In Brief: December 2020

Nicole Llanes and Rebecca Lim

The UK is in the Lead 

   The United Kingdom’s healthcare providers are beating America in the race to give the first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The UK became the first Western nation to approve a Covid-19 vaccine; they’re set to begin on Tuesday in England, Wales, and Scotland. The vaccine has strict conditions and the recipient must receive two doses, three weeks apart. In addition, it offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 and is expected to be given to 4 million people. How fast the vaccine was approved received a lot of criticism but the head of the UK medicines regulator stated it’s “as safe as any general vaccine”. For now health officials will closely monitor those receiving the vaccine.

Where in the world is the monolith today?

   Across the globe from American to Romania to Britain have been appearances of shiny, tall monoliths. It’s initial appearance was during mid-November in a Utah desert. As mysteriously as it appeared, it then suddenly vanished November 27th. As the one in Utah disappeared, another monolith appeared oceans away in the Romanian hillside. A few days later, it again disappeared without an explanation. Once again following the pattern, a new monolith appeared at the top of a mountain trail in Southern California and vanished shortly after. Now, during the first weekend of December a monolith was found on a beach on the Isle of Wight in Britain. Will this monolith follow the same pattern and why are all of them appearing and vanishing? Is it a group doing this? These questions still remain unanswered.

What’s Up With Rudy?

You may have heard the name Rudy Giuliani being thrown around a lot lately. The lawyer and former NYC mayor is currently busy fighting the results of the 2020 presidential election as Trump’s top attorney. Recently, he spoke in a Michigan House Oversight Committee hearing and called on the lawmakers to “take back their power” by disregarding Biden’s win in the state. He also called witnesses during the hearing, who were not required to swear an oath, including one who combatively made unconfirmed claims that election workers counted ballots multiple times. President Trump announced on December 6th that Giuliani tested positive for the coronavirus, who later followed up saying he was “Recovering quickly and keeping up with everything.”

Florida: Is Help on the Way?

Florida has been one of the hardest-hit states during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s no surprise that its residents are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the vaccine. Pfizer and Moderna, two leading companies in the COVID-19 vaccine race, have applied for FDA emergency use authorization approval. Governor Ron DeSantis recently discussed the vaccine and how it will be distributed in the state of Florida; he is opposed to requiring people to get the vaccine, saying that “[the vaccine] will be available, but not mandated.” He also explained that those in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes will take priority, then high-risk frontline healthcare workers, and then other vulnerable people, including those over the age of 65, and/or those who have serious underlying health conditions, will receive the vaccine.