As the first wave of mass vaccination rollout takes place across the United Kingdom, health officials are warning that people with a “significant history of allergic reactions” should not be given the COVID-19 vaccine created by Pfizer/BioNTech. The warning comes after two healthcare workers who both carried an adrenaline auto injector and had a history of allergic reactions developed symptoms of anaphylactoid reaction after receiving the vaccine on Tuesday.

A vote on a one week funding extension is expected in Congress this week to avoid a Government shutdown before the December 12 deadline. Among the issues that have held up spending talks are how to fund access to private sector care through the Veterans Affairs Department and spending on a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as additional COVID-19 relief funding. Negotiators have indicated they only have the final sticking points left to still iron out.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the overall COVID-19 hospitalization rate for Native and Alaska Native people has now grown to 521 per 100,000 people. This new rate is up from 487.3 for the week of November 14. According to the latest data from the CDC’s COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET), only Hispanic or Latino people have a higher hospitalization rate than Native people.

Kyle Edwards (Anishinaabe), the managing editor of Native News Online, has been named a 2021 Nieman Visiting Fellow by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Edwards is one of 12 journalists named to this fellowship, and will examine, catalog and memorialize the loss of Indigenous elders, knowledge and culture during the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a website devoted to sharing oral histories and interviews with families affected by the disease.

Keep reading for a full news update.

COVID-19:

Allergy Warning For Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine After UK Health Workers With Allergy History Suffer Reaction 

CNN, Emma Reynolds, Sharon Braithwaite, Amy Cassidy, December 9

People with a “significant history of allergic reactions” should not be given the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, UK health authorities said Wednesday, after two health care workers experienced symptoms after receiving a shot the day before.

COVID-19 Death Toll Rises To 688 On Navajo Nation

Native News Online, December 8

The Navajo Department of Health reported 159 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and six more deaths. The total number of deaths is now 688 as of Tuesday. Reports indicate that 10,075 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 175,072 COVID-19 tests have been administered. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 18,324, including two delayed reported cases.

CDC: COVID-19 Hospitalization Rate For Native People Rises, Remains 2nd Highest Of Any Demographic

Native News Online, December 8

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the overall COVID-19 hospitalization rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives has now grown to 521 per 100,000 people. This new rate is up from 487.3 for the week of November 14. According to the latest data from the CDC’s COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET), only Hispanic or Latino people have a higher hospitalization rate than Native people.

Politics:

Senator Tom Udall Signs Off, But ‘Not Retiring’

Indian Country Today, Vincent Schilling, December 8

New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall delivered his farewell speech Tuesday on the Senate floor after serving the state and its 23 federally recognized tribes for nearly 30 years. Throughout his years of service in federal politics, Udall’s efforts have focused largely on the environment and climate reforms and fulfilling promises to Indian Country as well as supported legislation and fostered efforts in Indian Country to include his support in addressing missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

With Shutdown Deadline Looming This Week, Lawmakers Look To Buy More Time 

Government Executive, Eric Katz, December 7

Federal agencies appear poised to approve another week of status quo funding to avoid a government shutdown, with lawmakers resigned to a second stopgap spending measure in fiscal 2021 as they buy time for a more comprehensive agreement.

Other:

Native News Online Managing Editor Named 2021 Harvard University Nieman Visiting Fellow

Native News Online, December 8

Kyle Edwards (Anishinaabe), the managing editor of Native News Online, has been named a 2021 Nieman Visiting Fellow by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Edwards is one of 12 journalists named to this fellowship, which develops projects advancing racial justice or improving public health journalism in the United States.

Trump Administration Set To Approve Handing Sacred Native American Land To Giant Mining Corporations

The Independent, Tom Embury-Dennis, December 7

The Trump administration is set to hurriedly approve the handing over of sacred Native American land in Arizona to a pair of giant Anglo-Australian mining corporations. The move, expected before the end of the year and months ahead of schedule, would grant Rio Tinto and BHP more than 2,400 acres to build a copper mine that would destroy religious and cultural sites sacred to the San Carlos Apache tribe.