Note that some links may require registration or subscription. One of Johnson & Johnson's contract vaccine manufacturers messed up during production of 15 million doses, putting shipments behind schedule. ( New York Times) Meanwhile, Pfizer and BioNTech said their vaccine was 100% effective in South Africa, where the troubling B.1.351 variant is widespread, amidst other boasts about the product. France will undergo a third national lockdown through the end of April due to accelerating coronavirus spread. ( NPR) As of Thursday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, the unofficial COVID-19 toll reached 30,461,066 cases and 552,073 deaths -- reflecting increases of 66,878 and 1,075, respectively, over the previous 24 hours. In 2020, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the CDC; during some weeks, it was responsible for one-quarter of all deaths.