Axios

1. GDP stocking stuffer: The COVID-19 vaccine generated economic savings equal to 2.3% in the real gross domestic product to the U.S. this year.
2. Thank a teacher: Severe burnout is raising concerns about turnover — and more broadly, the state of education.
3. Record low: U.S. population grew by 0.1% in the year that ended July 1, the slowest rate since the nation's founding.
4. New supply chain crisis: Shipping containers carrying medical supplies are facing ongoing transportation congestion
5. Buckle up: Wall Street strategists see the shape of 2022 pegged to three main hooks: inflation, corporate spending and the pandemic's path.

India will begin COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 15-18 on Jan. 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday.

Why it matters: India has had the second-most COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began, trailing only the U.S., and appears to be in the beginning stages of an Omicron surge.

A volcanic eruption on the Spanish Canary island of La Palma was officially declared over on Saturday, after 10 days of inactivity and three months since the initial explosion, the AP reports.

Driving the news: The lava flow and ash, which stretched a little more than 85 days, destroyed "around 3,000 buildings, entombed banana plantations and vineyards, ruined irrigation systems and cut off roads," per the AP.

As the Taliban moved on Kabul in August, Tahera Ahmadi, 31, a married doctor, fled Afghanistan with just a backpack. Now, she's trying to rebuild a life in Alexandria, Virginia.

The big picture: As people around the world celebrate Christmas and the start of a new year, Ahmadi and about 74,000 other Afghan evacuees are navigating their own new beginnings in the U.S.

The White House will lift the travel restrictions it imposed on eight African countries last month after the Omicron variant was first reported in South Africa, White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz said on Friday.

Driving the news: The restrictions will end on Dec. 31, according to Munoz. He said the decision to lift travel restrictions was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At least 39 people died and 70 more were injured in a fire on a crowded river ferry in Bangladesh early Friday, AP reports.

Driving the news: The fire started at around 3 a.m. local time, and the ferry was carrying 800 passengers from Dhaka, the country's capital, to Barguna, officials said.

The South Korean government will pardon imprisoned former President Park Geun-hye, who was convicted of corruption in 2018, per Bloomberg.

Why it matters: Park, 69, was the first South Korean leader to be impeached and removed from office.