Trump tweets directly at FDA head over ‘slow’ pace of vaccine approval. Get the latest on the virus.

Associated Press, CNN

FDA head expects vaccine emergency use soon

The head of the Food and Drug Administration says his agency has told Pfizer that it “will rapidly work” to grant emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine following a positive recommendation by government advisers.

The FDA decision will kickstart an unprecedented vaccination campaign needed to eventually defeat the virus. The FDA’s greenlight of the vaccine, co-developed with BioNtech, was practically assured after the positive vote by agency advisers a day earlier.

The FDA’s brief statement came less than an hour after President Donald Trump tweeted directly at FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, complaining that FDA “is still a big, old, slow turtle.” Read more:

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Congress stuck, McConnell resists state aid in COVID-19 deal

An emerging $900 billion COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers has all but collapsed after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won’t support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal.

McConnell’s staff conveyed to top negotiators Thursday that the GOP leader sees no path to an agreement on a key aspect of the lawmakers’ existing proposal — a slimmed-down version of the liability shield he is seeking for companies and organizations facing potential COVID-19 lawsuits — in exchange for the state and local funds that Democrats want.

The GOP leader criticized “controversial state bailouts” during a speech in the Senate, as he insists on a more targeted aid package. Read more:

Here’s an update on all developments. Scroll or swipe further for in-depth coverage.

  • Drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi said Friday that their potential COVID-19 vaccine won’t be ready until late next year because they need to improve the shot’s effectiveness in older people.
  • A top health official in California’s third-largest county is urging hospitals to cancel elective surgeries and implement plans to prepare for an onslaught of COVID-19 patients, as intensive care units fill up statewide amid spiking virus cases Thursday.
  • Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, concert trade publication Pollstar puts the total lost revenue for the live events industry in 2020 at more than $30 billion.

For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for the latest virus numbers and virus-related photos of the year.

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More on the Pfizer vaccine

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Virus by the numbers

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Photos of 2020: The coronavirus pandemic

AP photographers around the world captured the impact of the coronavirus pandemic globally. Here are some of the AP’s best images from 2020.

Categories: Breaking News