Forbes - New President, New Covid Strategy

Plus: Total number of global Covid-19 cases passes 50 million

Over the weekend, major news outlets announced that Joe Biden has been elected the 46th President of the United States. What does this mean for the future of America’s Covid-19 response? For one, the President-elect has already started naming members to a new Covid-19 task force, although it remains to be seen how much influence these experts will have during the transition period between now and when Biden takes office in January. In other news, Pfizer released some promising data on its Covid-19 vaccine this morning-- see more in a special section below.

Pfizer's Covid-19 Vaccine

The three billionaires behind BioNTech, Pfizer’s partner in developing a Covid-19 vaccine, are $2 billion richer after news of the positive vaccine study results. 

Allies of President Trump are saying that the government’s Operation Warp Speed deserves some credit for Pfizer’s success, but this is untrue. 

The announcement of a potentially successful vaccine caused Pfizer stocks to skyrocket today, leaving stay-at-home stocks like Zoom and Netflix in the dust. 

Business

Analysts from Goldman Sachs predict that the global economy will bounce back next year with no significant lasting damage. 

The CEO of CVS says his company’s drug stores will be ready to distribute and administer a Covid-19 vaccine once it is approved.

Science & Health

Still think kids can’t get Covid-19? A new study shows that one-tenth of Americans who have been infected with Covid-19 are children. 

Research shows that for people with chronic ringing ears, also known as tinnitus, infection with Covid-19 can sometimes make the ringing sound even worse. 

An asymptomatic woman in Washington was found to have shed the Covid-19 coronavirus for 70 days. What does this tell us about the length of time that people can be contagious?

On The Upside

Community Is Key: Public health experts Raj Panjabi and Niranjan Bose explain how community health workers have been essential for countries that have successfully responded to crisis and kept primary health services going.