Forbes - A looming holiday tragedy

Plus: U.K. to issue “freedom passes” for negative Covid tests

There’s a light at the end of the proverbial pandemic tunnel as AstraZeneca joins the ranks of Pfizer and Moderna in reporting positive interim data for its Covid-19 vaccine, which saw up to 90% effectiveness in one of its tested dosing regimens. But the vaccine is still months away. Meanwhile, Covid-19 cases are on the rise, and hospitals across the United States are at or nearing capacity. The coming weeks may cause numbers to spike higher. Despite warnings from public health officials, over 3 million people took flights over the weekend, the most seen in a weekend since March. In a poll, 35% of parents think that holiday travel is worth the risk, but that risk can be high: a recently published case report found that an Covid-19 outbreak of several people travelling on the same flight could be traced back to a single person on the plane.

Business

Pharmacy giant Walgreens says that Covid-19 vaccines will be available at 9,000 of its stores next year. 

Despite encouraging vaccine trial results, Moody’s said in a weekend note that the surge in Covid-19 cases will overwhelm hospitals around the country, threatening to stall or even backtrack the fragile economic recovery.

A group of more than 125 economists is calling for lawmakers to authorize another round of stimulus payments to Americans to help tide the economy over through the winter months.

Science & Health

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who's been praised for leading New Zealand's successful response to Covid-19, has put President-elect Joe Biden in contact with the country's health officials to share pandemic-fighting tactics.

Public health officials have been recommending that Covid-19 patients quarantine for 14 days. That may not be a long enough time, as it turns out. 

Here’s how the science of genomics has led to the vaccine revolution that could end the pandemic next year.

On The Upside

Authorized Treatment: An antibody cocktail against Covid-19 manufactured by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals received emergency use authorization from the FDA over the weekend. It’s the second such treatment to get authorization this month. These treatments help reduce the risk of patients developing more severe forms of Covid-19.