President Trump shout-tweeted at FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, “Get the dam vaccines out NOW” (sic) and called the agency a “big old slow turtle.” (The Washington Post)
Even though authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine is expected in days, a return to “normal” life is many months away, according to one vaccine advisory committee member — and that’s only if two-thirds of Americans get the vaccine. (NPR)
TIME magazine named Joe Biden and Kamala Harris its Persons of the Year for 2020.
Biden pledged to distribute 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office. (CBS News)
Deborah Birx, MD, the current White House coronavirus task force coordinator, reportedly wants to stay on the job in the new administration. (ABC News)
The Senate must pass a spending bill Friday to avoid a government shutdown, which could have outsized consequences as the pandemic worsens. (The Washington Post)
Sens. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) and Angus King (I-Maine) continue to negotiate a COVID relief bill and say they are close to agreement, but they’ll still need Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) on board for it to go anywhere. (The Hill)
A GAO report said the government is failing at its PPE stockpile goals and still doesn’t have a centralized database of PPE for health workers. (Wall Street Journal)
The dry-ice supply industry is skeptical of plans for a massive roll-out of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage. (Reuters)
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that states have the right to regulate pharmacy benefit managers. (USA Today)
Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
