Biden will take office amid the most extreme domestic circumstances of any president since Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression, with sickness and death rampant, and millions of Americans unemployed, hungry or at risk of losing their homes. One American is now dying from Covid-19 every 30 seconds.
In the interview, Biden also signaled a science-based approach to the pandemic, announcing that once vaccines are approved in the country, he will have the shot publicly to help assure Americans that it’s safe. He will also keep the country’s top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, in his role and appoint him as his chief medical adviser and member of the Covid taskforce.
YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED
Q: If someone already had Covid-19, should they still take the vaccine?
A: In some cases, a vaccine might give stronger protection than antibodies produced after being infected, so it’s definitely still worth getting a shot if you’ve had Covid-19.
“There are actually six other coronaviruses — MERS and SARS and four other viruses that create the common cold. They don’t seem to do very well at creating long-term immunity,” said epidemiologist Dr. Larry Brilliant. “Many of the vaccines that we’ve made in history are actually stronger than the virus is itself at creating immunity.”
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY
Fauci apologizes over remarks about UK’s vaccine approval
“What the FDA has done, in real time, has gone over all of the raw data in real time, in a way that could not possibly have been done any more quickly,” he said, adding it would be at least another week until the FDA could make a statement regarding safety and efficacy.
California issues regional stay-at-home order as hospitals strained
European nations facing more Christmas holiday restrictions
Europeans are gearing up for modest Christmas celebrations. France looks set to limit holiday gatherings to a maximum of six adults, with no limit on children.
Italy has banned movement between regions from December 21 to January 6. On Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, movement between municipalities will also be banned.
And in Spain, movement between regions from December 23 and January 6 will be banned as well, but people can gather in groups of up to 10 people for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
ON OUR RADAR
- Wuhan, the Chinese city most closely associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, has launched a promotional video to urge travelers to experience its beauty.
- Warner Bros. will stream all of its 2021 movies at the same time they hit theaters, WarnerMedia, which also owns CNN, has announced.
- The postponed Tokyo Olympic Games are set to cost $2.7 billion more than initially projected, the organizing committee said Friday, taking the total cost of next year’s event to $15.3 billion.
- American college campuses have shown success in mitigating the virus, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
TOP TIPS
Misinformation about vaccines has been circulating for years, and several Covid-19 vaccine candidates undergoing approval processes in various countries are no exception. It’s important to get your information on these vaccines from reliable sources.
TODAY’S PODCAST
“That moment when we come back and get to walk through the stage door or the curtain goes up on that first performance back, I can’t begin to imagine what it will sound like and feel like backstage.” — Jessica Rush, theater and television actor
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