Promising results from COVID-19 vaccine trials offer hope not just that the pandemic could be ended sooner than expected, but that medicine itself may have a powerful new weapon.
Why it matters: Vaccines are, in the words of one expert, "the single most life-saving innovation ever," but progress had slowed in recent years. New gene-based technology that sped the arrival of the COVID vaccine will boost the overall field, and could even extend to mass killers like cancer.
Don't be surprised if COVID metrics plunge over the next few days, only to spike next week.
Why it matters: The COVID Tracking Project warns of a "double-weekend pattern" on Thanksgiving — where the usual weekend backlog of data is tacked on to a holiday.
Many Americans chose to travel by plane ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Why it matters: The CDC advised Americans on Nov. 19 not to travel for Thanksgiving, and that doing so may increase the chance of contracting and spreading COVID-19. The U.S. is currently seeing the most coronavirus cases and the greatest strain on hospitals since the start of the pandemic.
The University of Alabama's football team said Wednesday that its coach Nick Saban has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Why it matters: The 69-year-old legendary coach will miss the annual Iron Bowl on Saturday, where No. 1 ranked Alabama will take on No. 22 ranked rival Auburn. Saban, who registered a false positive COVID-19 test in October, is experiencing mild symptoms and plans to self-isolate at home.
Experts are still trying to make sense of AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s coronavirus vaccine.
The big question: Oxford and AstraZeneca said their vaccine was 90% effective in people who got a half dose followed by a full dose, and 62% effective in people who got two full doses. Why would a lower dose be more effective?
Data: The Harris Poll; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
About one-third of Americans say they're likely to ignore health officials' warnings about the risks of getting together for Thanksgiving, according to a new Harris Poll survey shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: The coronavirus is already spreading unchecked across the entire country, and these findings support experts' fears that Thanksgiving is about to make things even worse.
France will begin a three-stage plan to phase out its second COVID-19 lockdown of the year, President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday.
Why it matters: Last week’s virus cases across the country amounted to one-third the number of cases seen in early November, the New York Times reports. Health experts have warned France not to repeat its mistakes from the spring as the nation moves to ease restrictions.
UPS and Ford Motor Company have both announced they ordered portable, ultra-low temperature freezers for storing coronavirus vaccines when they become available.
Why it matters: While the promising vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is 95% effective, it can only be stored at or around -70 degrees Celsius.
Scotland on Tuesday approved legislation that will make menstrual products free across the country for all who require them.
Why it matters: Scotland will be the first nation in the world to make period products fully free and available. The effort is meant to eradicate "period poverty," in which people go without menstrual products due to financial limitations.
Purdue Pharma, the maker of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to three criminal charges, AP reports.
Why it matters: The plea signals the company's admission it played a role in the opioid epidemic that has contributed to nearly half a million deaths over the past two decades.
Black and Latino Americans are facing “terrible financial problems” due to COVID-19, health expert Robert Blendon said on Tuesday at a virtual Axios event.
Why it matters: The pandemic has hit communities of color harder than white Americans, and the population of homeless Black Americans and Latinos will only increase if there is no emergency federal aid, Brendon said.
A gauge of business activity in the U.S. continued to soar past pre-pandemic levels, while Europe's lockdown hurt its activity further in November, according to preliminary data from IHS Markit.
Why it matters: The index is a closely watched measure of the manufacturing and services sectors across the globe.
Essential workers — who are at higher risk of coronavirus infection and are disproportionately people of color — will likely receive a coronavirus vaccine before adults 65 and older and people with pre-existing medical conditions, STAT reports.
Why it matters: This would be one of the first major steps the U.S. has taken to counteract the racial inequities that have persisted throughout the pandemic.
Utah doctors are doing what they say is the equivalent of rationing care. Intensive care beds in Minnesota are nearly full. And the country overall continues to break hospitalization records — all as millions of Americans travel to spend Thanksgiving with friends and family.
Why it matters: America's health care workers are exhausted, and the sickest coronavirus patients aren't receiving the kind of care that could make the difference between living and dying.
The official guidance of the CDC says that "postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year."
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly, however, took the opposing position when he was interviewed by "Axios on HBO." "You should fly," he told me, adding that "we need to have as much commerce and business and movement as is safe to do."
Six in 10 Americans are dialing back this year's Thanksgiving plans because of the pandemic — cutting guest lists, canceling travel or scrapping Turkey Day altogether — in the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.
The big picture: This greater willingness to turn inward and exercise caution around the holidays comes amid signs of increased trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a growing confidence there will soon be a safe and effective vaccine available in the U.S.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced Monday that it's "in the final development phase" of a "digital passport" mobile app that would receive COVID-19 test and vaccination certificates.
Why it matters: Pera statement from Nick Careen, IATA's senior vice president of airport, passenger, cargo and security, the app would "get people traveling again safely," as the airline industry seeks to recover from the pandemic.
Sen. Kelly Loeffler's (R-Ga.) campaign announced Monday that she "looks forward to getting back out on the campaign trail" after testing negative for COVID-19 for a second time, following earlier conflicting results.
Why it matters: Loeffler has been campaigning at events ahead of a Jan. 5 runoff in elections that'll decide which party holds the Senate majority. Vice President Mike Pence was with her on Friday.
