News Roundup 12/17/20
FDA plans to authorize Moderna's coronavirus vaccine quickly
The vaccine advisers of the US Food and Drug Administration voted quickly for the agency to give emergency use authorization to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. Within hours, FDA officials spoke out, saying that they plan to move quickly with the EUA.
"Following today's positive advisory committee meeting outcome regarding the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has informed the sponsor that it will rapidly work toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorization," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn and Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
This marks yet another great step in the right direction for the United States as the country is still suffering its worst days from COVID-19.
Source: CNN
U.S. Shatters COVID-19 Daily Record with 3,656 Deaths & Quarter-Million New Cases
The United States is continuing to shatter records for daily COVID-19 cases and deaths. There has been nearly a quarter-million infections and more than 3,600 deaths reported on just this past Wednesday alone, which is the worst one-day death toll for any country since the very start of the pandemic. California also broke records for hospitalizations for the 18th day in a row and has reported 52,000 new cases and 400 deaths. This has resulted in hospitals to unfortunately cancel surgeries, forcing ICU patients out of intensive care. The country is continuing to fight the intense and relentless battle against COVID-19.
Source: Democracy Now
Trump Appointee Pushed COVID-19 Herd Immunity Strategy: “We Want Them Infected”
Former Trump appointee, Paul Alexander, repeatedly urged the Department of Health and Human Services officials to allow millions of Americans to become infected with COVID-19. Alexander’s idea was to promote a widely discredited strategy of herd immunity through natural selection.
In an email to top health officials, Alexander said, “Infants, kids, teens, young people, young adults, middle aged with no conditions etc. have zero to little risk … so we use them to develop herd … we want them infected.”
The World Health Officials have come out and said that this strategy is unethical and could result in the deaths of millions of people if followed.
Source: Democracy Now
COVID-19 Wipes Away Many California Workers’ Recent Wage Gains
In the recent years before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, low-income Californians were seeing wage gains, which was chipping away at the income inequality gap between California’s fortunate and less fortunate. However, COVID-19 is likely wiping away many of these wage gains. The virus has hit low-income workers the hardest, while higher-income workers have been able to escape this with many of them being able to work from home. By the fall, over a third of workers making less than $30,000 a year and were still working, fewer hours than they would like, or had stopped looking for a job.
Source: LAist
Landlords are running out of money
As COVID-19 is still running rampant and unemployment still high, landlords are suffering. An estimated 9.2 million renters who have lost income during the pandemic are behind on rent. Renter households who have lost a job will owe and estimated average of $5,400 in back rent by this month. A national ban on evictions during the toughest times in the pandemic has meant many landlords are having to continue paying to maintain their properties without seeing the same amount of rent coming in. If the CDC order were to expire, as many as five million renters around the country could face eviction in Jan.
Source: CNN