Forbes - Lowest New Cases In Months

Plus: Is the U.S. healthcare system as resilient as its doctors?

Your daily Forbes Coronavirus newsletter is now renamed Forbes InnovationRx and comes with science and healthcare news from Katie Jennings on Wednesdays and Coronavirus-exclusive coverage from Leah Rosenbaum on weekdays.

Great news today: new cases of Covid-19 in the U.S. are at their lowest since November. The masking and social distancing that we’ve been doing are working-- albeit slowly. There were still more than 800,000 new cases of the disease last week, higher than most other countries in the world. Hopefully, vaccines will start to make an even bigger dent in the number of new cases. Today, the Johnson & Johnson CEO said that the company’s Covid-19 vaccine is very effective, and will keep people from getting extremely sick. Hopefully, the vaccine will be granted emergency use authorization as soon as the end of this month.

Business

President Biden has come out in support of only sending stimulus checks to Americans who make less than $75,000 a year. 

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and other private sector executives will be going to the White House to discuss stimulus package plans. 

Uber has announced that it is partnering with Walgreens to offer free rides to get Covid-19 vaccines to people from underserved communities. 

Science & Health

A team from the World Health Organization says that the theory that the Covid-19 virus escaped from a lab in China is “extremely unlikely.” 

A new study finds that people with dementia are at higher risk for getting Covid-19 and may experience more severe symptoms. 

Pediatricians and school officials in Los Angeles are at odds regarding school openings -- here’s the fight, which is playing out in counties across the country. 

What Else We Are Reading

• A Q&A with WHO’s emergencies chief on Covid-19, why he’s hopeful, and when normalcy might return (STAT)

• Covid-19 Vaccine Scams Spread Under Facebook and Telegram's Watch (WIRED)

• The Second COVID-19 Shot Is a Rude Reawakening for Immune Cells (The Atlantic)