COVID-19 vaccine rollout relies heavily on pharmacy giants CVS and Walgreens

COVID-19 vaccine rollout relies heavily on pharmacy giants CVS and Walgreens

Plans to begin administering COVID-19 vaccines this month to millions of vulnerable Americans will depend not on public health departments but largely on the nation’s two largest for-profit pharmacy chains. CVS Health and Walgreens Boots Alliance were tapped by the Trump administration to vaccinate more than 3 million residents of nursing homes and other long-term …

Employment growth slows sharply in November amid coronavirus surge

Employment growth slows sharply in November amid coronavirus surge

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 245,000 in November, down from 610,000 in October. The total was below the Wall Street estimate of 440,000. Unemployment decreased to 6.7%, meeting expectations. Job gains were concentrated in warehousing as well as professional and business services. Retail jobs fell ahead of the holiday shopping season. Nonfarm payrolls increased by just …

With Virus Spreading in Homes, U.S. Governors Run Out of Weapons

With Virus Spreading in Homes, U.S. Governors Run Out of Weapons

(Bloomberg) — Governors and mayors have cracked down on schools, restaurants, gyms, nursing homes, places of worship and much more. But enforcement is proving almost useless in Americans’ homes, where some leaders insist that hang-out culture is a major source of pandemic risk. California Governor Gavin Newsom is the latest to try: On Thursday, he …

Pfizer Slashed Its Original Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout Target After Supply-Chain Obstacles

Pharma giant expects to ship half the doses it had originally planned after finding raw materials in early production didn’t meet its standards   Pfizer Inc. expects to ship half of the COVID-19 vaccines it originally planned for this year because of supply-chain problems, but still expects to roll out more than a billion doses …

Compromise on stimulus within reach – McConnell

Compromise on stimulus within reach – McConnell

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he sees “hopeful signs” for striking a coronavirus stimulus deal before the end of the year. Democrats and Republicans in Congress have been scrambling to strike a pandemic relief deal before the end of the year. After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer backed a …

Donald Trump posts speech on Facebook repeating US election misinformation

Donald Trump posts speech on Facebook repeating US election misinformation

President Donald Trump has surprised the United States by posting a lengthy speech on his social media accounts, in which he repeats a deluge of baseless and disproven claims about last month’s presidential election. The prerecorded speech, which is 46 minutes long, was filmed in the White House. Mr Trump posted it without warning shortly …

CDC director warns the next few months could be ‘the most difficult in the public health history of this nation’

CDC director warns the next few months could be ‘the most difficult in the public health history of this nation’

The next few months of the Covid-19 pandemic will be among “the most difficult in the public health history of this nation,” Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, said. Redfield, speaking at an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that about 90% of hospitals in the country are in “hot zones …

S&P 500 Claws Back Losses to End at Record High on Stimulus Hopes

S&P 500 Claws Back Losses to End at Record High on Stimulus Hopes

Investing.com – The S&P 500 closed at a record high Wednesday, as renewed optimism over a stimulus relief package and ongoing positive news on Pfizer ‘s Covid-19 vaccine lifted investor sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.20%, or 60 points. The S&P 500 was up 0.20% higher, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.05%. In …