Excellent news! An FDA advisory committee has recommended approving the coronavirus from Moderna for use in the fight against COVID-19. From the Washington Post:
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine got the greenlight from a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee Thursday, paving the way for authorization of a second shot aimed at slowing a pandemic that has killed nearly 310,000 people in the United States.
The panel voted that the benefits of the highly effective vaccine outweighed its risks for people individuals 18 years of age and older.
The FDA plans to authorize the vaccine Friday, according to knowledgeable individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the schedule.
Gen. Gustave F. Perna, who is leading the federal effort in getting vaccine shipments out to states, has already prepped his team to ship nearly 6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to 3,285 locations in the first week upon approval.
(photo: Daniel Schludi/Unsplash)The Washington Post reports vaccinations for the coronavirus have begun today as nearly 3 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are being delivered to 636 locations across the U.S. More pandemic news from the Post: • After having passed on the opportunity to secure an additional 100 million doses of the vaccine from Pfizer, the U.S. is in talks with the pharma company for acquiring more in the second quarter of 2021, but no deal has been confirmed. • Donald Trump reversed course on a plan to have some White House staff members be among the first Americans vaccinated. The plan had been criticized in light of the Trump White House’s downplaying of the severity of the pandemic. • There’s also a late-to-the-dance public service campaign being launched to encourage people to take the vaccine Trump says he pushed so hard for. While more than eight in 10 Americans currently say they would take the vaccine, many are divided on the question of how soon.
BREAKING: Critical care nurse in New York is among first in US to receive a coronavirus vaccine: "We all need to do our parts to put an end to the pandemic." pic.twitter.com/I8SIFuddFv
Charley Pride (image via publicist)Charley Pride, whose rich baritone voice and impeccable song-sense altered American culture, died Saturday, December 12, 2020, in Dallas, Texas of complications from Covid-19 at age 86. Born a sharecropper’s son in Sledge, Mississippi, on March 18, 1934, Pride emerged from Southern cotton fields to become country music’s first Black superstar and the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. “No person of color had ever done what he has done,” said Darius Rucker in the PBS American Masters film Charley Pride: I’m Just Me. Pride was a gifted athlete who at first thought baseball would be his path from poverty, labor, and strife. But his musical acumen was more impressive than his pitching arm or his hitting skills, and he emerged as one of the most significant artists at RCA Records, with chart-topping hits including “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’,” “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” and “Mountain of Love.”
He won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award in 1971, its top male vocalist prize in 1971 and 1972, and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. His final performance came on November 11, 2020, when he sang “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” during the CMA Awards show at Nashville’s Music City Center with Jimmie Allen, a modern-day hitmaker who counts Pride among his heroes. Charley Frank Pride was not the first Black artist to make important contributions to country music — DeFord Bailey was a star of the Grand Ole Opry from 1927 through 1941 — but Pride was a trailblazer who emerged during a time of division and rancor. After a stint in the Army, time working at a Missouri smelting plant, and some unsuccessful attempts to break into big-league baseball, he came to Nashville in 1963 and made demonstration recordings with help from manager Jack Johnson.
In 1967, Pride’s recording of “Just Between You and Me” broke into country’s Top Ten, and Pride quit his job as a smelter. Iron ore was behind him, and platinum records lay ahead. Between 1967 and 1987, Pride delivered 52 Top 10 country hits (including 29 number ones), was honored with Grammy awards, and became RCA Records’ top-selling country artist. His musicality opened minds and superseded prejudice. “We’re not color blind yet, but we’ve advanced a few paces along the path and I like to think I’ve contributed something to that process,” Pride wrote in his memoir.
Tennessee state Rep. David Byrd (via Facebook) Asking friends for their prayers via Facebook, Tennessee state Rep. David Byrd (R-Waynesboro) says he may soon be placed on a ventilator due to COVID-19. The Republican state lawmaker was hospitalized over the weekend with pneumonia and his oxygen levels are reportedly low. “I really need a miracle today!!” Byrd wrote on Facebook. “My doctor said if my oxygen level doesn’t improve then he has no choice but to put me on a ventilator. So please pray that God will breathe His healing spirit into my lungs!!” According to The Tennessean, Byrd was seen on the floor of the state House during a caucus meeting not wearing a face mask on November 24. Shortly before that, he hosted a dinner at a restaurant in his district for dozens of GOP colleagues, again with no mask in sight. It’s worth noting that in June Byrd voted in support of a House resolution stating that “mainstream media has sensationalized the reporting on COVID-19 in the service of political agendas.” And there you have it.
Ellen DeGeneres (screen capture) Emmy Award-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres shared via Twitter today that she’s tested positive for the coronavirus. “Hi Everyone, I want to let you all know that I have tested positive for COVID-19,” wrote Ellen. “Fortunately, I am feeling fine right now. Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified and I am following all proper CDC guidelines.” “I’ll see you all again after the holidays,” she wrote in closing before adding, “Please stay healthy and safe.” There’s no word on whether her wife, Portia de Rossi, or any staffers have tested positive. Production for her talk show has been paused until January according to Variety. Unfortunately, Ellen joins the ranks of just a few high-profile LGBTQ celebrities to have contracted the virus.
(photo via Flickr/WhiteHouse) Acting in response to the dozens of coronavirus infections that have occurred in the Trump administration, Team Biden plans on a heavy-duty scrub-down of the White House before taking up residency. From Politico:
The team only plans to have a skeleton staff working on campus at first, with most continuing to work remotely from home. They also plan to have the building — which has seen numerous virus outbreaks among staffers and top officials this year — meticulously sanitized.
That includes plans to “thoroughly clean and disinfect” all furniture, doorknobs, handrails and light switches, before Biden and his team move in. Additionally, a private contractor will provide “disinfectant misting services” to clear the air of lingering droplets.
A new high – U.S. records more than 3,000 coronavirus-related deaths in a single day. From the Washington Post:
After weeks of surging infections and rising levels of virus hospitalizations, the United States recorded more than 3,000 covid-19 deaths in a single day, a pandemic record, according to a Washington Post analysis.
The harrowing milestone comes as two vaccine candidates appear to be on the verge of clearing the country’s final regulatory hurdles.
Yet the new death record, as well as a new high of more than 106,000 covid-19 patients in hospitals, are grim reminders of the pandemic’s devastating toll.
Donald Trump took a victory lap yesterday in advance of any American being vaccinated against the virus that has now killed more than 289,000 Americans. And while many have compared the coronavirus to the common flu – saying it’s the same or similar – less than half of Americans have even gotten a flu vaccination this year. By the way – In the 2019/2020 season, the CDC estimates there were 22,000 deaths related to the common flu – not 289,000 deaths. So much for ‘the same or similar.’
First, there was the wave of coronavirus infections among White House staffers and aides. Then, Donald Trump tweeted that his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has been diagnosed as COVID-19 positive. Today, we hear another Team Trump lawyer, Jenna Ellis, has also tested positive for the virus. From Axios:
President Trump’s lawyer Jenna Ellis has informed associates she tested positive for the coronavirus, multiple sources tell Axios, stirring West Wing fears after she attended a senior staff Christmas party on Friday.
Driving the news: There are concerns about the potential for another White House superspreader event, though it was unclear whether Ellis posed a risk when she attended. Ellis declined to confirm the diagnosis to Axios.
Ellis showed up to the White House senior staff party in the East Wing on Friday as the guest of Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro and was not seen wearing a mask, according to sources who attended the indoor event.
So many folks in Trump’s camp getting diagnosed – it’s almost as though they are doing something wrong…?
Breaking Axios: Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis has informed associates she has coronavirus, multiple sources tell Axios. https://t.co/2J5R1tdNGp
Trump administration officials passed when Pfizer offered in late summer to sell the U.S. government additional doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, according to people familiar with the matter.
Now Pfizer may not be able to provide more of its vaccine to the United States until next June because of its commitments to other countries, they said.
As the administration scrambles to try to purchase more doses of the vaccine, President Trump plans on Tuesday to sign an executive order “to ensure that United States government prioritizes getting the vaccine to American citizens before sending it to other nations,” according to a draft statement and a White House official, though it was not immediately clear what force the president’s executive order would carry.
As I understand it, Pfizer has a contract with the U.S. to deliver 100 million doses. Any more would be a new order. And, as Pfizer wasn’t part of Operation Warp Speed and received no federal funds for research and development, the company isn’t beholden to the U.S. In related news, the CEOs of vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna have declined an invitation to attend a “vaccine summit” (read that as “photo opp – victory lap”) at the White House tomorrow.
BREAKING—Trump WH was offered to order more than 100 mil Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine doses (for 50 mil people), but WH **declined to order more**. EU 🇪🇺 ordered 200 mil instead. Now back orders means 🇺🇸 can’t order any more Pfizer #COVID19 vaccine until June!! https://t.co/UvlPUNo0Fq
Bad enough they allowed the virus to spread out of control. Now we learn that when Pfizer offered in late summer to sell U.S. more doses of its vaccine, Trumpers said no. Now Pfizer may not be able provide more until next June because of its commitments to other countries. Argh!
An analysis by Ace Metrix found Kohl’s 2020 holiday ad titled “Give With All Your Heart” scored high across several metrics and it’s easy to see why. From PopSugar:
Set to the song “Rainbow Connection,” viewers see a girl attempt to get to know her elderly neighbor by posting signs in her window. Seemingly set amid COVID-19, the pair enjoys some wholesome back and forth before the neighbor disappears without explanation.
After what appears to be weeks of waiting, the girl begins to lose hope. However, on Christmas morning, the woman returns.
She is wearing a hospital bracelet, likely having experienced a significant health scare or contracted COVID-19. We see them reunite, and once the woman holds up a sign saying, “Did you get what you wished for?” it’s hard not to tear up.
I love it when a message is clear without hitting you over the head. This is quite lovely.
Excellent news! An FDA advisory committee has recommended approving the coronavirus from Moderna for use in the fight against COVID-19. From the Washington Post: 
