, Mark Parkinson. “But if we don’t, I assure you that our organization as well as individual operators will be analyzing whether or not they can mandate the vaccine. We’re just hoping that we don’t have to go there.”John Sauer, head of the Wisconsin branch of LeadingAge, which represents non-profit long-term care facilities, said the misery most residents and workers have already witnessed should be all the convincing they need. “They know that this could literally be a life-and-death situation.”No reliable gauges of nursing home residents’ opinion on the coronavirus vaccine have emerged. Among older adults in general, the AP-NORC poll found greater acceptance of the vaccine than among younger people.But fears persist among many older people, over the possibility of bad interactions for people already on a long list of drugs, or of undiscovered problems specific to their age group.As with many vaccines, the drug companies say recipients may experience fever, fatigue or sore arms from the injection. Authorities are investigating several allergic reactions reported in Britain by health workers with a history of severe allergies.Penelope Ann Shaw, a 77-year-old nursing home resident in Braintree, Massachusetts, said she plans to refuse the vaccine, as she does with annual flu shots, because of drug allergies and her concerns about how little is known about the new coronavirus drugs.“For me, I think it’s a little premature,” said Shaw, who has Guillain-Barre syndrome, an immune system disorder, and was the lone long-term care resident to serve on the federal Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes. “You’re not doing it with me.”After a year in which many facilities have walled off to the world, crippling some residents in isolation, and leading to medical declines and deaths in others, some need no convincing.Among them is 85-year-old Harriet Krakowsky, a resident of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in New York City, who had friends killed by the virus and is still waiting for visitation restrictions to ease so she can meet two great-grandchildren who were born this year.“For the first time in six or seven months,” she said, “there’s a little light at the end of the tunnel.”

After 110K virus deaths, nursing homes face vaccine fears

PORTAGE, Michigan (AP) — The first of many freezer-packed COVID-19 vaccine vials made their way to distribution sites across the United States on Sunday, as the nation’s pandemic deaths approached the horrifying new milestone of 300,000.

The rollout of the Pfizer vaccine, the first to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, ushers in the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history — one that health officials hope the American public will embrace, even as some have voiced initial skepticism or worry. Shots are expected to be given to health care workers and nursing home residents beginning Monday.

Quick transport is key for the vaccine, especially since this one must be stored at extremely low temperatures — about 94 degrees below zero. Early Sunday, workers at Pfizer — dressed in fluorescent yellow clothing, hard hats and gloves — wasted no time as they packed vials into boxes. They scanned the packages and then placed them into freezer cases with dry ice. The vaccines were then taken from Pfizer’s Portage, Michigan, facility to Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, where the first cargo plane took off amid what airport officials called a “jubilant” mood.

“This is a historic day,” said Richard W. Smith, who oversees operations in the Americas for FedEx Express, which is delivering 630-some packages of vaccine to distribution sites across the country. United Parcel Service also is transporting a share of the vaccine.

Helping with the transport of the vaccine has special meaning to Bruce Smith, a FedEx package handler at the Grand Rapids airport, whose older sister, Queen, died after she contracted the coronavirus in May. She was hospitalized in Georgia one day after he saw her on a video chat, and they never spoke again.

“I think she would be ecstatic to know that something that has ravaged our family — that a family member is going to be part of such a big project,” said Smith, 58, whose nephew, Queen’s son, also got sick and is still undergoing therapy for stroke-like symptoms. “It is very, very important.”

Tracked with GPS-enabled sensors, the initial shipments were expected to contain about 3 million doses, with many more to come. Federal officials say the first shipments of Pfizer’s vaccine will be staggered, arriving in 145 distribution centers Monday, with another 425 sites getting shipments Tuesday, and the remaining 66 on Wednesday. Doses of the vaccine, co-developed by German partner BioNTech, are given out based on each state’s adult population. Then the states decide where they go first.

In California, where health care workers will be among the first to be vaccinated, state health officials are prioritizing hospitals that have adequate storage capacity, serve high-risk populations and have the ability to vaccinate people quickly.

Initial surveys have found that even some health care workers don’t want to be first in line. Dr. Graham Snyder, who’s led the vaccine task force at Pennsylvania health care giant UPMC, estimates that about half of its employees are willing to get the vaccine as soon as it’s offered.

But many health officials expect enthusiasm to grow.

“There’s that thought that maybe they don’t have to be so afraid to come to work if they can be vaccinated and be immune,” said Dr. Sandra Kemmerly, medical director of hospital quality at the 40-hospital Oschner Health System in Louisiana and Mississippi. Employees approved for the first round are getting texts and emails directing them to schedule their initial injection, she said. Enough vaccine is being saved so that each person who gets the first dose of vaccine can get a second required shot a few weeks later.

Senior U.S. government officials, including some White House officials who work in close proximity to President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, are among those who will be offered coronavirus&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-politics-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-michael-pence-f5a759c9d597d0e458c5fc9d2a96ee6f">vaccines as soon as this week</a>, two people familiar with the matter confirmed.

A survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about half of Americans want to get the vaccine as soon as possible. Another quarter aren’t sure, while the remaining quarter say they aren’t interested. Some simply oppose vaccines in general. Others are concerned that the vaccines have been rushed and want to see how the rollout goes.

Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the FDA, which approved the Pfizer vaccine Friday, has repeatedly insisted that the agency’s decision was based on science, not politics, despite a White House threat to fire him if the vaccine wasn’t approved before Saturday.

Speaking to Fox News Sunday, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief science adviser to Operation Warp Speed, a U.S. effort to get vaccines developed quickly, also said he is “very concerned” about the skepticism about the vaccine in some circles.

“Unfortunately ... there’s been a confusion between how thorough and scientific and factual the work that has been done is, and the perception that people are thinking that we cut corners ...,” Slaoui said. “I can guarantee you that no such things have happened, that we follow the science.”

He called the development of vaccines from several pharmaceutical companies, including Moderna and AstraZeneca, “a remarkable achievement of science, academia, the industry ecosystem and the U.S. government, working together.”

The Moderna vaccine will be reviewed by an expert panel Thursday and soon afterward could be allowed for public use.

KALAMAZOO, Michigan (AP) — The first shipments of a COVID-19 vaccine for widespread use in the United States headed Sunday from Michigan to distribution centers across the country, with the first shots expected to be given in the coming week to health care workers and at nursing homes.

Shipments of the Pfizer vaccine will set in motion the biggest vaccination effort in American history at a critical juncture of the pandemic that has killed 1.6 million and sickened 71 million worldwide.

Initially, about 3 million doses were expected to be sent out, and the priority is health care workers and nursing home residents as infections, hospitalizations and deaths soar in the U.S. With numbers likely to get worse over the holidays, the vaccine is offering a bright spot in the fight against the pandemic that’s killed nearly 300,000 Americans.

Federal officials say the first shipments of Pfizer’s vaccine will be staggered, arriving in 145 distribution centers Monday, with an additional 425 sites getting shipments Tuesday, and the remaining 66 on Wednesday. The vaccine, co-developed by German partner BioNTech, is being doled out based on each state’s adult population.

Pennsylvania health care giant UPMC has chosen staff who are critical to operating its facilities as among those getting the first round of vaccinations, said Dr. Graham Snyder, who led the center’s vaccine task force.

“It’s very exciting. I will be thrilled, that moment when we administer our first dose,” Snyder said Saturday. “That will clearly be a watershed moment for us.”

Snyder said the UPMC system estimates that half its employees are willing to get the vaccine as soon as it’s offered to them.

The vaccine is heading to hospitals and other sites that can store it at extremely low temperatures — about 94 degrees below zero. Pfizer is using containers with dry ice and GPS-enabled sensors to ensure each shipment stays colder than the weather in Antarctica.

Doses should be delivered to all vaccination sites identified by states, such as local pharmacies, within three weeks, federal officials said.

The 40-hospital Oschner Health System in Louisiana and Mississippi expects to receive more than 9,000 doses in the coming days, said Dr. Sandra Kemmerly, medical director of hospital quality.

Employees approved for the first round are getting texts and emails directing them to schedule their initial injection, she said.

“I would say there’s enthusiasm,” Kemmerly said Saturday. “There’s that thought that maybe they don’t have to be so afraid to come to work if they can be vaccinated and be immune.”

The Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the vaccine Friday, saying it is highly protective and presents no major safety issues. While U.S. regulators worked for months to emphasize the rigor and independence of their review, they faced political pressure until the final stages.

Concerns that a shot was rushed out could undermine vaccination efforts in a country where some are skeptical about vaccines — some because of overall opposition to vaccines and others because of the quick timeframe in which the virus vaccines were developed. Even some health care workers have said in surveys that they would forgo at least the first round of shots to see how things go.

The head of the FDA has repeatedly insisted that the agency’s decision was based on science, not politics, despite a White House threat to fire him if the vaccine wasn’t approved before Saturday.

Speaking Sunday to Fox News, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief science adviser to Operation Warp Speed, a U.S. effort to get vaccines developed quickly, also said he is “very concerned” about the skepticism about the vaccine in some circles.

“Unfortunately ... there’s been a confusion between how thorough and scientific and factual the work that has been done is, and the perception that people are thinking that we cut corners or anything like that,” Slaoui said. “I can guarantee you that no such things have happened, that we follow the science.”

Another vaccine by Moderna will be reviewed by an expert panel next week and soon afterward could be allowed for public use.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine will begin arriving in states Monday morning, U.S. officials said Saturday, after the government gave the final go-ahead to the shots needed to end an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans.

Trucks will roll out Sunday morning as shipping companies UPS and FedEx begin delivering Pfizer’s vaccine to nearly 150 distribution centers across the states, said Army Gen. Gustave Perna of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine development program. An additional 425 sites will get shipments Tuesday, and the remaining 66 on Wednesday.

Initially, about 3 million doses were expected to be shipped nationwide. It was unclear exactly who would receive the first shots, though health care workers and nursing home residents were the priority. Perna said health authorities would decide.

A similar number of shots will be held back for those recipients’ second dose, which is needed for full protection from COVID-19.

The announcement Saturday kicks off a massive logistical operation involving the federal and state governments, private companies and health care workers to quickly distribute limited vaccine supplies throughout the U.S. It offers hope in a country grappling with surging COVID-19 infections and deaths, which are overwhelming hospitals and raising fears that things will only get worse as people gather over the holidays.

Perna compared the vaccine distribution effort to D-Day, the U.S.-led military offensive that turned the tide in World War II.

“D-Day was the beginning of the end and that’s where we are today,” Perna said a news conference. But he added that it would take months of work and “diligence, courage and strength to eventually achieve victory.”

MaineHealth, a network of 12 hospitals based in Portland, plans to provide an expected first delivery of nearly 2,000 vaccines to doctors, nurses and others facing risk as they treat COVID-19 patients, said Dr. Dora Mills, chief health improvement officer.

“It’s almost hard for me to talk about without tearing up,” Mills said Saturday. “This vaccine gives us some glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.”

The first shipments will leave Pfizer’s manufacturing plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, by truck and then be flown to regional hubs around the country. Medical distributor McKesson and pharmacy chains, including CVS and Rite-Aid, also are involved in the initial rollout and vaccinations at nursing homes and assisted living centers.

In a key distribution challenge, the vaccine, co-developed with BioNTech, must be stored and shipped at ultra-low temperatures — about 94 degrees below zero. Pfizer has developed shipping containers that use dry ice, and GPS-enabled sensors will allow the company to track each shipment and ensure it stays cold.

Distribution sites are mainly large hospitals and other facilities able to meet those ultra-cold storage requirements. Within three weeks, vaccines should be delivered to all vaccination sites identified by states, such as local pharmacies, Perna said.

The vaccine was timed to arrive Monday so health workers could receive the shots and begin giving them, Perna said.

Workers at Mount Sinai Hospital System in New York did a dry run this week to prepare for their shipment. In a clean room, pharmacists practiced making separate doses of a training vaccine and ensuring the freezer was kept at temperatures colder than in Antarctica.

“Not a lot of people have vaccinated for a large pandemic like this,” said Susan Mashni, vice president of pharmacy at Mount Sinai. “So we want to make certain that we get it right. There’s a lot of different moving pieces and parts.”

At a meeting where an expert panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines unanimously endorsed the Pfizer shot, some said local health officials were struggling to ensure the vaccine is distributed fairly and to those most in need and to ease people’s concerns about getting the shot.

But “the funding necessary for state and local health departments to carry out this program has been put in the deep freeze,” said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, a Seattle physician representing the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the vaccine late Friday. It capped an unprecedented global race to speed vaccines through testing and review, chopping years off the normal development process.

The FDA found the vaccine highly protective with no major safety issues. U.S. regulators worked for months to emphasize the rigor and independence of their review, but President Donald Trump’s administration pressured the agency until the final announcement. A top White House official even threatened to remove FDA chief Stephen Hahn if a ruling didn’t come before Saturday.

Concerns that a shot was rushed out could undermine vaccination efforts in a country with deeply ingrained skepticism about vaccines.

“Science and data guided the FDA’s decision,” Hahn said Saturday. “We worked quickly because of the urgency of this pandemic, not because of any other external pressure.”

While the vaccine was determined to be safe, regulators in the U.K. are investigating several severe allergic reactions. The FDA’s instructions tell providers not give it to those with a known history of severe allergic reactions to any of its ingredients.

The FDA’s vaccine director, Dr. Peter Marks, said the agency will carefully track any reports of allergic reactions in the U.S.

Next week, the FDA will review a vaccine from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health that appears about as protective as Pfizer’s shot. On Friday, the Trump administration said it had purchased 100 million more doses of that vaccine on top of 100 million it previously ordered.

The announcement came after revelations that the White House opted not to lock in an additional 100 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine for delivery in the second quarter of 2021. The Trump administration contends the current orders plus those in the pipeline will be enough to accommodate any American who wants to be vaccinated by the end of the second quarter of 2021.

First COVID-19 vaccine doses arrive at sites across the U.S.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians are changing their name after 105 years.

Citing three people familiar with the decision, The New York Times reported Sunday night that the team is moving away from a name considered racist for decades. The Indians have been internally discussing a potential name change for months.

A team spokesman told The Associated Press the franchise has no immediate comment on the report.

The Times said the team could make a formal announcement later this week. It’s not known when the name change will take effect or if the team has settled on a new moniker.

Cleveland’s move away from Indians follows a similar decision earlier this year by the NFL’s Washington Football Team, which was previously known as the Redskins.

For years, Native American groups and others have protested against Cleveland’s use of Indians as its name as well as other imagery used by the American League charter franchise founded in 1901. Last year, the team removed the contentious Chief Wahoo logo from its caps and jerseys, but the smiling, cartoonish mascot has remained popular and merchandise is still sold bearing its image.

The Indians have dealt with a backlash from fans upset over Chief Wahoo’s removal and the club is certain to hear more with the decision to change its name.

“Oh no! What is going on?” President Donald Trump tweeted. “This is not good news, even for ”Indians”. Cancel culture at work!”

In July, just hours after Washington’s plans became known after being pressured by several sponsors, including FedEx which holds naming rights to the football’s team’s stadium, Cleveland owner Paul Dolan released a statement saying the team would review “the best path forward with our team name.”

In the months since, the team has consulted players, front office members, coaching staff, community leaders, share holders and Native American groups.

A few days after Dolan’s statement, Indians manager Terry Francona said it was time to “move forward” with the name change.

“I’ve been thinking about it and been thinking about it before we put out that statement,” said Francona, who has been with the club since 2013. “I know in the past, when I’ve been asked about, whether it’s our name or the Chief Wahoo, I think I would usually answer and say I know that we’re never trying to be disrespectful.

“And I still feel that way. But I don’t think that’s a good enough answer today. I think it’s time to move forward. It’s a very difficult subject. It’s also delicate.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607915629701.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians are changing their name after 105 years.Citing three people familiar with the decision, The New York Times reported Sunday night that the team is moving away from a name considered racist for decades. The Indians have been internally discussing a potential name change for months.A team spokesman told The Associated Press the franchise has no immediate comment on the report.The Times said the team could make a formal announcement later this week. It’s not known when the name change will take effect or if the team has settled on a new moniker.Cleveland’s move away from Indians follows a similar decision earlier this year by the NFL’s Washington Football Team, which was previously known as the Redskins.For years, Native American groups and others have protested against Cleveland’s use of Indians as its name as well as other imagery used by the American League charter franchise founded in 1901. Last year, the team removed the contentious Chief Wahoo logo from its caps and jerseys, but the smiling, cartoonish mascot has remained popular and merchandise is still sold bearing its image.The Indians have dealt with a backlash from fans upset over Chief Wahoo’s removal and the club is certain to hear more with the decision to change its name.“Oh no! What is going on?” President Donald Trump tweeted. “This is not good news, even for ”Indians”. Cancel culture at work!”In July, just hours after Washington’s plans became known after being pressured by several sponsors, including FedEx which holds naming rights to the football’s team’s stadium, Cleveland owner Paul Dolan released a statement saying the team would review “the best path forward with our team name.”In the months since, the team has consulted players, front office members, coaching staff, community leaders, share holders and Native American groups.A few days after Dolan’s statement, Indians manager Terry Francona said it was time to “move forward” with the name change.“I’ve been thinking about it and been thinking about it before we put out that statement,” said Francona, who has been with the club since 2013. “I know in the past, when I’ve been asked about, whether it’s our name or the Chief Wahoo, I think I would usually answer and say I know that we’re never trying to be disrespectful.“And I still feel that way. But I don’t think that’s a good enough answer today. I think it’s time to move forward. It’s a very difficult subject. It’s also delicate.”___

Report: Cleveland Indians changing name after 105 years

NEW YORK (AP) — Charley Pride, country music’s first Black star whose rich baritone on such hits as “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” helped sell millions of records and made him the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has died. He was 86.

Pride died Saturday in Dallas of complications from Covid-19, according to Jeremy Westby of the public relations firm 2911 Media.

“I’m so heartbroken that one of my dearest and oldest friends, Charley Pride, has passed away. It’s even worse to know that he passed away from COVID-19. What a horrible, horrible virus. Charley, we will always love you,” Dolly Parton tweeted.

Pride released dozens of albums and sold more than 25 million records during a career that began in the mid-1960s. Hits besides “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” in 1971 included “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” “Burgers and Fries,” “Mountain of Love,” and “Someone Loves You Honey.”

He had three Grammy Awards, more than 30 No. 1 hits between 1969 and 1984, won the Country Music Association’s Top Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year awards in 1972 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

The Smithsonian in Washington acquired memorabilia from Pride, including a pair of boots and one of his guitars, for the the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Ronnie Milsap called him a “pioneer” and said that without his encouragement, Milsap might never gone to Nashville. “To hear this news tears out a piece of my heart,” he said in a statement.

Until the early 1990s, when Cleve Francis came along, Pride was the only Black country singer signed to a major label.

In 1993, he joined the Grand Ole Opry cast in Nashville.

NEW YORK (AP) — Charley Pride, country music’s first Black star whose rich baritone on such hits as “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” helped sell millions of records and made him the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has died. He was 86.Pride died Saturday in Dallas of complications from Covid-19, according to Jeremy Westby of the public relations firm 2911 Media.“I’m so heartbroken that one of my dearest and oldest friends, Charley Pride, has passed away. It’s even worse to know that he passed away from COVID-19. What a horrible, horrible virus. Charley, we will always love you,” Dolly Parton tweeted.Pride released dozens of albums and sold more than 25 million records during a career that began in the mid-1960s. Hits besides “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” in 1971 included “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” “Burgers and Fries,” “Mountain of Love,” and “Someone Loves You Honey.”He had three Grammy Awards, more than 30 No. 1 hits between 1969 and 1984, won the Country Music Association’s Top Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year awards in 1972 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.The Smithsonian in Washington acquired memorabilia from Pride, including a pair of boots and one of his guitars, for the the National Museum of African American History and Culture.Ronnie Milsap called him a “pioneer” and said that without his encouragement, Milsap might never gone to Nashville. “To hear this news tears out a piece of my heart,” he said in a statement.Until the early 1990s, when Cleve Francis came along, Pride was the only Black country singer signed to a major label.In 1993, he joined the Grand Ole Opry cast in Nashville.“They used to ask me how it feels to be the `first colored country singer,‘” he told The Dallas Morning News in 1992. “Then it was `first Negro country singer;’ then `first black country singer.′ Now I’m the `first African-American country singer.′ That’s about the only thing that’s changed. This country is so race-conscious, so ate-up with colors and pigments. I call it `skin hangups’ — it’s a disease.”Pride was raised in Sledge, Mississippi, the son of a sharecropper. He had seven brothers and three sisters.In 2008 while accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the Mississippi Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, Pride said he never focused on race.“My older sister one time said, ‘Why are you singing THEIR music?’” Pride said. “But we all understand what the y’all-and-us-syndrome has been. See, I never as an individual accepted that, and I truly believe that’s why I am where I am today.”As a young man before launching his singing career, he was a pitcher and outfielder in the Negro American League with the Memphis Red Sox and in the Pioneer League in Montana.After playing minor league baseball a couple of years, he ended up in Helena, Montana, where he worked in a zinc smelting plant by day and played country music in nightclubs at night.After a tryout with the New York Mets, he visited Nashville and broke into country music when Chet Atkins, head of RCA Records, heard two of his demo tapes and signed him.To ensure that Pride was judged on his music and not his race, his first few singles were sent to radio stations without a publicity photo. After his identity became known, a few country radio stations refused to play his music.For the most part, though, Pride said he was well received. Early in his career, he would put white audiences at ease when he joked about his “permanent tan.”“Music is the greatest communicator on the planet Earth,” he said in 1992. “Once people heard the sincerity in my voice and heard me project and watched my delivery, it just dissipated any apprehension or bad feeling they might have had.”Throughout his career, he sang positive songs instead of sad ones often associated with country music.“Music is a beautiful way of expressing oneself and I truly believe music should not be taken as a protest,” he told The Associated Press in 1985. “You can go too far in anything — singing, acting, whatever — and become politicized to the point you cease to be an entertainer.”In 1994, he wrote his autobiography, “Pride: The Charley Pride Story,” in which he disclosed he was mildly manic depressive.He had surgery in 1997 to remove a tumor from his right vocal cord.He received the Living Legend award from The Nashville Network/Music City News, recognizing 30 years of achievement, in 1997.“I’d like to be remembered as a good person who tried to be a good entertainer and made people happy, was a good American who paid his taxes and made a good living,” he said in 1985. “I tried to do my best and contribute my part.”He is survived by his wife, Rozene, whom he married in 1956; three children, Kraig, Dion and Angela; and several grandchildren.