Coronavirus Watch: Who is next in line for a vaccine?
Lawmakers have agreed on a $900 billion stimulus deal that includes another round of direct payments and a boost in unemployment benefits.
Here's what we know about what's in the package, and when Americans could start receiving their $600 checks.
It's Monday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's the news to know today, as of 1:30 p.m. EST.
- Who's next? Police, firefighters, teachers and grocery workers are among the group of Americans next up for a COVID-19 vaccine. The group includes people 75 and older and front-line essential workers. They could start being inoculated in February after the first wave of vaccines are given to front-line health care workers and people in long-term care facilities.
- Two vaccines have been authorized in the U.S. and are on the distribution trail: Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. Moderna's vaccine hit the road Sunday, and the first shots were expected to be given Monday.
- Despite news of a stimulus deal, stocks opened lower Monday morning on worries of a new strain of coronavirus being identified in England.
- While Americans wait for the relief of a stimulus bill, many who are jobless because of the pandemic are still waiting for unemployment benefits.
- Also desperately awaiting relief? A beleaguered travel industry. Here's how it reacted to the stimulus package.
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– Jay Cannon, Paste BN Network and Wires Editor, @JayTCannon on Twitter