The AstraZeneca-Oxford Vaccine Controversy

Plus: A timeline of Elon Musk’s false Covid predictions

The vaccine rollout is continuing smoothly in the U.S. as more states are opening up vaccines to everyone, regardless of age or eligibility status. Connecticut and Mississippi are the latest states to allow anyone to get vaccinated soon, joining at least four other states. Elsewhere in the world, however, things aren’t going as well. Germany, France, Italy and Spain have become the latest countries to suspend use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine over concerns that it is linked to blood clots. (The vaccine has not yet been authorized for use in the United States.) The company has denied these claims, saying that there is no data to prove that vaccinated people are getting more blood clots than the general population. Read our in-depth story on this hot topic below. 

Business

Some GOP Senators are so against President Biden’s stimulus package that they are urging constituents to decline the latest round of stimulus money. 

People have started traveling again, and United Airlines expects its first positive cash flow month since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Facebook announced that it will add labels to all posts about Covid-19 vaccines directing users to the site’s Covid-19 Information Center.

Science & Health

Brazil is now the site of the worst Covid-19 outbreak in the world, largely due to an infectious and deadly variant. 

Italy returns to lockdown again as Covid-19 cases in Europe spike. 

Some colleges are also having to close again after parties drive a new surge in cases. 

Speaking of schools -- surveys say that parents and students are still more concerned about getting Covid-19 than missing in-person classes.

What Else We Are Reading

• Shot Chasers: How Officials in Trump’s Lame-Duck White House Scrambled to Score COVID-19 Vaccinations (Vanity Fair)

• They Got Covid One Year Ago. They’re Still Sick. (Wall Street Journal)

• Rebekah Jones Tried to Warn Us About COVID-19. Now Her Freedom Is on the Line (Cosmopolitan)