Does emergency use authorization mean the vaccine is safe?

+ the pitfalls of TikTok at work͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Health officials in the U.S. will soon decide whether to grant emergency use authorizations, or EUAs, for at least two coronavirus vaccines. But just what does this mean? After all, EUAs are not the same thing as a full approval from the FDA. Health law scholar Christopher Robertson of Boston University and professor of medicine Jeremy Greene explain the history, rationale and possible pitfalls of this special mechanism that clears drugs for use in a major health emergency.

Also today:

Lynne Anderson

Senior Health + Medicine Editor

Tony Potts, a 69-year-old retiree, removes his face mask for a temperature check just before receiving his first injection in a phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial sponsored by Moderna. Potts is one of 30,000 participants in the Moderna trial. Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty ImageS

What are emergency use authorizations, and do they guarantee that a vaccine or drug is safe?

Christopher Robertson, Boston University; Jeremy Greene, Johns Hopkins University

The vaccines that will first be used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will have gone through a special approval process with the FDA. But just what is this expedited process?

Economy + Business

How TikTok is upending workplace social media policies – and giving us rebel nurses and dancing cops

Elizabeth C. Tippett, University of Oregon

Workers are increasingly making short videos of themselves on the job and posting them to TikTok, creating a new challenge for employers trying to police their behavior.
A better way for billionaires who want to make massive donations to benefit society

Andrew J. Hoffman, University of Michigan

Rather than pump money into a broken system, people like Jeff Bezos and Charles Koch could use their money to help fix it – by insulating politics from money.

Ethics + Religion
In a year of Black Lives Matter protests, Dutch wrestle (again) with the tradition of Black Pete Ayanna Thompson, Arizona State University; Coen Heijes, University of Groningen The annual Dec. 5 tradition sees performers don blackface and afro wigs. But a growing number of Dutch citizens believe it's time to wave goodbye to Black Pete.

Environment + Energy

How a flu virus shut down the US economy in 1872 – by infecting horses

Ernest Freeberg, University of Tennessee

A fast-moving equine flu cratered the US economy in the fall of 1872, showing all too clearly that horses were essential and deserved better treatment.
Tiny treetop flowers foster incredible beetle biodiversity

Caroline S. Chaboo, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

In the Amazon, beetles and flowering trees have developed a tight bond. Hundreds of beetle species thrive off of and pollinate blossoms, helping to maintain some of the highest biodiversity on Earth.

Arts + Culture
The chattering classes got the ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ book wrong – and they’re getting the movie wrong, too Lisa R. Pruitt, University of California, Davis A stark divide in the response to the film suggests a deep disconnect between media elites and the rest of the country.

Politics/Election '20
How a troop drawdown in Afghanistan signals American weakness and could send Afghan allies into the Taliban’s arms Brian Glyn Williams, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Pulling out roughly half the U.S. troops in Afghanistan is part of an effort to find peace, but may unbalance a precarious stalemate.

Science + Technology

What makes the world’s biggest surfable waves?

Sally Warner, Brandeis University

Some beaches in the world tend to consistently produce huge waves. Places like Nazaré Canyon in Portugal and Mavericks in California are famous for their waves because of the shape of the seafloor.
Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 will have side effects – that’s a good thing

Matthew Woodruff, Emory University

The side effects of new SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are a result of immune system activation. While uncomfortable, they are both normal and expected. They are a sign that the vaccine is working.

Trending on site

Pro-mask or anti-mask? Your moral beliefs probably predict your stance

Eugene Y. Chan, Purdue University

Here's how governments can get more people to follow COVID-19 guidelines.
School suspensions don’t just unfairly penalize Black students – they lead to lower grades and ‘Black flight’

Charles Bell, Illinois State University

Schools can consider virtual learning and other ways to reduce the negative impact of suspensions on student achievement.
Why waiters give Black customers poor service

Zachary Brewster, Wayne State University

It's long been known that Black patrons of bars and restaurants tend to get worse service than white customers. What's not been well understood is precisely why.

Does emergency use authorization mean the vaccine is safe?

What are emergency use authorizations, and do they guarantee that a vaccine or drug is safe?

Economy + Business

How TikTok is upending workplace social media policies – and giving us rebel nurses and dancing cops

A better way for billionaires who want to make massive donations to benefit society

Ethics + Religion

In a year of Black Lives Matter protests, Dutch wrestle (again) with the tradition of Black Pete

Environment + Energy

How a flu virus shut down the US economy in 1872 – by infecting horses

Tiny treetop flowers foster incredible beetle biodiversity

Arts + Culture

The chattering classes got the ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ book wrong – and they’re getting the movie wrong, too

Politics/Election '20

How a troop drawdown in Afghanistan signals American weakness and could send Afghan allies into the Taliban’s arms

Science + Technology

What makes the world’s biggest surfable waves?

Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 will have side effects – that’s a good thing

Trending on site

Pro-mask or anti-mask? Your moral beliefs probably predict your stance

School suspensions don’t just unfairly penalize Black students – they lead to lower grades and ‘Black flight’

Why waiters give Black customers poor service

Older messages

Special edition: Ethiopia's new famine menace

How Biden can rebuild the world's trust on climate change

How dubious suspensions derail Black students

Invitation: join us on Tuesday, Dec. 1 for an important conversation about slavery

Trump claims fraud; his lawyers can’t

You Might Also Like

☕ Great chains

Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing.

Honourable Roulette

📬 No. 62 | What I learned about newsletters in 2024

⚡️ ‘Skeleton Crew’ Answers Its Biggest Mystery

I Tried All The New Eye-Shadow Sticks

How To Stop Worrying And Learn To Love Lynn's National IQ Estimates

☕ Olympic recycling

Ozempic has entered the chat

How a major bank cheated its customers out of $2 billion, according to a new federal lawsuit