'Let's Get To Work': Woman Feeds Thousands After Losing Job

NEW YORK CITY — Dozens of New Yorkers had lined up in the rain, shopping carts on hand as they waited for free food. Meanwhile, Sofia Moncayo led her team in prayer.

"We're super grateful for these people here. In Jesus' name we pray," she said, and the group of women around her clapped, cheered and replied: "Amen."

"Now," she said, "let's get to work."

Throughout the pandemic, Moncayo has led the food distribution program through Mosaic West Queens Church in Sunnyside. The initiative began in March. A month later, Moncayo took charge as the program expanded to serve hundreds of people.

Since then, Moncayo has faced her own struggles. She was furloughed from her job at a construction company and remains unemployed. And she also owes five months of rent for the martial arts studio that she owns with her husband in the neighborhood.

It hasn't stopped her from helping others.

Moncayo continues to lead fundraisers and coordinate dozens of volunteers who distribute more than 1,000 boxes of food to families twice a week.

"I think helping others has to do something to your brain chemically — because if we had not being doing everything that we're doing, I think this would have been a much scarier time," she said. "Being able to dig in and help others, it really gives you perspective and helps you believe that you're going to be OK, too."

Read the full story by The Associated Press on Astoria-Long Island City Patch

The Latest

The U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday passed President Joe Biden's massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, designed to provide direct aid to Americans, emergency jobless benefits, and billions of dollars for vaccines, schools, state and local governments, and the ailing restaurant industry.

The package passed on a near party-line 219-212 vote early Saturday. Two Democrats joined all Republicans in voting against the measure.

The measure now heads to the Senate, where Democrats seem bent on resuscitating their minimum wage push and fights could erupt over state aid and other issues. Currently, the proposal would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025, more than doubling the current $7.25 floor that's been in effect since 2019.

Republicans oppose the sweeping bill, saying it's too expensive, not targeted enough at the people and businesses that most need it, and a grab bag of gifts for Democratic allies. Not one has publicly said they will support the legislation.

• House Passes $1.9T Relief Bill On Near Party-Line Vote

Heading into the weekend, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel on Friday endorsed a third vaccine to fight the virus that's claimed more than 500,000 U.S. lives.

After daylong discussions, FDA panelists voted unanimously that the benefits of the single-dose vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson outweighed the risks for adults.

The endorsement paves the way for emergency use authorization of a one-shot coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson, which was found to have a 72 percent overall efficacy rate in the United States.

The vaccine also showed 86 percent efficacy against severe forms of COVID-19 in the United States, and 82 percent against severe disease in South Africa.

Authorization could come as soon as Saturday, the Times reported. If approved, shipments of a few million doses could begin as early as Monday.

Once emergency use authorization is granted, Johnson & Johnson said it's ready to deliver doses to more than 20 million Americans by the end of March.

Meanwhile, more than 150 senior executives from some of America's largest companies have lined up behind the $1.9 trillion relief package, according to a letter obtained by CNN.

Among those signed onto the letter are David Solomon, chairman and chief executive officer at Goldman Sachs; Stephen Schwartzman, the chairman and CEO of Blackstone; Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google; John Zimmer, the co-founder and president of Lyft; Brian Roberts, the chairman and CEO of Comcast; and John Stankey, the CEO of AT&T.

Some states are refusing to wait for lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

Maryland and California recently moved forward with help for the poor, the jobless, small businesses and those needing child care, the Associated Press reported. New Mexico and Pennsylvania are funneling grants directly to cash-starved businesses. North Carolina's governor wants additional state aid for such things as bonus pay for teachers and boosting rural internet speeds.

• States Pass Their Own Coronavirus Aid, Not Waiting For Congress

In other vaccine news, vaccinations are gradually rebounding a week after a devastating winter storm ravaged much of Texas and the American South.

The United States has averaged about 1.45 million doses a day for the seven-day period that ended on Wednesday, according to a New York Times report citing federal data. That's a slight increase from 1.4 million doses a day through Tuesday, but still much fewer than the 1.7 million doses a day the country was averaging before the storm.

As of Friday, more than 70 million doses of the vaccines have been administered across the United States, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Despite the increasing pace of vaccinations and decreasing number of daily cases, health officials are warning governors against relaxing coronavirus restrictions early.

During a White House coronavirus briefing, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said a recent steep drop in the number of U.S. coronavirus cases and deaths “may be stalling” and “potentially leveling off at still a very high number,” the New York Times reported.

“I know people are tired; they want to get back to life, to normal,” Walensky said. “But we’re not there yet.”

Walensky's warning comes as a number of governors in Republican-led states are rolling back coronavirus prevention measures. On Friday, Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina, announced that on Monday, restaurants would be able to serve alcohol past 11 p.m. A day prior, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said he was considering lifting a statewide mask mandate in place since July.

Finally, flu reports are coming in at the lowest levels in decades, the AP reported this week.

Experts say that measures put in place to fend off the coronavirus — mask-wearing, social distancing and virtual schooling — were a big factor in preventing a "twindemic" of flu and COVID-19. A push to get more people vaccinated against flu probably helped, too, as did fewer people traveling, they say.

One pediatric flu death has been reported so far this season, compared with 92 reported at the same point in last year's flu season., CDC numbers show.

There haven't been any cases at some of the nation's most prominent hospitals — such as the Maine Medical Center in Portland, the northeasternmost state's largest hospital.

"I have seen zero documented flu cases this winter," Dr. Nate Mick, head of the emergency department, told the AP.

• Flu All But Vanished In United States Amid Coronavirus

Newest Numbers

As of midday Saturday, the United States had reported more than 28.5 million cases and more than 511,700 deaths from COVID-19-related illnesses, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

At least 2,142 deaths and 76,674 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the United States as of 6:30 p.m. Friday, according to a Washington Post database. The Post's reporting shows that over the past week, new cases have fallen 1.3 percent, new deaths fell 0.8 percent and COVID-19-related hospitalizations have fallen 13.6 percent.

More than 96.4 million vaccine doses have been distributed and more than 72.8 million administered in the United States as of Saturday, according to the CDC. More than 48.4 million people have received one dose, and nearly 23.7 million have received two.

Currently, 51,116 people are hospitalized with a coronavirus-related illness in the United States, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

As of Saturday, 23 states and U.S. territories remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via The New York Times or The Washington Post.

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