Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 12-17-21

Political
Child Tax Credit 2021: The Sixth Check Will
Florida Adds Nearly 13,000 New Cases Of Coronavirus In The Past Week
FLORIDA BEACHES FILLED WITH PEOPLE
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett Named One Of
Time Magazine's 'Heroes Of The Year'
For COVID-19 Vaccine Research
Dep
osit Today
Hillsborough, North Car- olina, native Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, who helped create Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, has been named one of Time magazine's 2021 "Heroes of the Year," Time reports.
Corbett and three other sci- entists received the title of “The Miracle Workers” for their continued efforts in creating mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
On the cover of the magazine, scientists Katalin Karikó, Barney Graham, Drew Weissman and Corbett were featured.
Corbett is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she ob- tained her Ph.D. in immunol- ogy and microbiology. She holds the honor of lead scien- tist for coronavirus vaccine re- search at the prestigious National Institute of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland, WRAL reports.
According to Time, Corbett and her team’s objective was to discover how the virus’ spike protein attached itself to healthy living cells, affecting how the immune system re- sponds.
“All of that knowledge cul- minated to the point where we said, ‘OK,'" Corbett said, ac- cording to Time. "'We know how to design a really good vaccine because we’ve been doing this for six years.'"
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett on the cover of the magazine with sci- entists Katalin Karikó, Barney Graham, and Drew Weissman.
After receiving confirmation that her team’s vaccine devel- opment was effective, Corbett got her first shot prior to Christmas in 2020.
During an interview, she said that she understood the misgivings and speculation surrounding how quickly a vaccine was created.
“I understand the concern, very much so, because what you’re seeing is vaccine devel- opment that basically hap- pened in 10 months,” she said during a webinar on Monday, according to WRAL.
She explained that the vac- cine’s research over the last 15 years relied on “basic science that really fueled the vaccine’s trajectory.”
The sixth — and potentially final — payment from the Child Tax Credit program is set to hit U. S. parents' bank ac- counts on Wednesday(today). Unless lawmakers renew the benefit, parents of 61 million children won't receive addi- tional monthly checks in 2022.
The sixth payment will be de- posited directly into the bank accounts of millions of parents on December 15 (today), al- though some families may re- ceive the check through the mail, which could add several days to the delivery time.
The enhanced Child Tax Credit, which was expanded through President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, is credited with lifting millions of children out of poverty through the monthly cash payments, which anti- poverty advocates say have helped families afford basics like food, rent and educational expenses. But the future of the benefit remains in limbo as Congress debates the Build Back Better Act, which would include a one-year extension of the monthly payments.
As with previous checks, el- igible families with children under age 6 will receive $300 per child, while those with chil- dren ages 6 to 17 will receive $250 per child.
Eligibility is largely based on income, given that lawmakers wanted to target the payments to low- and middle-income families. To receive the full payments, single taxpayers must earn less than $95,000, while joint filers must earn less than $170,000. Payments are reduced if taxpayers earn above that amount.
Florida added 12,984 new cases of coronavirus over the last week, with 2,576 of those in the greater Tampa Bay area.
The state's COVID-19 death toll now stands at 62,026, up 325 from a week earlier.
The health department re- ported 122,513 more Floridi- ans were vaccinated in the week ending Thursday.
More than 185,000 Florida children — about 11 percent of the almost 1.7 mil- lion 5-11 year old's in the
state — have received a shot since the Pfizer vaccine was approved for them in No- vember.
The following is a summary from Dec.2 - Dec. 9, 2021.
Cases: 3,710,507 positive cases, an increase of 12,984 from the previous week.
Vaccinations: 14,540,602 Florida residents have been vaccinated, a weekly increase of 122,513. In all, 70% of Florida’s population over the age of five has received at least one dose of vaccine.
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2021