Forbes - Lowest Cases Since October

Plus: North Korean hackers tried to steal Pfizer vaccine tech

As a brutal winter storm sweeps the U.S., millions of people are without power and Covid-19 vaccination sites have been shut down. But in good news, the number of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. has dropped to the lowest level since October. That’s thanks to continued social distancing, mask wearing and a ramp up of vaccinations, increasingly coordinated by the federal government. Another piece of good news: The Covid-19 vaccine created by Astrazeneca and Oxford has gotten emergency authorization from the World Health Organization -- but that doesn’t mean it will be available in the U.S. yet. There’s still some controversy surrounding the vaccine, which was recently stopped in South Africa due to low effectiveness. 

Business

The IRS has now finished sending the first two rounds of stimulus checks -- here’s what that means for your tax returns. 

New data from the Department of Transportation shows that U.S. air travel dropped 60% in 2020. 

The demand for tele-mental health has skyrocketed during the pandemic, allowing companies like Talkiatry to raise more funding. 

Science & Health

New research finds that the B. 1.1.7 variant might be 30-70% deadlier than the original Covid-19 virus. 

Caring for a loved one with a disability was hard before the pandemic, and Covid-19 has made it even more difficult. 

The director of the WHO offers steps to stop the next pandemic after Covid-19.

What Else We Are Reading

• Moderna says U.S. supply of its vaccine doses have lagged recently (Reuters)

• To Get Their Lives Back, Teens Volunteer for Vaccine Trials (New York Times)

• Armed with a camera, a young ER doctor captures the faces of the COVID war (Los Angeles Times)