“We’re at the cusp of getting many more vaccines in the community, and we’re positioned to push those out,” said Dr. Jacquelyn Johnson-Minter, director of Fort Bend County Health and Human Services. “If there’s another surge, we should be able to blunt it. . We should be able to blunt it if we’re continuing to hammer on the vaccines.”
As of late February, officials said they were hopeful vaccinations of the general public could begin as soon as early spring. However, challenges remain when it comes to getting vaccines to underserved and vulnerable populations, including those who lack information about the vaccine, leading them to not trust it, and those who lack access to transportation.
Last year was filled with disease and political shenanigans. Judging from the first two weeks, 2021 is one like weâve never had before. Much of our time and treasure will be related to last yearâs president, COVID-19, the failure of nations and a global scramble trying to adjust to conditions caused by disease and political events we never imagined. Historians will have a lot to write about.
The 2020 horrors were not just in our valley, or in Utah, or our United States. They were worldwide. We can only guess what our world will be like when we bring coronavirus under control (and we will). Itâs safe to say that our Earth and people who live on it will never be the same. Our new year challenge is to educate people to understand and improve our changing world.
Dive Brief:
Modular manufacturer and prefab construction company Katerra announced a recapitalization that will eliminate a significant amount of its debt and provide $200 million of new funding, the majority of which will come from SoftBank Vision Fund 1. Softbank s investment is in addition to $2 billion the Japanese fund previously sunk into the Katerra; it gives it a majority stake in the company and allows Katerra to avoid bankruptcy, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In an email to employees, Katerra CEO Paal Kibsgaard said the company s rapid growth since its establishment in 2015 had been cost-intensive and that it spread itself too thin. He said the firm is committed to refocus on our core set of high-potential business lines, reduce overhead spending [and] strengthen our operational and financial systems.