Three global alliances representing 58 airlines are pushing governments to replace onerous quarantine restrictions with widespread COVID-19 testing and digital travel passes that would verify who's safe to fly, AP reports.
Why it matters: Adopting common testing procedure with results verified by a secure smartphone app could help restart international travel by building trust between countries without requiring a 14-day quarantine.
It feels like early March again across America, where curfews are coming back and a slate of football games have been canceled or postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New York is joining at least 3 other states — Connecticut, Minnesota and New Jersey — in a 10 p.m. curfew for bars, restaurants and gyms.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a Wednesday interview that working alongside the Trump administration to combat the coronavirus in the U.S. has been "very stressful."
Why it matters: AlthoughFauci, who considers himself apolitical, is among the most trusted voices in the country on the coronavirus, he has faced attacks from Trump loyalists and the president himself, who recently called him a "disaster."
Driving the news: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has repeatedly said that strict rules were unnecessary and ineffective, on Tuesday issued limits on large gatherings and implemented a partial mask mandate for social settings and some businesses.
The European Union struck a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech to buy at least 200 million doses of their coronavirus vaccine in the largest initial order to date, the companies announced Wednesday.
Driving the news: Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Monday that its coronavirus vaccine trial was effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in 90% of previously uninfected people and did not produce any serious safety concerns.
Here's something to think about on Veterans Day: As tough as the pandemic has been on most Americans, it has hit many U.S. veterans especially hard and made their struggles with mental health even tougher.
The big picture: Isolation during the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in increased instances of depression and suicide among veterans as coronavirus cases spike all over the country.
Why it matters: Texas is the first U.S. state to pass the milestone. It has the 10th most cases in the world, reporting 1,010,364 infections by early Wednesday — more than Italy, which has confirmed 995,463 cases, per JHU.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and NIAID director Anthony Fauci said Tuesday they expect a coronavirus vaccine to be rolled out widely in the U.S. by next spring.
Of note: Fauci said to NBC News the Pfizer vaccine could get FDA emergency approval within weeks. Azar told the network he expects it to be available to Americans in priority categories, like those most at risk and health care workers, by the year's end to early January. Fauci said it could happen by December.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sold $5.6 million worth of stock on Monday — the same day it said its and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine showed 90% effectiveness in preliminary results, which saw the company's stock soaring almost 8%.
Between the lines: The stock sale is perfectly legal through a predetermined plan called Rule 10b5-1, but the optics aren't great. A Pfizer spokesperson did not add any new information in a statement, saying the sale was part of a predetermined plan created in August.
If you wear a mask, you're protecting yourself as well as others from COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an update on Tuesday.
Why it matters: "Adopting universal masking policies can help avert future lockdowns, especially if combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, hand hygiene, and adequate ventilation," per the CDC.
The U.S. confirmed a record-high 130,989 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, while the number of people currently hospitalized with the virus hit a peak of 61,964, according to a tally by the COVID Tracking Project.
By the numbers: The spread of the virus is showing no signs of slowing, as the U.S. surpassed 10 million reported cases on Monday. The 15 days with the highest number of new cases have all taken place over the past 18 days.
