Coronavirus vaccine and COVID variant updates for 12-24-2021

<p>Remember all those healthcare workers the government wanted fired if they didn’t get vaccinated? Turns out they now realize that created a real problem. With the Omicron wave coming and hospitals understaffed, federal officials loosened the rules that health care workers have to stay out of work 10 days if they test positive. They can now get back it after seven days if they test negative and don't have symptoms.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Yesterday we told you about the Pfizer at home treatment pill getting approved to fight COVID, now they’ve authorized a second pill. This time it’s Merck’s molnupiravir. But it’s been made clear Pfizer’s Paxlovid is preferred because Merck's pill’s ability to head off severe COVID is much smaller than initially announced and the label will warn of serious safety issues, including the potential for birth defects.</p><br><p>China put a city of 13 million people into lockdown, part of the country’s “zero tolerance” policy just weeks before it’s set to host the Winter Olympics. In the northeastern city of Xi’an, one person from each household will be allowed out every two days to get necessities. Everyone else stays home around the clock. People who were in hotels at the time became stuck there.</p><br><p>If you have a fake vaccine card in New York, you’re no longer a clever scamp, you’re a criminal. The governor signed legislation criminalizing fake Covid vaccination cards. The new law makes the falsification of cards a misdemeanor and creates a new felony of "computer tampering in the third degree for intentional entering, alteration or destruction of 'computer material' regarding COVID-19 vaccine provisions."&nbsp;</p><br><p>We leave you with the frequently asked question of the week, so is everybody going to get COVID sooner or later? The experts say not necessarily. You’ll probably be exposed, but whether or not you get infected and what it does to you still depends on public policy and how you behave. Bottom line, even if you’re fully vaccinated, mentally prepare to test positive at