Forbes - 250,000 Dead

Plus: New York City closing public schools (again)

Another day, another awful milestone in the pandemic: over 250,000 Americans have died due to Covid-19 infections. Experts say the worst is yet to come, as cases and hospitalizations continue to soar to new heights. The growth in numbers could get even worse in the weeks to come, as one-third of Americans said they’re going to spend Thanksgiving outside of their household even though Canada, which had its Thanksgiving last month, is seeing a Covid-19 surge of its own linked to holiday travel. 

Luckily, there is some light at the end of the tunnel: Pfizer and BioNTech say that they are planning to seek emergency FDA approval of their mRNA vaccine on Friday after new results from the phase 3 study find that the vaccine is 95% effective. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a press call today that distribution of Pfizer and competitor Moderna’s vaccines to high-risk individuals and healthcare workers could begin in mere weeks. Widespread vaccine distribution, however, is still months away. 

Business

A new report found that roughly 12 million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits on December 26 unless the government passes more Covid-19 protections.

Though Amazon is entering the pharmacy sector, there is still something that CVS and Walgreens can do that Amazon can’t: give Covid-19 vaccines. 

Content moderators at Facebook wrote an open letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg about being pressured to work from the office, potentially risking exposure to Covid-19.

Science & Health

Models from Columbia University and University of Washington show that more than 3 million Americans might be contagious with Covid-19.  

The makers of Listerine mouthwash have told customers that their product shouldn’t be used to prevent or treat Covid-19. 

Biotech company SinoVac reported positive results for its Covid-19 vaccine in early-stage clinical trials.

On The Upside

Approved At Home: The FDA granted an emergency use approval to an at-home Covid-19 rapid test for the first time. The organization says that the Lucira Covid-19 All-In-One Test Kit gives results within 30 minutes.