Forbes - A Bumpy Vaccine Rollout

Plus: 44 ER staff infected in California Covid-19 outbreak

Welcome back to the Forbes Coronavirus newsletter. I hope you had a safe and relaxing holiday season! Now, on to the news: As the U.S. surpasses 350,000 deaths, the vaccine rollout is inching along slowly. Reports of delays and unused vaccines sitting in freezers are frustrating to officials who want to distribute as many vaccines as possible. Though Dr. Fauci is optimistic that the delays are only temporary, he also says that more partnership is needed between the federal government and states. Other experts think that businesses should step in and lend a hand; for example, former FDA head Scott Gottlieb has called on pharmacies to ramp up vaccine distribution to the elderly. But even if the bumps of vaccine distribution are smoothed out, will enough people take it? New reports have found that some frontline workers, including those in hospitals and nursing homes, are still reluctant to get vaccinated.

Business

TSA airport screenings plummeted by 500 million in 2020, echoing the airline industry’s struggle during the pandemic. 

Last week, the Senate overrode President Trump’s veto of a $740 billion defense bill, but $2,000 stimulus checks are unlikely to become a reality any time soon.

Science & Health

The U.K. has started vaccinating people with a Covid-19 vaccine from Oxford and AstraZeneca, which is not yet authorized in the U.S. 

A study confirms that the new variant of Covid-19 found in the U.K. (and now in the U.S.)  is substantially more transmissible than “regular” Covid-19. 

Research shows that there has been a drop in many preventive health services during the pandemic including mammograms -- which could have serious implications for patients in the future. 

On The Upside

Forbes Awards: Check out our first-ever Forbes Awards for Biotech and Pharma. Hint: Covid-19 vaccines came out on top.