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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Trumps New Brand Is Loser</strong> - His post-election tantrum is forcing conservatives to affirm, again and again, that he lost the election fair and square. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/trumps-new-brand-is-loser">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>William Barr Is Going, but His Trumpian Legacy Remains</strong> - The Attorney General showed a dangerous willingness to act in a nakedly partisan manner. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/william-barr-is-going-but-his-trumpian-legacy-remains">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>America Is Running Out of Nurses</strong> - Travelling nurses have been moving from one hot spot to another. What happens when the hot spots keep multiplying? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/america-is-running-out-of-nurses">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>African-American Resistance to the COVID-19 Vaccine Reflects a Broader Problem</strong> - For Black Americans, the story extends far beyond distrust of Donald Trump—it goes back to the Tuskegee experiment and the medical exploitation of Henrietta Lacks. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/african-american-resistance-to-the-covid-19-vaccine-reflects-a-broader-problem">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Influence of the Anti-Vaccine Movement</strong> - The virologist Peter Hotez discusses the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-influence-of-the-anti-vaccine-movement">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A second Covid-19 vaccine has received FDA emergency use authorization</strong> -
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<img alt="The Moderna logo is seen at the Moderna campus in Norwood, Massachusetts on December 2, 2020." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YLDMFKlKbcY3lEA1LVOkzIHdZFI=/555x0:4928x3280/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68551510/GettyImages_1229912670.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Modernas Covid-19 vaccine is the second to receive an emergency use authorization from the FDA. | Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Modernas Covid-19 vaccine is poised to roll out within days.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="q8YQLY">
The <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-takes-additional-action-fight-against-covid-19-issuing-emergency-use-authorization-second-covid">Food and Drug Administration</a> on Friday issued an <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/144636/download">emergency use authorization</a> for Modernas Covid-19 vaccine, clearing the way for it to be the second vaccine distributed in the United States. The decision follows a vote on Thursday by an <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/17/22180356/moderna-covid-19-vaccine-approved-fda-emergency-use-pfizer">advisory committee to the FDA</a> which found that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh its harms for people ages 18 years old and older.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9NJoIz">
“With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, in a statement.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="flomIg">
Between the <a href="https://www.vox.com/22167841/fda-vaccine-approval-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-eua-coronavirus">Pfizer/BioNTech</a> vaccine that received a green light last week and the Moderna vaccine, US officials were expecting to have enough doses to vaccinate 20 million Americans by the end of the month. However, some states reported Thursday that they had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/health/pfizer-covid-vaccine-doses.html">received fewer doses</a> than they were promised of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
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<aside id="2WThRT">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qNjrNK">
Both of these vaccines use an <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/8/13/21359025/coronavirus-vaccine-covid-19-moderna-oxford-mrna-adenovirus">mRNA platform</a> to get human cells to make a component of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. That component, the spike protein of the virus, is then used by the immune system to build up protection against the pathogen. Its an approach that is seeing widespread use in humans for the first time. Both vaccines are also administered as two doses; the doses of the Moderna vaccine are spaced 28 days apart, while the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine doses are spread 21 days apart.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n6IoWm">
Modernas vaccine can be stored long-term at minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit) and is stable for 30 days between 2° and 8°C (36° to 46°F). In contrast, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine needs temperatures of minus 70°C (minus 94°F). The less stringent storage requirements of Modernas product may ease some of the logistical challenges of distributing a vaccine.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4JfigT">
The task of getting delicate vaccines from manufacturers to hospitals and into the hands of patients is complicated, something that will have to be scaled up to immunize millions of people across the United States.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y89eum">
Already, the distribution of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has hit some bumps. State officials are reporting that their allocations of the vaccine have been suddenly downscaled, while Pfizer said that there are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/17/pfizer-vaccine-supply-states/">millions of doses of its vaccine</a> that have gone unclaimed.
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<div id="wgAlZn">
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/CDCgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation">@CDCgov</span></a> has informed us that WAs vaccine allocation will be cut by 40 percent next week — and that all states are seeing similar cuts.<br/><br/>This is disruptive and frustrating. We need accurate, predictable numbers to plan and ensure on-the-ground success.<br/><br/>No explanation was given.
</p>
— Governor Jay Inslee (<span class="citation">@GovInslee</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovInslee/status/1339644817765089282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2020</a>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Zzkufq">
Though having a second vaccine on the market increases the number of people who can get immunized, it could also complicate the distribution process further, with more doses to track, transport, and administer.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E0gmHV">
Health officials are also warning recipients about potential <a href="https://www.vox.com/22158238/covid-19-vaccine-side-effects-explained">side effects</a> of these vaccines. At least four people who received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine under an EUA experienced severe allergic reactions. While effects this severe are very rare, some doctors are pointing out that reactions to these vaccines can be more intense than responses to other inoculations, as Voxs <a href="https://www.vox.com/22158238/covid-19-vaccine-side-effects-explained">Julia Belluz</a> explained:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="H7YrlH">
Whats now clear: An injection with either vaccine, both of which use <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/8/13/21359025/coronavirus-vaccine-covid-19-moderna-oxford-mrna-adenovirus">mRNA technology</a>, can feel more intense than other routine vaccinations (such as the flu shot) — with side effects for some recipients such as pain, headache, and fatigue. And this may be especially true for Modernas vaccine: About <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/144434/download">16 percent of people</a> who got the shot in clinical trials experienced a “severe” systemic adverse reaction, a <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/73679/download">classification the FDA</a> uses to refer to side effects, like fever or fatigue, that require medical attention and prevent people from going about their daily activities.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X1eHdu">
Per guidelines set by an advisory group for the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/2/21754854/covid-19-vaccine-cdc-advisory-recommendation">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>, the first people slated to receive the Moderna vaccine will be the same as those for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine — health workers and residents and staff at long-term care facilities. The US government has purchased 100 million doses of each of these vaccines to be delivered through the end of March.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fzmkeM">
An EUA, however, is still short of a full approval, and there are still some outstanding concerns that need to be addressed. Moderna noted in its briefing document that the company is still trying to find out how long the vaccines protection lasts, how well it prevents transmission, and its long-term impacts. The company says it will monitor its trial pool for two years and will conduct additional studies among the people who receive the vaccine under an EUA to get answers to these questions.
</p>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Congress passed a short-term funding bill, giving itself two more days to negotiate stimulus</strong> -
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/T7uI_MnP8-33vsOofahzn6mCsYY=/444x0:4000x2667/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68551423/1230144281.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a news conference following the weekly meeting with the Senate Republican caucus at the US Capitol on December 15, 2020. | Rod Lamkey/Getty Images
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Lawmakers have delayed a vote on stimulus and government funding until Sunday.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="flXa0W">
Congress has delayed a vote on stimulus and government funding — again.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y1aeaN">
Although lawmakers were originally facing a self-imposed December 18 deadline to get both things done, theyve postponed it once more by passing another short-term spending bill on Friday. Because Congressional leaders had extended a previous deadline on government funding, they just approved a two-day addition. Now, the House and the Senate have a bit more time to pass the spending legislation and the stimulus bill they intend to attach to it.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jaTgQK">
The latest continuing resolution is set to keep the government funded through the end of the day on Sunday, December 20. Lawmakers have said they hope to have ironed out their differences on a coronavirus relief agreement by then, with House leaders signaling that the earliest vote they plan to hold would take place Sunday afternoon.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pZvk1A">
“I think were very close to getting an agreement, I think two more days would allow us the time to get it done and allow time for people to be able to read,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Friday.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pEll8F">
Top lawmakers from both parties hadnt begun negotiations on this stimulus agreement in earnest until earlier this week, with the end of the term looming over them. (The $1.4 trillion government funding bill, meanwhile, has proven less contentious.)
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TPXObZ">
The anticipated stimulus legislation, which is expected to net out at around $900 billion, wont include the controversial corporate liability protections, nor will it include state and local aid provisions, though it is poised to contain more funding for unemployment insurance, small business support, and another round of stimulus checks.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JceSNC">
Lawmakers now have two days to work through the remaining sticking points.
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Whats still being worked on
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="95e4Q3">
Although the most contested provisions have been stripped from the bill, there are still some issues that lawmakers are debating.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R2eogF">
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/12/18/government-funding-likely-expire-friday-night-congress-tries-complete-stimulus-deal/">As the Washington Post reports</a>, some of the ongoing negotiations center on the number of weeks of expanded unemployment insurance (UI) the bill would cover: While a prior bipartisan draft had provided an additional $300 in UI for 16 weeks, the amount of coverage in a final compromise bill could be much shorter.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WVNahp">
Theres also an ongoing disagreement over the amount that would be included in another round of stimulus checks, with Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) pushing for $1,200 payments while the leadership plan initially offered $600 options. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on Friday opposed $1,200 payments twice and cited concerns about gains to the deficit, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/17/22179401/covid-19-coronavirus-stimulus-national-debt-poll">an issue on which most Americans disagree with him</a>.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="m6Ekck">
Despite these delays, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have emphasized that theyre committed to getting more stimulus done, even if it means staying in session longer. There are, of course, no guarantees they will wrap up discussions by Sunday. At this point, its been nine months since lawmakers passed their last major relief package, nine months in which millions of people have been laid off and tens of thousands of businesses have grappled with closing.
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How scarce will coronavirus vaccines be in the US?</strong> -
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<img alt="Boston Medical Center Accepts 1,950 Doses of Pfizers COVID-19 Caccine" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ub7AdM8n6H1FEGzRcpalmTBeBTg=/178x0:3022x2133/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68518511/1230124686.14.jpg"/>
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Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1mYp5n">
With a <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/">record number of Americans dying</a> of Covid-19 every day, immunizing the public against the virus is more urgent than ever. But hundreds of millions of<strong> </strong>people in the US are simply going to have to wait — probably several months — to get a vaccine.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a3780N">
Instead of the<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/05/operation-warp-speed-coronavirus-vaccine-shortfall/"> 300 million doses the Trump</a> administration originally promised before the end of the year, the two vaccine developers first in line for Food and Drug Administration approval — Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna — expected to ship 35 million to 40 million doses<strong> </strong>total<strong> </strong>before January. Since both vaccines are supposed to be dispensed at two shots per person, thats enough supply for no more than 20 million people.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uOgBVN">
But even reaching that many people will take some time. The first batch of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine shipped from a Kalamazoo, Michigan, factory Sunday, following the FDAs emergency use authorization Friday night, and will include only <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/529564-us-to-distribute-29-million-covid-19-vaccines">2.9 million doses</a><em>. </em>(A scientific committee that advises the FDA will consider whether to recommend authorization of emergency use of Modernas vaccine on <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-announces-advisory-committee-meeting-discuss-second-covid-19-vaccine">December 17</a>.)
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jpCLBb">
The vaccine developers say efforts to meet their initial year-end targets are being hampered by <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-slashed-its-covid-19-vaccine-rollout-target-after-facing-supply-chain-obstacles-11607027787">shortages of raw ingredients</a>. And on December 18, state officials raised concerns about <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/17/pfizer-vaccine-supply-states/">drastically reduced second-week shipments</a> for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Delays from the federal government mean the US could miss its target of 20 million first-dose vaccinations by the end of the year.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5PoSAr">
Both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech have vowed to ramp up production next year, but the exact amount theyll make still isnt clear, and the estimates keep shifting. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-moderna/moderna-to-supply-up-to-125-million-covid-19-vaccine-doses-globally-in-first-quarter-idUSKBN28D3FA">Moderna</a> currently says itll have 85 million to 100 million doses for the US ready in the first quarter of 2021; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/07/pfizer-vaccine-doses-trump/">Pfizer</a> plans to provide 50 million doses at the end of the second quarter and another 50 million in Q3, according to the<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/07/pfizer-vaccine-doses-trump/"> Washington Post</a>. The US government declined to purchase additional doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine earlier in the year.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NzhJCl">
And Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna arent the only vaccine providers falling short of their original targets: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/business/covid-vaccine-oxford-astrazeneca.html?action=click&amp;module=Spotlight&amp;pgtype=Homepage">AstraZeneca</a> and Oxford — another vaccine team that was supposed to deliver up to 300 million doses, or 60 percent of the US coronavirus vaccine supply — have been beset by safety and transparency problems that caused them to fall weeks behind on <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/02/astrazeneca-us-covid-19-vaccine-trial-results-likely-in-late-jan-says-health-official-.html">finishing their phase 3 US trial</a>.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CkmOc6">
To be clear, the effort to identify, test, and manufacture a Covid-19 vaccine has unfolded at remarkable speed. By the middle of next year, we may have several effective vaccines to choose from. But while the vaccines offer hope for the end of the pandemic, they are far from a quick fix. For the foreseeable future, doses will be scarce — not even enough to cover the highest-risk groups, like health workers and long-term care residents. The <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/25/939002641/government-to-allocate-vaccine-to-states-based-on-population-not-risk">federal governments allocation strategy</a> also means some states (such as Wyoming) will have more supplies for top-priority groups than others (like New York). This scarcity is forcing local health officials and administrators across the country to make ethically fraught decisions about which lives most urgently need protecting from Covid-19.
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<h2 id="2bwd6n">
<strong>Who is likely to go first?</strong>
</h2>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xZ6E3S">
The effort to figure out who should get immunized first ultimately falls to the states, but they are getting advice from the federal government, which has better information on the safety and efficacy of the vaccines and decides how many doses states will get.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xISNyk">
The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/committee/index.html">Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices</a>, an expert group that makes recommendations on vaccination policy to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, put health personnel, along with staff and residents of long-term care facilities, at the front (phase 1a). In addition, two other influential health bodies have weighed in on the question of the highest-priority groups: The <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-sage-roadmap-for-prioritizing-uses-of-covid-19-vaccines-in-the-context-of-limited-supply">World Health Organization</a> (WHO) and the <a href="https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2020/10/national-academies-release-framework-for-equitable-allocation-of-a-covid-19-vaccine-for-adoption-by-hhs-state-tribal-local-and-territorial-authorities">National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine</a> (NASEM) also put health workers first, and, in the case of NASEM, first responders too. Again, though, local health authorities have the power to decide whom to prioritize (though ACIP is likely to have the most influence on US vaccine rationing decisions).
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ObwEvQ">
“Because all [ACIP] can do is make recommendations, those recommendations are going to be implemented in vastly different ways across the country,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the ONeill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. “And those [differences] have to do with whether youre a red state or blue state, a mayor or governor.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BNyyd2">
Whats already clear: Even the highest-priority groups wont be fully vaccinated straightaway.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Hbo1vR">
Operation Warp Speed, the task force in charge of national vaccine distribution, will distribute <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/529564-us-to-distribute-29-million-covid-19-vaccines">the initial batch of 2.9 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines</a> in proportion to states adult populations. (A second batch of 2.9 million doses is being reserved so the first group of people to be immunized have access to their second shot three weeks later.)
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tpVOUR">
The initial shipment from Pfizer will cover only 12 percent of the people in ACIPs phase 1a (again, health workers and staff and residents of long-term care homes), or 0.9 percent of the countrys adult population.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i7vlC7">
This means “states are going to need to make sub-prioritization decisions because the supply wont cover the plan ACIP is proposing,” said Ruth Faden, the founder of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iyuNiE">
Most states have reported their estimates for expected doses in the first shipment, according to the state reports collected by Vox.
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How many health workers and those in long-term care facilities will be covered by the first shipment of the vaccines?
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The first batch of 2.9 million Pfizer/Biotech vaccines only cover a fraction of the 24 million health care workers and people in long-term care facilities across the country, the groups in phase 1a. The first order covers an average of 12 percent of this population across the nation. Some states would be able to immunize more, others fewer.
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<pre><code> &lt;img alt="This graphic shows the initial doses states receive cover a bigger share of the top priority groups in some states than others. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZWjz5lfk186NljlX-52DOxiJWrY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22172708/vaccine_state_chart1.png" /&gt;
&lt;cite&gt;Youyou Zhou for Vox&lt;/cite&gt;</code></pre>
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So far, it looks like some states with a higher share of health workers and long-term care home residents are going to be especially short on vaccine supplies. For example, places like Washington, DC, New York, and Ohio —<strong> </strong>where the population of those in phase 1a is over 10 percent of the states adult population, compared to the national average of around 7.5 percent — will be at a disadvantage. DC will only receive vaccines to cover about one-tenth of the health workforce, which is why officials there are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/coronavirus-dc-vaccine/2020/12/02/e1165c06-3498-11eb-8d38-6aea1adb3839_story.html">petitioning the federal government</a> not to tie the share of vaccines to its population.
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On the other end of the spectrum, Oregons governor <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2020/12/05/coronavirus-vaccine-questions-oregon-covid-19-pandemic/">told the public</a> that the first doses are “enough to provide vaccines to health workers — nurses, doctors and other support staff” — before the end of December. Alaskas 35,100 doses, meanwhile, will cover 81 percent of its health workers and care home residents, about 5 percent of the states population. This is because its getting its total order for the month in one shipment <a href="https://www.alaskapublic.org/2020/12/07/alaska-will-get-special-first-shipment-of-35000-doses-of-pfizer-vaccine/">to minimize logistical challenges</a> in the sprawling state.
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<pre><code> &lt;img alt="The graphic shows that distributing the vaccines by states adult population puts some states at a disadvantage." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wChkocUXDkbnf3NXSRJYNhH9SBA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22172098/Vaccine_state_graphic_2.2.jpg" /&gt;</code></pre>
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So distributing the vaccines by the states adult population means a young, healthy adult might be able to get vaccinated in some parts of the country sooner than others if the state has a relatively small high-risk population, including lower numbers of health workers.
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<strong>Who goes next? </strong>
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States<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/covid19-vaccination-guidance.html"> submitted their initial distribution plans</a> to the CDC months ago under the assumption that 300 million vaccine doses would be available by the end of the year. Now, faced with a much more limited supply, those plans are evolving, and as of Friday, many<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-12/vaccine-d-day-arrives-with-2-9-million-doses-set-for-delivery"> states still didnt know<strong> </strong>for sure<strong> </strong>how many doses they were going to get</a> this year.
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Still, there are a few things we can expect. Across the country, once phase 1a is complete, states will continue moving through their priority groups.<strong> </strong>And this is where things get murkier and<strong> </strong>local health authorities may diverge significantly in their distribution plans.
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In phase 1b, the WHO prioritizes older adults, while NASEM puts people of all ages with comorbidities and older adults living in congregate or crowded settings, such as nursing homes, next. ACIP has finalized its advice only for phase 1a, but the committee has already signaled it will focus on essential workers for phase 1b, only reaching seniors and people with comorbidities in phase 1c.
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These groups are expected to be prioritized for vaccination in Phase 1
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<pre><code> &lt;img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/c5JXmMNrZksJDr_3QUb9iqTkWoM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22172738/acip_pop_amp.jpg" /&gt;
&lt;cite&gt;Youyou Zhou for Vox&lt;/cite&gt;</code></pre>
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In placing seniors and people with comorbidities ahead of essential workers, the WHO and NASEM are putting the greatest value on preventing deaths (since these groups are at the highest risk of Covid-19 death). If ACIP goes ahead with its draft plans, it would be “trading off infections averted with deaths averted,” said Saad Omer, director at the Yale Institute for Global Health. For states, these rationing decisions will be even trickier if supply shortages persist, especially in areas with large groups of front-line workers and long-term care populations that need to go first.
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Well learn more about the reality of vaccine distribution at the state level this week. The vaccines will land in 145 distribution centers across the country on Monday, 425 centers on Tuesday, and the last 66 on Wednesday, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405">Associated Press</a>. And with the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405">historic inoculation effort</a> now underway, local health authorities will also need to manage a host of logistical hurdles — making sure the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/13/world/covid-19-coronavirus#vaccine-distribution-is-about-to-begin-in-the-virus-ravaged-us">vaccines are stored properly</a>, that theres enough dry ice to <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22151473/vaccine-covid-19-pfizer-glass-syringes-needles-freezers">keep them cold</a>, and that people come back for their second shot. Unlike the flu shot, which comes in pre-filled syringes, each Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine vial delivers five doses, meaning health care workers will have the added challenge of avoiding contamination.
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So even with an effective vaccine already being rolled out, theres still a long battle ahead. Thats why Operation Warp Speeds chief operating officer, Gustave Perna, compared Americas mass inoculation effort to D-Day, the military operation that culminated in the end of the Second World War.
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“D-Day was the beginning of the end,” Perna said in a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-0437add2a9245e1f9c57e04e085c6cbc">press briefing</a>. “And thats where we are today.”
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Wakeful, Megasthenes, Royal Treasure, Bolivia and Masterpiece please</strong> - Wakeful, Megasthenes, Royal Treasure, Bolivia and Masterpiece pleased when the horses were exercised here on Saturday (Dec. 19).Inner sand: 600m: Reg</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Australia vs India | Our worst batting show but lets not make mountain out of molehill: Kohli</strong> - India were bowled out for their lowest ever Test score of 36 after they had an overnight lead of 62 at Adelaide</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Adelaide Test | India crumble to record low of 36 as fast bowlers fire Australia to victory</strong> - Josh Hazlewood (5-8) and Pat Cummins (4-21) turned a tight day-night Test on its head in a devastating spell of pace bowling to open the day, ripping through the much-vaunted Indian batting line-up in less than two hours</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Mohammad Wasim appointed new head of Pakistan selectors</strong> - Pakistan on Saturday appointed former test cricketer Mohammad Wasim as the chairman of its selection committee until the 2023 World Cup. The 43-year-</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Cricket | India dismissed for record low score of 36 in first Test against Australia</strong> - This is Indias lowest innings score in 88 years of Test cricket.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Digvijaya attacks EC over direction to M.P. govt. on officials</strong> - Mr. Singhs comments come days after the EC asked the Madhya Pradesh government to take criminal action against four police officials.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>35,000 centres will be set up to store COVID-19 vaccines: Uttar Pradesh government</strong> - Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting in this regard, a government statement said.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>More farmers set to march to Delhi from Punjab</strong> - Farmer groups plan gatherings and memorial processions planned at village and block-level for lives lost in agitation</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>YC blames it on Achuthans for Chittur debacle</strong> - The Youth Congress has blamed former Congress MLA K. Achuthan and his son and partys district vice president Sumesh Achuthan for the failure of the U</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>There may not be a second peak of COVID-19 in India: Experts</strong> - Noted virologist Dr. Shahid Jameel said Indias curve for daily cases is on a downward slope since a peak in mid-September.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Brexit: UK-EU trade talks enter critical 48-hour period</strong> - The EU says the "moment of truth" has arrived as disagreements with the UK over fishing rights continue.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Covid: Italy latest European country to order Christmas lockdown</strong> - Non-essential shops will be closed with travel only allowed for work, health and emergency reasons.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Covid-19: Explosion kills nine coronavirus patients in Turkey</strong> - Nine people are killed as an oxygen ventilator explodes at a coronavirus ward of a private hospital.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Did France's Emmanuel Macron break his own Covid rules?</strong> - The French president faces questions over whether he himself followed social distancing measures.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Epstein ex-associate Jean-Luc Brunel placed under formal investigation</strong> - Modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel is accused of rape and sexual harassment by French authorities.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Wildfire smoke is loaded with microbes. Is that dangerous?</strong> - Researchers want to study potential effects of microbe-filled haze on human health. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1730857">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A clever strategy to deliver COVID aid—with satellite data</strong> - Togo used image analysis algorithms to target economic support for most vulnerable. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1730837">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Miyamoto leads fans through Super Nintendo World—and it looks incredible</strong> - Nintendo, Universal Studios went all out to deliver a Nintendo fan destination. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1730919">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Microsoft may be developing its own, in-house ARM CPU designs</strong> - Bloomberg's unconfirmed report relies on confidential sources within Microsoft. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1730915">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Stanford hospital erupts in protest after vaccine plan leaves out residents [UPDATED]</strong> - Only 0.5% of the medical residents at Stanford are in on the first round of shots. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1730882">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
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<li><strong>A Sith, a Jedi, and a Mandalorian walk into a bar...</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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They start talking and after a few drinks the conversation shifts to cars. The Jedi living a life of austerity and frugality only has a 1991 Camry. The Sith and Mando laughs at him saying he has a Bad Car. The Sith having manipulated others into giving him their wealth shows off his McClaren F1. The patrons at the bar are amazed and even the Jedi has to admit its a nice ride. They both end up saying its a Good Car. The Mandalorian walks around the corner and after a few minutes comes screaming back on his jet pack and blows up the other cars. He has the Beskar.
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Edit: making the first sentence sound less stroke worthy
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/archer1359"> /u/archer1359 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kfvuf5/a_sith_a_jedi_and_a_mandalorian_walk_into_a_bar/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kfvuf5/a_sith_a_jedi_and_a_mandalorian_walk_into_a_bar/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Does sex count?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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Doctor: “Do you do sports?”<br/> Patient: “Does sex count?”<br/> Doctor: “Yes.”<br/> Patient: “Then no.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/NewsletterToKindle"> /u/NewsletterToKindle </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kfxkhn/does_sex_count/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kfxkhn/does_sex_count/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A trucker who has been out on the road for two months stops at a brothel outside Atlanta.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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He walks directly up to the Madam, drops down $500, and says, "I want your ugliest woman and a grilled cheese sandwich!" The Madam is astonished. "But sir, for that kind of money you could have one of my prettiest ladies and a three-course meal." The trucker replies, "Listen darlin, Im not horny Im just homesick."
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/jhutto2"> /u/jhutto2 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kg2tx1/a_trucker_who_has_been_out_on_the_road_for_two/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kg2tx1/a_trucker_who_has_been_out_on_the_road_for_two/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Two Trump supporters die and go to heaven</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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God meets them at the pearly gates and asks if they have any questions. One of them says, “Yes, what were the real results of the 2020 election and who was behind the fraud?”
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God says, "My son, there was no fraud. Biden won the electoral college fair and square, 306 to 232.”
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After a few seconds of stunned silence, the one guy turns to the other and whispers, “This goes higher up than we thought.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/zouss"> /u/zouss </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kfm9bn/two_trump_supporters_die_and_go_to_heaven/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kfm9bn/two_trump_supporters_die_and_go_to_heaven/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>What do you call a Christmas wreath made out of $100 bills?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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Aretha Franklins
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/jthorn3"> /u/jthorn3 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kfkbx6/what_do_you_call_a_christmas_wreath_made_out_of/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kfkbx6/what_do_you_call_a_christmas_wreath_made_out_of/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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