Coronavirus Watch: Vaccines – what's the holdup?

Americans awaited the authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine for months. So what's the holdup in getting them out?

More than 12.4 million vaccine doses have been distributed across the U.S., while nearly 2.8 million doses have been administered as of Thursday, per CDC data.

Vaccinations should pick up mightily in the coming weeks, officials project, but here's what they're saying about the current lag in inoculations. 

It's Thursday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's the news to know today, as of 12 p.m. EST.

• More states are expected to report cases of the new strain of coronavirus previously identified in the United Kingdom. Two states already have reported first cases of it.
• A now-fired Wisconsin healthcare employee is under investigation by the FBI for intentionally spoiling more than 500 vaccine doses by removing them from a refrigerator.
• The ball is dropping in Times Square, but that might be the only normal thing about the New Year's Eve celebration in the heart of New York City. Here's what Times Square will look like tonight.
• In an initial effort to get Ohio nursing home employees vaccinated, roughly 60% of workers declined the vaccine, Gov. Mike DeWine said. Nursing homes will get two more visits to get the first dose of vaccine, he said. He wishes "they had a higher compliance."

The sports world was shut down and rebooted this year, but the revived version certainly didn't feel familiar. Paste BN Sports' Gabe Lacques tackles the big question for 2021: When will pro, college and youth sports return to normal?

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– Jay Cannon, Paste BN Network and Wires Editor, @JayTCannon on Twitter.