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.” To receive newsletter issues daily in your inbox, sign up here. A calculator recently published at The New York Times estimates your "place in line" for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine among the full U.S. population. It spits out a result based on your age, county of residence, occupation, and underlying health conditions. The calculator draws on vaccine priority recommendations issued by an advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, according to a story about it by Stuart A. Thompson (illustrations by Jorge Colombo). The calculator puts 268.7 million people ahead of me in line. To help readers grasp the logistical complexity of the vaccine rollout, the story lists the supplies required for every 100 doses: 105 needles and syringes, 210 alcohol pads, 4 surgical masks, 2 face shields, and "100 vaccine report cards to track patients’ vaccine histories.” In English; In Spanish.
The characters of the vaccine story, and the risks of ‘vaccine nationalism’ On Tuesday, the world’s media turned to Britain, the first country to administer a clinically tested and authorized coronavirus vaccine. Coverage was full of local color: Margaret Keenan, a ninety-year-old woman, became the first person to be vaccinated, then she drank a cup of tea. “She’s celebrating by ‘avin’ a spot of tea, a nice cuppa,” MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow said, in an excruciating English accent. (Maddow described Keenan as “very, very British”; the Irishpress begged to differ.) William Shakespeare (really) was next in line. He went viral on social media, as did Martin Kenyon, a ninety-one-year-old man who spoke to CNN outside a vaccination center: “I went off and had a rather nasty lunch and came back and they were ready for me.” Kenyon further endeared himself in follow-up interviews—he told
Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images This story is part of a group of stories called The coronavirus is killing more than 2,000 Americans every day. The US’s daily rate of new cases is still higher than that of most developed nations, and nationwide, we’re seeing a record number of hospitalizations, surpassing that of April. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising Americans not to travel for the upcoming holidays, and recommending those who do get a coronavirus test. Travel surveys suggest that with the upcoming holidays, a number of Americans are still planning to fly or drive to a destination, either to visit family or for vacation, despite the risks involved.