Chile became the first country in South America to begin coronavirus vaccinations on Thursday after receiving its first 10,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses, Reuters reports.
The big picture: The country bought 10 million doses from Pfizer-BioNTech and is expected to receive 240,000 doses in January, per Reuters.
Scientists believe the compound polyethylene glycol — known as PEG — is to blame for the reported allergic reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Driving the news: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified six allergic reactions to the vaccine out of the 272,001 doses given through Dec. 19.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has long cited 60% to 70% as the level of COVID infection/vaccination the country would need to achieve herd immunity — for the disease to fade and life to return to normal, writes the New York Times' Donald G. McNeil Jr.
But, but, but: "About a month ago, he began saying '70, 75 percent' in television interviews. And last week, in an interview with CNBC News, he said '75, 80, 85 percent' and '75 to 80-plus percent,'" McNeil writes.
The big picture:More than 50 countries have restricted air travel to the U.K., as concerns have continued to grow after the nation and the World Health Organization said they'd identified a new variant of COVID-19 within the country.
Pope Francis said in his Christmas Day message that coronavirus vaccines should be made available to everyone at no charge, and that nations should work together as they recover from the effects of the pandemic.
The state of play: Because of Italy's restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19, the Catholic Church leader delivered the traditional Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) speech from the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, instead of from a balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square to a usually large crowd.
Nine months of the coronavirus pandemic have left millions of Americans and small businesses struggling to survive. On this Christmas Day, they all deserve to be in our thoughts.
The big picture: Millions of Americans have lost their jobs. People who once volunteered at food banks are turning to them to feed their families. And millions of others could face homelessness when the CDC's moratorium on evictions expires on Dec. 31.
Mexico became the first Latin American country to begin coronavirus vaccinations, amid a surge in cases, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The serum arrives as Mexico's hospitals reach a breaking point. The country tallies over 1.3 million COVID-19 cases and 120,000 deaths, per John Hopkins University data, though actual numbers are believed to be much higher.
Why it matters: It's the first U.S. state to exceed 2 million coronavirus infections. While it took California over nine months for 1 million people to test positive for the virus, state health officials have confirmed 1 million cases in six weeks, the Mercury News notes.
The NBA announced it's fining Houston Rockets star James Harden $50,000 for COVID-19 protocols violations and postponing his team's Wednesday night season opener with the Oklahoma City Thunder following a coronavirus outbreak.
Why it matters: The NBA suspended the previous season in March due to the pandemic. It returned to play in late July in a bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.
