COVID-19 updates: No unemployment benefits for vaccine refusal in this state

The first ferret to test positive for COVID-19 in the United States has been confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

A ferret in Slovenia was previously reported infected with COVID, according to the USDA.

"Samples from the ferret were taken after it showed clinical signs including sneezing and coughing. It is suspected that the ferret acquired the infection from a person with COVID-19," the USDA said Friday in a press release.

A small number of animals have tested postive for COVID-19, according to the USDA, which uses COVID's scientific term, SARS-CoV-2 when addressing the virus in the context of animal health. Some animals that have tested for SARS-CoV-2 include a tiger in a New York City zoo, white-tailed deer, cats, dogs, otters, non-human primates and farmed mink.

People with COVID-19 can spread the virus to animals during close contact, the USDA said.

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was denied Friday in his quest for a religious exemption by the NBA to San Francisco's vaccine requirement. It's not clear under what religious explanation Wiggins had appealed the mandate.

Wiggins has steadfastly refused to get the vaccine, according to a report this week from the San Francisco Chronicle. Since the city requires vaccination for everyone at large, indoor gatherings -- such as basketball games -- the veteran forward will not be able to play in any home games if he remains resistant to getting the shot. It's possible he won't be able to play at a number of road arenas that also require vaccination.

"The NBA has reviewed and denied Andrew Wiggins’ request for religious exemption from the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s order requiring COVID-19 vaccination for all participants age 12 and older at large indoor events," the NBA said in a statement Friday evening. "Wiggins will not be able to play in Warriors home games until he fulfills the city’s vaccination requirements."

In March, Wiggins told reporters of the vaccine, "I don't really see myself getting it any time soon, unless I'm forced to somehow. Other than that, I'm good."

Earlier this month, ESPN reported that the NBA will not require players to get vaccinated in order to play in the 2021-22 season. However, the league recently said about 85% of players had been fully vaccinated.

Wiggins, 26, is a big piece of the Warriors' team, scoring 18.6 points per game in his first full season in the Bay Area last year. He has two years remaining on a $147 million contract.

He was the No. 1 overall pick out of Kansas in 2014 by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said it is already doling out booster shots to veterans at its medical centers and clinics on Friday, just hours after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky approved the third shots.

"These booster doses are an important step forward in the fight against COVID-19," VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. "With the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech booster for eligible individuals, VA can provide Veterans an opportunity to maximize their protection, continuing our work to keep people safe and save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic."

The VA said it was prioritizing veterans 65 and older and those living in long-term care facilities. The boosters, so far only authorized for the Pfizer vaccine, are to be administered six months after an individual receives their initial vaccines.

It also said in a statement that it continues to reach out to veterans who have not been vaccinated at all.

Seventy-five percent of those eligible (12 years and older) have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, the White House's COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar posted on Twitter Friday.

Calling the statistic a "milestone," Shahpur also tweeted, "Let's add more!"