COVID-19 vaccine, US Women’s Open tees off, Hanukkah begins: 5 things to know Thursday
FDA to consider emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccine; US exceeds 3,000 deaths in a day
A U.S. committee crucial for clearing a COVID-19 vaccine will hold an all-day meeting Thursday, and depending on how it votes, the nation's first doses could ship as early as Friday. The U.S. set a record for COVID-19 deaths reported in a day Wednesday — 3,124, a single-day toll worse than 9/11. The committee will review data from Pfizer and German startup BioNTech on their vaccine, called BNT162b2, and by day's end will vote whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should authorize the country’s first COVID-19 vaccine. The companies are requesting an “emergency use authorization,” shy of a full approval. If the independent Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommends that authorization, the FDA is expected to sign off on the vaccine, possibly as soon as late Thursday.
- Coronavirus updates: Pfizer vaccine reaches final review for FDA authorization as US nears 290K deaths
- 'Very inconsistent': 2 allergic reactions in the UK to COVID-19 vaccine puzzle researchers
- Trading COVID-19 vaccines. Regular deliveries. Tracking doses. What we know about Operation Warp Speed distribution processes.
- A second dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna is needed, but the timing doesn't have to be exact, says government vaccine developer.
- They have masks and gloves, there's more testing capacity: What nursing homes really need is more help, advocates say.
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Let it shine: Hanukkah begins joyous 8-day run
The evening of Thursday, Dec. 10, marks the start of Judaism's eight-night Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. During Hanukkah, Jews light candles on a menorah to celebrate the miracle of a one-day oil supply lasting eight after the Maccabean Revolt in the second century B.C. For many, it's also a time for exchanging gifts, playing the game of dreidel and serving tasty treats, many of which are fried in oil. And no, you aren't crazy: "Hanukkah" can also be spelled "Chanukah" — and 22 other ways.
- 4 questions answered about kosher wine and where to find it for Hanukkah
U.S. Women’s Open tees off after long postponement
Following a six-month delay because of COVID-19, the last golf major of 2020 finally tees off Thursday. The 75th U.S. Women’s Open, originally scheduled for June 4-7, is set to begin Thursday morning at Champions Golf Club in Houston with 156 golfers entered. The first tee time is 10:20 a.m. ET with TV coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. Top contender Lexi Thompson, who in 2007 at age 12 was the youngest to qualify to play in the U.S. Women's Open, will have a special guest caddie as she attempts to win her second major. Thompson, runner-up to Jeongeun Lee6 in last year's U.S. Women's Open, will have Bryson DeChambeau’s caddie, Tim Tucker. DeChambeau won the men’s U.S. Open earlier this year in dominant fashion. Could Thompson make it a rare (perhaps historic?) U.S. Open double for Tucker?
- Rookie contingent is strong in the U.S. Women's Open
- No. 3 Nelly Korda returns from back injury just in time for U.S. Women's Open
Federal prisoner Brandon Bernard slated for execution
A federal prisoner convicted for crimes related to a double murder and robbery is scheduled to be executed Thursday. Brandon Bernard, currently housed at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, was convicted for his involvement in a robbery that led to the brutal deaths of Todd and Stacie Bagley on the Fort Hood military base in Killeen, Texas, in 1999. Now 40, Bernard was 18 at the time, and his lawyers have argued he was not an architect of the robbery plan that led to the Bagleys' deaths. Several high-profile figures, including a prosecutor who argued for Bernard's death sentence and celebrity Kim Kardashian West, have called for Bernard's execution to be stayed.
- Rule change on executions gives options beyond lethal injection
- Column: Biden must rally America to end the death penalty
Northern lights could be visible across the northern US
If you live across portions of the northern U.S., keep your eyes to the sky on Thursday and the next few nights: Barring pesky clouds, you might catch a peek of the northern lights, aka the aurora borealis. According to SpaceWeather.com, auroras could be sighted in northern-tier U.S. states from Maine to Montana to Washington this week. The colorful event is courtesy of a solar flare, which erupted out of a sunspot Monday. A coronal mass ejection — a burst of plasma from the sun — is also heading towards Earth. The electromagnetic storm is expected to grow to major status Thursday, extending the area where the northern lights are visible. So Thursday night might end up being the best night to see the display.
- Worlds align this winter solstice: Look for Jupiter, Saturn in December skies
- Photos: Check out these stunning images of the northern lights
