npr--2020-12-18--Pfizer Says Millions Of Vaccine Doses Are Ready, But States Say Shipments Were Cut

Pfizer Says Millions Of Vaccine Doses Are Ready , But States Say Shipments Were Cut Pfizer is pushing back on the Trump administration 's suggestion that the company is having trouble producing its COVID-19 vaccine , saying it 's ready to ship millions more doses – once the government asks for them .
As the company spoke out , several states said their vaccine allocations for next week have been sharply reduced .
Here 's what the key players are saying about a complicated situation : '' Pfizer is not having any production issues with our COVID-19 vaccine , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold or delayed , '' CEO Albert Bourla said via Twitter .
His company says it has completed every shipment the U.S. government has requested .
`` We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but , as of now , we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses , '' Pfizer said in a statement .
The company also noted that in the past week , it shipped 2.9 million doses of the vaccine it developed with BioNTech in what is widely seen as a breakthrough in the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drugmaker said it was responding to what it called `` public comments '' about its production process after Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the pharmaceutical giant faced `` production challenges '' and was uncertain about delivery dates .
Pfizer stated , `` We remain confident in our ability to deliver up to 50 million doses globally this year and up to 1.3 billion next year , and we look forward to continuing to work with the U.S. Government to deliver our vaccine to the American people . ''
What the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told his state that its vaccine allocation `` will be cut by 40 percent next week — and that all states are seeing similar cuts . ''
The federal government did not give an explanation , he said .
`` This is disruptive and frustrating , '' Inslee added .
`` We need accurate , predictable numbers to plan and ensure on-the-ground success . ''
The Iowa Department of Public Health said its `` initial allotment of coronavirus vaccines could drop by 30 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding , `` but the federal Department of Health and Human Services put out a statement saying otherwise . ''
In Idaho , the Department of Health and Welfare said , `` Idaho , with many other states , has received word that our allotment of the Pfizer vaccine for next week has been reduced from 17,550 to 9,750 doses .
We do n't know why it was reduced .
But our focus does n't change – healthcare workers will continue to receive the vaccine . ''
Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been preparing to distribute the pending Moderna vaccine , `` We have not been as sure about additional Pfizer vaccine for the rest of December . ''
DeSantis added that an initial allotment had been sharply cut , citing production issues .
After an initial warning that Florida might not receive the vaccine at all next week , he said , the state 's planned shipment of 200,000 doses was later partially restored .
Other states reporting sizable drops in their vaccine shipments include Michigan , Connecticut , Georgia , Illinois , Kansas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Hampshire and Indiana , The Associated Press reported .
HHS officials have disagreed with claims that states ' allocations are being cut , issuing a statement that calls such reports `` incorrect . ''
What the U.S. government says Azar spoke about supplies of Pfizer 's vaccine on Wednesday , responding to a reporter 's request for an update on negotiations to get more doses .
`` The core issue ... is Pfizer 's ability to manufacture by a date certain , '' Azar said .
`` Now that they have identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've got , we 've been working with them on what assistance is appropriate for us to provide in order for us to secure additional doses . ''
Saying that Operation Warp Speed is working to secure more doses , the HHS secretary said of Pfizer , `` You know , they 're right now producing at their maximum capacity to deliver on the 100 million that is in the first tranche of the contract with us . ''
Azar also said that because of Pfizer 's unique contract with the government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level of insight into its manufacturing process that HHS has with other vaccine makers .
Pfizer said it has `` continuously shared '' information at weekly meetings .
And it said of HHS and Operation Warp Speed , `` They have visited our facilities , walked the production lines and been updated on our production planning as information has become available . ''
Pfizer is not as closely associated with Operation Warp Speed as other vaccine makers such as Moderna , AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson .
While those companies accepted government money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pfizer financed its own process .
All of the firms signed purchase contracts to produce and distribute vaccine – Pfizer 's 100 million doses are priced at $ 1.95 billion .
But experts said the Trump administration 's contracts with the drugmakers leave the government in a weak bargaining position .
And after Pfizer 's vaccine was the first to head toward emergency use , the government was also criticized when a Pfizer board member said the U.S. passed up multiple chances to secure more doses of the vaccine over the summer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite Azar 's comments about Pfizer 's production process , he said the government is moving ahead with plans to distribute millions more doses of its vaccine – and with even more doses of the Moderna vaccine that is expected to be authorized soon .
`` For next week , we have allocated another approximately 2 million doses of Pfizer 's vaccine for jurisdictions to use , '' Azar said .
He added that if Moderna 's vaccine gets emergency authorization , `` we have allocated nearly 5.9 million doses of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Pfizer doses were provided to states on Monday – a week before they were due to arrive .
State health officials said they need more reliable estimates in advance , so they can plan ahead .
`` To be told that the only thing you can count on is your allocation from the week before – that is not planning , '' said Claire Hannan , head of the Association of Immunization Managers .
State officials have said they expect to get shipments of the Moderna vaccine , if it 's authorized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday .

Pfizer Says Millions Of Vaccine Doses Are Ready, But States Say Shipments Were Cut
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Pfizer is pushing back on the Trump administration's suggestion that the company is having trouble producing its COVID-19 vaccine, saying it's ready to ship millions more doses – once the government asks for them. As the company spoke out, several states said their vaccine allocations for next week have been sharply reduced.
Here's what the key players are saying about a complicated situation:
What Pfizer says
"Pfizer is not having any production issues with our COVID-19 vaccine, and no shipments containing the vaccine are on hold or delayed," CEO Albert Bourla said via Twitter. His company says it has completed every shipment the U.S. government has requested.
"We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses," Pfizer said in a statement.
The company also noted that in the past week, it shipped 2.9 million doses of the vaccine it developed with BioNTech in what is widely seen as a breakthrough in the nation's fight against the coronavirus.
The drugmaker said it was responding to what it called "public comments" about its production process after Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the pharmaceutical giant faced "production challenges" and was uncertain about delivery dates.
Pfizer stated, "We remain confident in our ability to deliver up to 50 million doses globally this year and up to 1.3 billion next year, and we look forward to continuing to work with the U.S. Government to deliver our vaccine to the American people."
What the states say
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told his state that its vaccine allocation "will be cut by 40 percent next week — and that all states are seeing similar cuts." The federal government did not give an explanation, he said.
"This is disruptive and frustrating," Inslee added. "We need accurate, predictable numbers to plan and ensure on-the-ground success."
The Iowa Department of Public Health said its "initial allotment of coronavirus vaccines could drop by 30 percent," Iowa Public Radio reported, adding, "but the federal Department of Health and Human Services put out a statement saying otherwise."
In Idaho, the Department of Health and Welfare said, "Idaho, with many other states, has received word that our allotment of the Pfizer vaccine for next week has been reduced from 17,550 to 9,750 doses. We don't know why it was reduced. But our focus doesn't change – healthcare workers will continue to receive the vaccine."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday that while his state has been preparing to distribute the pending Moderna vaccine, "We have not been as sure about additional Pfizer vaccine for the rest of December."
DeSantis added that an initial allotment had been sharply cut, citing production issues. After an initial warning that Florida might not receive the vaccine at all next week, he said, the state's planned shipment of 200,000 doses was later partially restored.
Other states reporting sizable drops in their vaccine shipments include Michigan, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire and Indiana, The Associated Press reported.
HHS officials have disagreed with claims that states' allocations are being cut, issuing a statement that calls such reports "incorrect."
What the U.S. government says
Azar spoke about supplies of Pfizer's vaccine on Wednesday, responding to a reporter's request for an update on negotiations to get more doses.
"The core issue ... is Pfizer's ability to manufacture by a date certain," Azar said. "Now that they have identified some of their production challenges that they've got, we've been working with them on what assistance is appropriate for us to provide in order for us to secure additional doses."
Saying that Operation Warp Speed is working to secure more doses, the HHS secretary said of Pfizer, "You know, they're right now producing at their maximum capacity to deliver on the 100 million that is in the first tranche of the contract with us."
Azar also said that because of Pfizer's unique contract with the government, his agency hasn't had the same level of insight into its manufacturing process that HHS has with other vaccine makers. Pfizer said it has "continuously shared" information at weekly meetings. And it said of HHS and Operation Warp Speed, "They have visited our facilities, walked the production lines and been updated on our production planning as information has become available."
The context
Pfizer is not as closely associated with Operation Warp Speed as other vaccine makers such as Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. While those companies accepted government money to develop and test coronavirus vaccines, Pfizer financed its own process. All of the firms signed purchase contracts to produce and distribute vaccine – Pfizer's 100 million doses are priced at $1.95 billion.
But experts said the Trump administration's contracts with the drugmakers leave the government in a weak bargaining position. And after Pfizer's vaccine was the first to head toward emergency use, the government was also criticized when a Pfizer board member said the U.S. passed up multiple chances to secure more doses of the vaccine over the summer. Azar has said that account is inaccurate.
Despite Azar's comments about Pfizer's production process, he said the government is moving ahead with plans to distribute millions more doses of its vaccine – and with even more doses of the Moderna vaccine that is expected to be authorized soon.
"For next week, we have allocated another approximately 2 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine for jurisdictions to use," Azar said. He added that if Moderna's vaccine gets emergency authorization, "we have allocated nearly 5.9 million doses of that product."
Allocations for next week's Pfizer doses were provided to states on Monday – a week before they were due to arrive. State health officials said they need more reliable estimates in advance, so they can plan ahead.
"To be told that the only thing you can count on is your allocation from the week before – that is not planning," said Claire Hannan, head of the Association of Immunization Managers.
State officials have said they expect to get shipments of the Moderna vaccine, if it's authorized as expected, on or around next Monday.
NPR's Pien Huang contributed to this report.


npr--2020-12-18--'A Huge Relief': 344 Schoolboys Released After Abduction In Nigeria

More than 300 schoolchildren have safely walked free , according to Nigerian officials , roughly a week after their mass abduction in the northern state of Katsina .
The region 's governor , Aminu Bello Masari , announced the release of the boys — 344 in all — in a statement Thursday , saying they would receive medical attention before reuniting with their families .
`` This is a huge relief to the entire country & international community , '' Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said in his own remarks .
`` The entire country is grateful to Governor Masari , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Police Force . ''
The pair of announcements mark a happy ending to what has been another deeply fraught week in Nigeria .
The boys were kidnapped last Friday from the Government Science Secondary School in the city of Kankara , in a brazen attack claimed by Boko Haram .
The Islamist militant group has claimed responsibility or been blamed for a series of high-profile attacks in Nigeria .
The kidnapping last Friday also recalls the group 's internationally condemned 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls — nearly half of whom appear to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent mass abduction would represent something of a stretch for the group , which typically operates in the country 's northeast regions , where it is based .
And government officials so far have avoided publicly attributing the recent attack in northwest Nigeria to Boko Haram , despite the group 's claim of responsibility .
It remains unclear precisely how the government obtained the schoolboys ' release .
But Masari previously said that officials were engaged in talks with the kidnappers , and that the country 's security agencies had deployed for `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this week .
Since the kidnapping , local residents have gathered for demonstrations protesting the government , which they say has allowed extremists free rein to commit violence without fear of retribution .
Buhari appeared to acknowledge those complaints in recorded comments posted Friday .
`` We are acutely aware of our responsibility , '' the Nigerian president said .
`` Our responsibility is to secure the country .
So we have a lot of work to do . ''

'A Huge Relief': 344 Schoolboys Released After Abduction In Nigeria
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images
More than 300 schoolchildren have safely walked free, according to Nigerian officials, roughly a week after their mass abduction in the northern state of Katsina. The region's governor, Aminu Bello Masari, announced the release of the boys — 344 in all — in a statement Thursday, saying they would receive medical attention before reuniting with their families.
"This is a huge relief to the entire country & international community," Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said in his own remarks. "The entire country is grateful to Governor Masari, the Intelligence Agencies, the Military and the Police Force."
The pair of announcements mark a happy ending to what has been another deeply fraught week in Nigeria. The boys were kidnapped last Friday from the Government Science Secondary School in the city of Kankara, in a brazen attack claimed by Boko Haram.
The Islamist militant group has claimed responsibility or been blamed for a series of high-profile attacks in Nigeria. The kidnapping last Friday also recalls the group's internationally condemned 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls — nearly half of whom appear to remain in captivity.
But the more recent mass abduction would represent something of a stretch for the group, which typically operates in the country's northeast regions, where it is based. And government officials so far have avoided publicly attributing the recent attack in northwest Nigeria to Boko Haram, despite the group's claim of responsibility.
It remains unclear precisely how the government obtained the schoolboys' release. But Masari previously said that officials were engaged in talks with the kidnappers, and that the country's security agencies had deployed for "rescue operations" after locating the children earlier this week.
Since the kidnapping, local residents have gathered for demonstrations protesting the government, which they say has allowed extremists free rein to commit violence without fear of retribution. Buhari appeared to acknowledge those complaints in recorded comments posted Friday.
"We are acutely aware of our responsibility," the Nigerian president said. "Our responsibility is to secure the country. So we have a lot of work to do."


npr--2020-12-18--Chart: COVID-19 Is Now Leading Killer In 5 Latin American Nations

Chart : COVID-19 Is Now Leading Killer In 5 Latin American Nations COVID-19 has become the leading cause of death in five Latin American nations and the second most common cause in six others .
The World Health Organization 's `` Americas Region , '' which stretches from the Canadian Arctic to Cape Horn in Chile , has been hit harder by the pandemic than any other part of the globe .
The region currently accounts for 48 % of the 1.65 million COVID-19 deaths reported to WHO so far worldwide .
While the United States is a major contributor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths , Peru 's death rate from the disease is actually higher than the U.S. COVID-19 now surpasses coronary heart disease as the No .
1 cause of death in Brazil , Chile , Ecuador and Panama .
In an NPR analysis of global data , Belgium is the only country in the world outside Latin America where COVID-19 has established itself as the top killer .
This comes from comparing COVID-19 deaths so far in 2020 with annual data on causes of death from 2019 .
Across the Americas , hospitals and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traditional visits to cemeteries on All Saints ' Day — at the end of October — were put on hold .
It 's a time when people bring flowers , food and freshly baked loaves of bread to honor their departed loved ones , particularly the recently deceased .
But this year on All Saints ' Day in Peru , police and soldiers in riot gear blocked the gates of three cemeteries on the outskirts of Lima to prevent possible coronavirus spread from the influx of visitors .
`` The pandemic has hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Díaz Pérez said on a video posted on his Facebook account .
Standing in front of lines of officers at the entrance to the cemetery La Balanza , he said : `` We are calling on the people to have patience and at this time to do not come to the cemeteries to visit your loved ones . ''
He urged : Do n't show up with the band you may have hired and the food you may have prepared to say goodbye to a newly departed family member .
The fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other regions is n't a fluke .
The continent had all of the ingredients to ignite a pandemic — crowded living conditions , poverty , social discord , poor governance and fragmented/underfunded health systems .
The coronavirus has exacerbated longstanding problems , says Carissa Etienne , the head of the Pan-American Health Organization , the World Health Organization 's regional office for the Americas .
`` Latin America is one of the most unequal regions of the world , '' Etienne said this week in a video call with reporters .
The virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mexico City , Bogotá and São Paulo , where physical distancing was difficult if not impossible .
`` The many millions who rely on the informal economy for their livelihoods did n't have the option to stay home , '' Etienne said .
`` And for people living in marginalized settings and remote areas — like our indigenous communities and migrants — proper health care was often out of reach . ''
In addition , Latin American countries have high levels of obesity , diabetes and other underlying chronic health conditions that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeremy Veillard is a senior health specialist with the World Bank specializing in Latin America .
`` In Peru , which is one of the countries where you have had the highest number of excess deaths from COVID-19 , 85 % of the people who died from COVID-19 during the summer were either overweight or obese , '' Veillard says .
Another factor in Latin America is the hodgepodge of ways that people access health care in the region .
Some go to private clinics and hospitals .
Some rely on government programs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pharmacy only once they 're sick .
These siloed systems offer dramatically different levels of service to residents based on what — if anything — they 're able to pay .
`` In Latin America and the Caribbean , there are very fragmented [ health care ] systems , '' says Frederico Guanais , deputy head of the health division of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development .
Guanais , who 's originally from Brazil , says this patchwork of health care options is far more complicated than just one public system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there 's one health system that aims to be universal .
Then there are subsystems in some countries that cater to those who have formal employment .
There 's another subsystem for those who do not have formal employment .
And yet another system for those who can pay supplemental health insurance . ''
Each system may have different sets of staff , policies and hospitals , which is not ideal when national health authorities are trying to steer them in unison to address a health crisis .
There are also mismatches in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly funded health system has roughly 40 % of the country 's ICU [ intensive care unit ] beds , '' Guanais says .
The other 60 % of Brazil 's ICU beds , he says , are in private hospitals that serve less than 25 % of the population .
So while Brazil has top-notch medical facilities , they are n't readily accessible to the masses .
The country 's structural inequity can mean that for Brazilians with limited resources , a severe case of COVID-19 could be potentially fatal , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lived somewhere else .
And this is part of why COVID-19 is now the leading cause of death in the region , says Guanais .

Chart: COVID-19 Is Now Leading Killer In 5 Latin American Nations
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COVID-19 has become the leading cause of death in five Latin American nations and the second most common cause in six others. The World Health Organization's "Americas Region," which stretches from the Canadian Arctic to Cape Horn in Chile, has been hit harder by the pandemic than any other part of the globe. The region currently accounts for 48% of the 1.65 million COVID-19 deaths reported to WHO so far worldwide.
While the United States is a major contributor to that trend with more than 300,000 deaths, Peru's death rate from the disease is actually higher than the U.S.
COVID-19 now surpasses coronary heart disease as the No. 1 cause of death in Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Panama.
In an NPR analysis of global data, Belgium is the only country in the world outside Latin America where COVID-19 has established itself as the top killer. This comes from comparing COVID-19 deaths so far in 2020 with annual data on causes of death from 2019. Across the Americas, hospitals and cemeteries have been strained.
Even the traditional visits to cemeteries on All Saints' Day — at the end of October — were put on hold. It's a time when people bring flowers, food and freshly baked loaves of bread to honor their departed loved ones, particularly the recently deceased.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Angela Ponce/Bloomberg via Getty Images Angela Ponce/Bloomberg via Getty Images
But this year on All Saints' Day in Peru, police and soldiers in riot gear blocked the gates of three cemeteries on the outskirts of Lima to prevent possible coronavirus spread from the influx of visitors. "The pandemic has hit us hard," Comas Mayor Raúl Díaz Pérez said on a video posted on his Facebook account. Standing in front of lines of officers at the entrance to the cemetery La Balanza, he said: "We are calling on the people to have patience and at this time to do not come to the cemeteries to visit your loved ones." He urged: Don't show up with the band you may have hired and the food you may have prepared to say goodbye to a newly departed family member.
The fact that COVID-19 has hit Latin America harder than other regions isn't a fluke. The continent had all of the ingredients to ignite a pandemic — crowded living conditions, poverty, social discord, poor governance and fragmented/underfunded health systems.
The coronavirus has exacerbated longstanding problems, says Carissa Etienne, the head of the Pan-American Health Organization, the World Health Organization's regional office for the Americas. "Latin America is one of the most unequal regions of the world," Etienne said this week in a video call with reporters.
The virus swept through dense urban metropolises such as Mexico City, Bogotá and São Paulo, where physical distancing was difficult if not impossible.
"The many millions who rely on the informal economy for their livelihoods didn't have the option to stay home," Etienne said. "And for people living in marginalized settings and remote areas — like our indigenous communities and migrants — proper health care was often out of reach."
In addition, Latin American countries have high levels of obesity, diabetes and other underlying chronic health conditions that have made the virus far more deadly.
Jeremy Veillard is a senior health specialist with the World Bank specializing in Latin America.
"In Peru, which is one of the countries where you have had the highest number of excess deaths from COVID-19, 85% of the people who died from COVID-19 during the summer were either overweight or obese," Veillard says.
Another factor in Latin America is the hodgepodge of ways that people access health care in the region. Some go to private clinics and hospitals. Some rely on government programs. Some visit a doctor at a pharmacy only once they're sick. These siloed systems offer dramatically different levels of service to residents based on what — if anything — they're able to pay.
"In Latin America and the Caribbean, there are very fragmented [health care] systems," says Frederico Guanais, deputy head of the health division of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Guanais, who's originally from Brazil, says this patchwork of health care options is far more complicated than just one public system and one private system: "Oftentimes there's one health system that aims to be universal. Then there are subsystems in some countries that cater to those who have formal employment. There's another subsystem for those who do not have formal employment. And yet another system for those who can pay supplemental health insurance."
Each system may have different sets of staff, policies and hospitals, which is not ideal when national health authorities are trying to steer them in unison to address a health crisis.
There are also mismatches in resources.
"In Brazil, the publicly funded health system has roughly 40% of the country's ICU [intensive care unit] beds," Guanais says. The other 60% of Brazil's ICU beds, he says, are in private hospitals that serve less than 25% of the population.
So while Brazil has top-notch medical facilities, they aren't readily accessible to the masses.
The country's structural inequity can mean that for Brazilians with limited resources, a severe case of COVID-19 could be potentially fatal, while it might not have been if they lived somewhere else. And this is part of why COVID-19 is now the leading cause of death in the region, says Guanais.


npr--2020-12-18--Supreme Court Punts Census Case, Giving Trump An Iffy Chance To Alter Numbers

The U.S. Supreme Court ducked a direct ruling Friday on whether President Trump can exclude undocumented immigrants from a key census count .
At issue in the case was Trump 's July memorandum ordering the U.S. Census Bureau for the first time to exclude undocumented immigrants from the decennial census for purposes of reapportionment .
The count is used to determine how many seats each state gets in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College .
In an unsigned opinion , the court said it would be `` premature '' to rule on the case right now because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' and even the Trump administration does n't know how many undocumented immigrants there are or where they live .
In fact , at oral arguments just 18 days ago , acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall , representing the Trump administration , told the justices that `` career officials at the Census Bureau still do n't know even roughly how many illegal aliens it 'll be able to identify , let alone how their number and geographic concentration might affect apportionment . ''
At the end of the day , the court 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was not yet ripe for resolution because none of the 23 states or immigrant groups that brought it had yet been injured .
Though the court 's opinion was unsigned , Chief Justice John Roberts almost certainly was the author .
He signaled the outcome at the oral arguments , observing , `` Right now ... we do n't know what the president is going to do .
We do n't know how many aliens will be excluded .
We do n't know what the effect will be on apportionment , '' so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we `` better advised '' to wait until we have that information .
And wait is what the conservative court majority decided to do .
In their dissent , the court 's three liberal justices — Stephen Breyer , Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — disagreed .
Writing for the three , Breyer noted that Trump 's July memorandum explicitly stated his purpose , namely to take away congressional seats from mainly Democratic states that are now home to many unauthorized immigrants .
`` The harm is clear on the face of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` costs '' of Trumps census order , he said , are more than `` a departure from settled law . ''
`` The modern census emerged from periods of intense political conflict , whereby politicians sought to exploit census procedures to their advantage , '' he wrote .
`` In enacting the 1929 [ Permanent Apportionment ] Act , Congress sought to address that problem by using clear and broad language that would ... remove opportunities for political gamesmanship . ''
Departing from the text of that law , he said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow a return to that kind of gamesmanship .
While Friday 's decision does leave open the possibility for Trump to try to remove some undocumented immigrants from the census count for apportionment purposes , the decision was at best an interim and uncertain victory for the president .
But Justice Department spokesperson Mollie Timmons said , `` We are pleased that today 's ruling clears the way for the Commerce Department to continue its work on the census and send its full tabulation to the President . ''
Immigrant rights advocates warned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration seeks to implement the policy .
`` We 'll sue ... and we 'll win , '' said Dale Ho , director of the American Civil Liberties Union 's Voting Rights Project .
New York State Attorney General Letitia James , whose office led most of the state governments that sued the Trump administration , added : `` We will continue to do whatever is necessary to stop the president from putting politics above the law . ''
While Friday 's decision took no position on the merits of the case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the justices indicated a hostility to the Trump administration 's position .
Trump 's newest appointee , Amy Coney Barrett , noted that reapportionment has never excluded residents of a state because of their immigration status , and she pointedly told the acting solicitor general that `` a lot of historical evidence and longstanding practice cuts against your position . ''
For now , though , the court has avoided any ruling on that or other issues presented by Trump 's census policy .
So , what happens next is murky .
NPR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bureau officials have indicated that because of the pandemic , they are not likely to be able to meet the Dec. 31 deadline for submitting their report to the president .
But even if Trump gets the figures in time , and does send them to the House of Representatives , as required by law , the clerk of the House , if the clerk chooses , may decline to accept them as reliable , kicking them back to the new Biden administration for completion .
That has never happened before .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigrants from the census could provoke yet another first .
The case began in July when Trump issued a memorandum ordering the Census Bureau to send him two sets of numbers .
One set was to be the whole number of persons in each state .
The second set would allow the number of undocumented immigrants in each state to be subtracted from those numbers for purposes for determining how many seats each state gets in the House .
Twenty-three states challenged Trump 's directive in court , along with immigrant rights advocates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's plan from going into effect , saying it violated the Constitution , federal census statutes or both .
The Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court , arguing the president has `` virtually unfettered discretion '' as to what data are used in the decennial census .
But the lower courts rejected that claim , with both Republican- and Democratic-appointed judges ruling against him .
Among the arguments made by the administration was the assertion that undocumented immigrants are not inhabitants as the Framers would have understood the term when writing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up federal power among the states .
Countering that argument , states and immigrant groups noted that about two-thirds of unauthorized immigrants have lived in this country for at least 10 years , with the median being 15 years .
The litigation added difficulty for an already-burdened Census Bureau , which geared up for the nationwide rollout of the census count just as the COVID-19 pandemic began hitting with full force in April .

Supreme Court Punts Census Case, Giving Trump An Iffy Chance To Alter Numbers
Enlarge this image toggle caption Aurora Samperio/NurPhoto via Getty Images Aurora Samperio/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Updated at 6:06 p.m. ET
The U.S. Supreme Court ducked a direct ruling Friday on whether President Trump can exclude undocumented immigrants from a key census count.
At issue in the case was Trump's July memorandum ordering the U.S. Census Bureau for the first time to exclude undocumented immigrants from the decennial census for purposes of reapportionment. The count is used to determine how many seats each state gets in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College.
In an unsigned opinion, the court said it would be "premature" to rule on the case right now because it is "riddled with contingencies and speculation" and even the Trump administration doesn't know how many undocumented immigrants there are or where they live.
In fact, at oral arguments just 18 days ago, acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall, representing the Trump administration, told the justices that "career officials at the Census Bureau still don't know even roughly how many illegal aliens it'll be able to identify, let alone how their number and geographic concentration might affect apportionment."
At the end of the day, the court's six-justice conservative majority said, the case was not yet ripe for resolution because none of the 23 states or immigrant groups that brought it had yet been injured.
Though the court's opinion was unsigned, Chief Justice John Roberts almost certainly was the author. He signaled the outcome at the oral arguments, observing, "Right now ... we don't know what the president is going to do. We don't know how many aliens will be excluded. We don't know what the effect will be on apportionment," so why, he asked, aren't we "better advised" to wait until we have that information.
And wait is what the conservative court majority decided to do.
In their dissent, the court's three liberal justices — Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — disagreed.
Writing for the three, Breyer noted that Trump's July memorandum explicitly stated his purpose, namely to take away congressional seats from mainly Democratic states that are now home to many unauthorized immigrants.
"The harm is clear on the face of the policy," Breyer said.
The "costs" of Trumps census order, he said, are more than "a departure from settled law."
"The modern census emerged from periods of intense political conflict, whereby politicians sought to exploit census procedures to their advantage," he wrote. "In enacting the 1929 [Permanent Apportionment] Act, Congress sought to address that problem by using clear and broad language that would ... remove opportunities for political gamesmanship."
Departing from the text of that law, he said, "is an open invitation" to allow a return to that kind of gamesmanship.
While Friday's decision does leave open the possibility for Trump to try to remove some undocumented immigrants from the census count for apportionment purposes, the decision was at best an interim and uncertain victory for the president.
But Justice Department spokesperson Mollie Timmons said, "We are pleased that today's ruling clears the way for the Commerce Department to continue its work on the census and send its full tabulation to the President."
Immigrant rights advocates warned immediately they would sue again if the administration seeks to implement the policy.
"We'll sue ... and we'll win," said Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James, whose office led most of the state governments that sued the Trump administration, added: "We will continue to do whatever is necessary to stop the president from putting politics above the law."
While Friday's decision took no position on the merits of the case, at the oral arguments a majority of the justices indicated a hostility to the Trump administration's position. Trump's newest appointee, Amy Coney Barrett, noted that reapportionment has never excluded residents of a state because of their immigration status, and she pointedly told the acting solicitor general that "a lot of historical evidence and longstanding practice cuts against your position."
For now, though, the court has avoided any ruling on that or other issues presented by Trump's census policy.
So, what happens next is murky. NPR and other news organizations have reported Census Bureau officials have indicated that because of the pandemic, they are not likely to be able to meet the Dec. 31 deadline for submitting their report to the president.
But even if Trump gets the figures in time, and does send them to the House of Representatives, as required by law, the clerk of the House, if the clerk chooses, may decline to accept them as reliable, kicking them back to the new Biden administration for completion.
That has never happened before. But Trump's norm-busting attempt to exclude unlawful immigrants from the census could provoke yet another first.
The case began in July when Trump issued a memorandum ordering the Census Bureau to send him two sets of numbers. One set was to be the whole number of persons in each state. The second set would allow the number of undocumented immigrants in each state to be subtracted from those numbers for purposes for determining how many seats each state gets in the House.
Twenty-three states challenged Trump's directive in court, along with immigrant rights advocates and other groups. Lower courts blocked Trump's plan from going into effect, saying it violated the Constitution, federal census statutes or both.
The Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing the president has "virtually unfettered discretion" as to what data are used in the decennial census. But the lower courts rejected that claim, with both Republican- and Democratic-appointed judges ruling against him.
Among the arguments made by the administration was the assertion that undocumented immigrants are not inhabitants as the Framers would have understood the term when writing the Constitution and deciding how to divide up federal power among the states.
Countering that argument, states and immigrant groups noted that about two-thirds of unauthorized immigrants have lived in this country for at least 10 years, with the median being 15 years.
The litigation added difficulty for an already-burdened Census Bureau, which geared up for the nationwide rollout of the census count just as the COVID-19 pandemic began hitting with full force in April.


npr--2020-12-18--Dear Present Procrastinators: Ship That Holiday Gift, Now

Less than a week remains until Christmas , and if you have n't ordered all of your holiday gifts yet , it may be too late to ship them in time .
A huge increase in online shopping this year has demand for package delivery exceeding capacity this holiday season and stretching the delivery supply chain thin .
The deluge of packages has many package sorting , distribution and delivery workers at the U.S .
Postal Service , FedEx , UPS and Amazon busier than they have ever been before .
`` It 's crazy but with the COVID , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know , '' said Paul Jablonski , a driver for UPS , while on his route on Chicago 's Northwest Side one recent evening .
`` I actually just had another [ delivery ] guy take some stuff off of me because they sent me out too heavy , '' meaning Jablonski was given more packages than he could deliver in one shift .
`` They sent me out with like 280 [ packages ] today , '' he explained .
`` Normal day , without Christmastime , it 's like maybe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finish in about 8 hours .
But 280 is too much ; way too much . ''
Jablonski says the holidays are always hectic , but for the 24-year-old `` this one 's been a lot worse mainly 'cuz of the COVID . ''
He says in the early days and weeks of the pandemic , when much of the economy shut down and many people began working and schooling from home , there was a huge increase in package deliveries that made it seem like `` it was basically Christmastime '' in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gon na be twice that , '' with the surge in holiday package deliveries , he added .
The numbers bear that out .
Satish Jindel , founder and president of ShipMatrix , a company that tracks shipping data and provides technology solutions to shippers , says stay-at-home orders and consumers ' reluctance to go out and shop in crowded stores during the pandemic `` have added a whole different set of volume that was not there , '' prior to the COVID-19 outbreak .
`` Basic day-to-day items that people consume are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increased demand by about 30 % from what it was before , '' Jindel said .
So the annual 30 % to 40 % surge in holiday package delivery is coming on top of that 30 % increase that has already happened this year .
As a result , ShipMatrix estimates more than 3 billion packages will be shipped between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year , up from 2.2 billion last year , a huge increase that exceeds the supply chain 's delivery capacity .
ShipMatrix initially was projecting that demand would exceed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day during this holiday season , but Jindel says increased hiring by shipping companies and additional weekend deliveries by UPS and the Postal Service in particular have helped close the capacity shortfall .
Still , he says there will be about 3 to 3.5 million more packages than can be delivered each day .
UPS hired 100,000 seasonal employees for the holiday rush , on top of nearly 40,000 new permanent workers hired in the spring to help it meet rising pandemic-related demand .
FedEx , which says in a statement it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has added 70,000 new workers for the holiday season and expanded residential deliveries to seven days a week .
Amazon , which has most of its inventory in regional fulfillment and distribution centers , and thus can promise delivery of many items right up until Christmas , has hired more than a quarter of a million new employees this year , including 100,000 for the holiday season .
But to prevent their own delivery systems from being overwhelmed and collapsing under the weight of a tsunami of packages , FedEx and UPS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after they reached predetermined limits , including Costco , Macy 's , Gap , Nike and many others .
Many of those retailers have had to turn to the U.S .
Postal Service instead , which , as a public entity , can not turn packages away .
The result is widespread and significant mail and delivery delays across the country .
A check of community discussion and message board sites such as NextDoor show a huge number of complaints from residents who say they 're going days without getting mail , packages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and some who say they never received packages that tracking apps show as delivered .
`` We 're really gridlocked all over the place , '' a postal service manager in Ohio told The Washington Post .
`` It 's bad .
I 've never seen it like this before . ''
Anne Goodchild heads the Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center at the University of Washington in Seattle , and she says it 's not just the increase in volume that shippers are contending with .
`` There are dramatic changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 're buying and where goods need to move through the supply chain , '' she says .
For example , many `` people used to have a certain amount of things delivered to their work , because they were there during the day , '' Goodchild says .
`` So there is more home delivery .
There 's a larger percentage of those things being delivered to homes instead of stores , because we 're doing less store-based shopping .
So the size of the packages and the origins and destinations are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carriers need to adapt to . ''
But given the enormous changes in e-commerce and the demands being placed on the nation 's logistics and distribution systems , especially considering that it 's happening in the midst of a global health crisis , Goodchild says the supply chain is responding remarkably well .
`` Overwhelmingly it 's been a story of resilience and adaptation that I think the supply chain and package carrier industry deserves credit for , '' she says .
`` That whole system has changed and adapted to really continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all of the things that we want . ''
`` It 's remarkable that there 's been as little delay and disruption as there has been , '' Goodchild adds .
Nonetheless , combine all the changes this year with the usual shipping capacity crunch around the holidays , add some bad winter weather as we saw in the Northeast this week , and Goodchild says procrastinating online shoppers should wait no longer .
`` I think we can expect [ packages taking ] two or three more days in the system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 25th , yeah , you should go do your shopping now , '' Goodchild says .
That 's if it 's not too late already .
Jindel thinks it is , and he says many online shoppers `` will be asked to pay express shipping charges of $ 20 , $ 30 on a $ 50 item '' if they want that gift to arrive by Christmas .
But because we have become accustomed to free shipping , he says `` consumers are not going to pay for shipping charges , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so he warns retailers to be prepared for huge crowds of people swarming their stores this weekend .
He tested this theory out at a mall near his home outside of Pittsburgh last weekend .
`` There were no parking spaces for me to park .
I had to wait for someone coming out to follow them to get their parking spot , '' Jindel says , while inside the mall , `` there were bodies all over .
Yes , they wore masks but they were elbow to elbow .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in line , 6 feet apart , to avoid paying the shipping charge . ''
`` So Mr .
Retailer , make sure that between now and Christmas and New Year 's , make sure your store is stocked , '' Jindel says .

Dear Present Procrastinators: Ship That Holiday Gift, Now
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ted S. Warren/AP Ted S. Warren/AP
Less than a week remains until Christmas, and if you haven't ordered all of your holiday gifts yet, it may be too late to ship them in time.
A huge increase in online shopping this year has demand for package delivery exceeding capacity this holiday season and stretching the delivery supply chain thin.
The deluge of packages has many package sorting, distribution and delivery workers at the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS and Amazon busier than they have ever been before.
"It's crazy but with the COVID, it's a little bit crazier, you know," said Paul Jablonski, a driver for UPS, while on his route on Chicago's Northwest Side one recent evening.
"I actually just had another [delivery] guy take some stuff off of me because they sent me out too heavy," meaning Jablonski was given more packages than he could deliver in one shift.
Business How Shipping Shortfalls Are Affecting Small Businesses How Shipping Shortfalls Are Affecting Small Businesses Listen · 3:00 3:00
"They sent me out with like 280 [packages] today," he explained. "Normal day, without Christmastime, it's like maybe 200, 190, and I can finish in about 8 hours. But 280 is too much; way too much."
Jablonski says the holidays are always hectic, but for the 24-year-old "this one's been a lot worse mainly 'cuz of the COVID."
He says in the early days and weeks of the pandemic, when much of the economy shut down and many people began working and schooling from home, there was a huge increase in package deliveries that made it seem like "it was basically Christmastime" in March. "And now it's gonna be twice that," with the surge in holiday package deliveries, he added.
The numbers bear that out.
Satish Jindel, founder and president of ShipMatrix, a company that tracks shipping data and provides technology solutions to shippers, says stay-at-home orders and consumers' reluctance to go out and shop in crowded stores during the pandemic "have added a whole different set of volume that was not there," prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.
"Basic day-to-day items that people consume are now being ordered online, so that increased demand by about 30% from what it was before," Jindel said.
So the annual 30% to 40% surge in holiday package delivery is coming on top of that 30% increase that has already happened this year. As a result, ShipMatrix estimates more than 3 billion packages will be shipped between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, up from 2.2 billion last year, a huge increase that exceeds the supply chain's delivery capacity.
"It creates a logjam," Jindel says.
ShipMatrix initially was projecting that demand would exceed capacity by about 7 million packages a day during this holiday season, but Jindel says increased hiring by shipping companies and additional weekend deliveries by UPS and the Postal Service in particular have helped close the capacity shortfall. Still, he says there will be about 3 to 3.5 million more packages than can be delivered each day.
UPS hired 100,000 seasonal employees for the holiday rush, on top of nearly 40,000 new permanent workers hired in the spring to help it meet rising pandemic-related demand.
Enlarge this image toggle caption David Schaper/NPR David Schaper/NPR
FedEx, which says in a statement it is experiencing an unprecedented increase in shipping volumes, has added 70,000 new workers for the holiday season and expanded residential deliveries to seven days a week.
Amazon, which has most of its inventory in regional fulfillment and distribution centers, and thus can promise delivery of many items right up until Christmas, has hired more than a quarter of a million new employees this year, including 100,000 for the holiday season.
But to prevent their own delivery systems from being overwhelmed and collapsing under the weight of a tsunami of packages, FedEx and UPS cut off some of their retail customers after they reached predetermined limits, including Costco, Macy's, Gap, Nike and many others.
Many of those retailers have had to turn to the U.S. Postal Service instead, which, as a public entity, cannot turn packages away. The result is widespread and significant mail and delivery delays across the country. A check of community discussion and message board sites such as NextDoor show a huge number of complaints from residents who say they're going days without getting mail, packages are arriving days and even weeks late, and some who say they never received packages that tracking apps show as delivered.
"We're really gridlocked all over the place," a postal service manager in Ohio told The Washington Post. "It's bad. I've never seen it like this before."
Anne Goodchild heads the Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center at the University of Washington in Seattle, and she says it's not just the increase in volume that shippers are contending with.
"There are dramatic changes to how people are buying, what they're buying and where goods need to move through the supply chain," she says.
For example, many "people used to have a certain amount of things delivered to their work, because they were there during the day," Goodchild says. "So there is more home delivery. There's a larger percentage of those things being delivered to homes instead of stores, because we're doing less store-based shopping. So the size of the packages and the origins and destinations are different, which is another thing these carriers need to adapt to."
But given the enormous changes in e-commerce and the demands being placed on the nation's logistics and distribution systems, especially considering that it's happening in the midst of a global health crisis, Goodchild says the supply chain is responding remarkably well.
"Overwhelmingly it's been a story of resilience and adaptation that I think the supply chain and package carrier industry deserves credit for," she says. "That whole system has changed and adapted to really continue to supply us, almost without disruption, all of the things that we want."
"It's remarkable that there's been as little delay and disruption as there has been," Goodchild adds.
Nonetheless, combine all the changes this year with the usual shipping capacity crunch around the holidays, add some bad winter weather as we saw in the Northeast this week, and Goodchild says procrastinating online shoppers should wait no longer.
"I think we can expect [packages taking] two or three more days in the system, so if you want things by the 25th, yeah, you should go do your shopping now," Goodchild says.
That's if it's not too late already.
Jindel thinks it is, and he says many online shoppers "will be asked to pay express shipping charges of $20, $30 on a $50 item" if they want that gift to arrive by Christmas.
But because we have become accustomed to free shipping, he says "consumers are not going to pay for shipping charges," and instead they'll flood shopping malls, so he warns retailers to be prepared for huge crowds of people swarming their stores this weekend.
He tested this theory out at a mall near his home outside of Pittsburgh last weekend.
"There were no parking spaces for me to park. I had to wait for someone coming out to follow them to get their parking spot," Jindel says, while inside the mall, "there were bodies all over. Yes, they wore masks but they were elbow to elbow. At the checkout counter, there were 20 people in line, 6 feet apart, to avoid paying the shipping charge."
"So Mr. Retailer, make sure that between now and Christmas and New Year's, make sure your store is stocked," Jindel says.


npr--2020-12-18--'I Didn't Feel A Thing:' Pence Gets COVID-19 Vaccine In Public Event

Vice President Pence , second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams received a COVID-19 vaccine on Friday at the White House in a televised event aimed at showing the vaccine is safe and effective .
Pence , wearing a short-sleeve dress shirt , pushed up his sleeve to get the vaccine .
He appeared to be smiling underneath his mask and did not watch as he was administered the vaccine by a member of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center .
`` I did n't feel a thing !
Well done ! ''
Pence said after getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ joined by Dr. Anthony Fauci , CDC Director Robert Redfield and others for the event — praised the FDA for its work evaluating the vaccines .
He said he expects the FDA to approve the Moderna vaccine later on Friday .
Pence led the White House 's coronavirus response and is the highest-ranking U.S. official to receive the vaccine so far .
He is also among many public officials who have committed to publicly receiving the vaccine as part of an effort to boost public trust in the process .
These officials ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an expected widespread distribution of the product .
The U.S. death toll from the virus has topped 300,000 and is still climbing .
Trump not scheduled for vaccine , for now President Trump , who has not received the vaccine , did not join Pence in person for the event , nor did he comment on the event on Twitter .
Trump tweeted about the Moderna vaccine shortly before the event started .
Afterward , he tweeted complaints about China , Republican Rep. Liz Cheney , the media and California Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ post questioning the efficacy of wearing masks to reduce the spread of the coronavirus , contradicting Pence , who urged Americans to wear masks `` when indicated '' during his remarks .
Trump has said he would get the vaccine `` at the appropriate time . ''
The White House has said Trump , who was hospitalized with COVID-19 in October , has antibodies to the virus and wants to make sure that vulnerable people get the vaccine first .
President-elect Joe Biden and his wife , Jill , will receive the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his team announced on Friday .
Their shots will also be publicly administered in Delaware .
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is expected to receive the vaccine the following week .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell received the vaccine on Friday .
It is also being made available to other members of Congress and staff as part of a national security directive that provides for continuity of government .
For his part , the surgeon general said his vaccination on Friday was important not only because he has asthma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at greater risk from COVID-19 — but also because of the `` symbolic significance '' of being a prominent Black medical professional .
Adams said Black Americans are more hesitant to get the vaccine because of the legacy of the `` shameful Tuskegee experiments , '' when researchers lied to Black men about experiments in which they let them die of untreated syphilis , and the `` exploitation '' of Henrietta Lacks for medical research .
`` To truly promote confidence in these vaccines , we must start by acknowledging this history of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical community and the government , '' Adams said .
Fauci , the nation 's top virologist , said that while the vaccine was developed in record time , the safety and integrity was not compromised and that decisions on its safety and efficacy were made by independent experts , not the administration or the companies .
He encouraged Americans to `` step to the plate when your time comes to get vaccinated . ''
`` We all hope — and I think this is doable — that by the time we get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will have enough people protected that we can start thinking seriously about the return to normality , '' Fauci said .

'I Didn't Feel A Thing:' Pence Gets COVID-19 Vaccine In Public Event
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP
Updated at 2:05 p.m. ET
Vice President Pence, second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams received a COVID-19 vaccine on Friday at the White House in a televised event aimed at showing the vaccine is safe and effective.
Pence, wearing a short-sleeve dress shirt, pushed up his sleeve to get the vaccine. He appeared to be smiling underneath his mask and did not watch as he was administered the vaccine by a member of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
"I didn't feel a thing! Well done!" Pence said after getting the shot.
Pence — who was joined by Dr. Anthony Fauci, CDC Director Robert Redfield and others for the event — praised the FDA for its work evaluating the vaccines. He said he expects the FDA to approve the Moderna vaccine later on Friday.
Pence led the White House's coronavirus response and is the highest-ranking U.S. official to receive the vaccine so far. He is also among many public officials who have committed to publicly receiving the vaccine as part of an effort to boost public trust in the process.
These officials' receipt of the vaccine comes shortly ahead of an expected widespread distribution of the product. The U.S. death toll from the virus has topped 300,000 and is still climbing.
Trump not scheduled for vaccine, for now
President Trump, who has not received the vaccine, did not join Pence in person for the event, nor did he comment on the event on Twitter.
Trump tweeted about the Moderna vaccine shortly before the event started. Afterward, he tweeted complaints about China, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, the media and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. He also retweeted a post questioning the efficacy of wearing masks to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, contradicting Pence, who urged Americans to wear masks "when indicated" during his remarks.
Trump has said he would get the vaccine "at the appropriate time." The White House has said Trump, who was hospitalized with COVID-19 in October, has antibodies to the virus and wants to make sure that vulnerable people get the vaccine first.
President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, will receive the first dose of the vaccine on Monday, his team announced on Friday. Their shots will also be publicly administered in Delaware.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is expected to receive the vaccine the following week.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell received the vaccine on Friday. It is also being made available to other members of Congress and staff as part of a national security directive that provides for continuity of government.
The surgeon general's message
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP
For his part, the surgeon general said his vaccination on Friday was important not only because he has asthma and high blood pressure — putting him at greater risk from COVID-19 — but also because of the "symbolic significance" of being a prominent Black medical professional.
Adams said Black Americans are more hesitant to get the vaccine because of the legacy of the "shameful Tuskegee experiments," when researchers lied to Black men about experiments in which they let them die of untreated syphilis, and the "exploitation" of Henrietta Lacks for medical research.
"To truly promote confidence in these vaccines, we must start by acknowledging this history of mistreatment and exploitation of minorities by the medical community and the government," Adams said.
Fauci, the nation's top virologist, said that while the vaccine was developed in record time, the safety and integrity was not compromised and that decisions on its safety and efficacy were made by independent experts, not the administration or the companies. He encouraged Americans to "step to the plate when your time comes to get vaccinated."
"We all hope — and I think this is doable — that by the time we get several months into this year, we will have enough people protected that we can start thinking seriously about the return to normality," Fauci said.


npr--2020-12-19--Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

Coronavirus World Map : Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak Explore the chart below to find a country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January .
In late spring and early summer , new COVID-19 cases were largely driven by cases in the Americas .
While the U.S. has consistently had the most new daily cases of coronavirus in the region , Brazil 's new daily cases increased rapidly between May and August .
However , in September , several countries that had previously flattened their curve saw a resurgence in cases , including Spain and France .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swiftly since June .
Explore how the number of coronavirus cases have shifted in different parts of the world over time .
The first chart compares each continent to each other , while the next charts highlight the number of cases in select countries by region .
To compare country outbreaks , the chart below graphs trend lines for average new daily cases and deaths against each country 's totals to date .
This type of visualization highlights a state 's daily growth or decline relative to the overall size of its outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and death counts grow quickly , the curves bend upward .
As new cases and deaths slow , the curves level or bend down .
In countries like Israel , which is seeing a second wave of case growth after an initial wave in April , the line forms a V-shape , as the initially bent curve spikes upwards again .
Click here to see the state-by-state breakdown of cases in the United States .
This story was originally published on March 30 , 2020 .

Coronavirus world map: We've now passed the 600 million mark for infections
Editor's note: This page is no longer being updated. The last update was Sept. 5, 2022. For current data about COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world, Johns Hopkins University and Our World in Data are useful resources.
In late January 2020 only a few dozen COVID-19 infections had been identified outside of China. A year later, the world tallied its first 100 million cases. It took the globe just 7 more months to pass the 200 million mark— then another 5 months to hit 300 million, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Now the virus has spread to every corner of the globe and has been blamed for more than 6 million deaths.
The United States, India and Brazil in that order have had the most COVID cases and the three nations collectively account for almost half of all recorded infections so far in the pandemic.
Explore the chart below to find a country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January 2020.
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Explore how the number of coronavirus cases have shifted in different parts of the world over time. The first chart compares each continent to each other, while the next charts highlight the number of cases in select countries by region.
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This story was originally published on March 30, 2020.


npr--2020-12-19--Coronavirus Is Surging: How Severe Is Your State's Outbreak?

Coronavirus Is Surging : How Severe Is Your State 's Outbreak ?
More than 17 million people in the U.S. have had confirmed coronavirus infections and more than 310,000 have died of COVID-19 .
Tens of thousands of new cases are reported daily nationwide .
In the graphics below , explore the trends in your state .
View the data via a heat map ( immediately below ) , curve charts , a table of state-by-state trends over four weeks , or a map of total cases and deaths .
The map above shows the risk of infection in each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capita .
The consortium of researchers and public health experts who developed these risk levels advises states in the red category to issue stay-home orders .
They advise orange states to consider stay-home orders , along with increased testing and contact tracing .
Yellow states need to keep up social distancing and mask usage , and all states should continue testing and contact tracing .
To compare state outbreaks , the chart above graphs trend lines for average new daily cases and deaths against each state 's totals to date .
This type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growth or decline relative to the overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case and death counts grow quickly , the curves bend upward .
As new cases and deaths slow , the curves level or bend down .
In New York , the curve rose sharply before reaching over 170,000 total cases in April .
New cases fell from about 10,000 per day in mid-April to under 900 a day most of the summer , before starting to rise in the fall .
Explore the map above to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country for both new confirmed cases and reported deaths from COVID-19 .
New York was the original epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. As of mid October , California , Florida and Texas surpass New York for total cases to date , though New York still has the highest death total .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths .
To show trends , the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state , week over week for the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of red have growing outbreaks ; those in shades of green , are declining .
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources , including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; the World Health Organization ; national , state and local government health departments ; 1point3acres ; and local media reports .
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies .
This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and updates its feeds .
State-by-state recovery data are unavailable at this time .
There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department 's website .
Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships .
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases and or update their methodologies .
For example , in early June , Michigan health authorities started including probable cases in its totals .
This resulted in a brief spike in the state 's daily numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reconcile the historical data .
On June 25 , New Jersey included 1,854 previously-unreported probable deaths in its totals , resulting in a spike in the state 's daily death numbers .
On Sept. 2 , Massachusetts changed its methodology for counting probable cases , which lowered its overall case and death numbers .
The JHU team maintains a list of such changes .
This story was originally published on March 16 , 2020 .
Elena Renken was a co-author on that version .
Sean McMinn and Audrey Carlsen contributed to this story @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Tracking the coronavirus around the U.S.: See how your state is doing
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Note: This page was last updated on Feb. 1, 2023. It will no longer be updated. For current data on COVID cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Feb. 1, there have been more than 101 million confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. and more than 1 million people have died of COVID-19. In the graphics below, explore the trends in your state.
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The above charts show average new cases per 100,000 people for each state over the last 12 months.
Note: Actual cases may be substantially higher, since many who test positive with at-home tests don't report their cases.
For additional data about COVID-19 in the U.S, including cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
To show trends, the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state, week over week for the last 28 days. States marked in shades of red have growing outbreaks; those in shades of green, are declining.
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Methodology
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the World Health Organization; national, state and local government health departments; 1point3acres; and local media reports.
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies. This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this page as the JHU team resolves anomalies and updates its feeds. There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department's website. Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships.
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases, process testing backlogs or update their methodologies. The JHU team maintains a list of such changes.
This story was originally published on March 16, 2020. Elena Renken was a co-author on that version. Sean McMinn and Audrey Carlsen contributed to this story. Carmel Wroth edited this story.


npr--2020-12-19--A Doc About Wuhan's Lockdown Was 'Too Real' For My Wuhan-Born Dad. I'm Glad I Watched

A Doc About Wuhan 's Lockdown Was 'Too Real ' For My Wuhan-Born Dad .
I 'm Glad I Watched Several medical workers in hazmat suits sprint across the hallway .
A heart-wrenching wail pierces the air — `` Baba ! ''
— from a woman watching as her father 's lifeless body is wheeled away .
The opening scene of 76 Days , a new documentary about the resilience of frontline workers and patients in the 76 days of Wuhan 's lockdown , directed by Hao Wu , Weixi Chen and a journalist credited as `` Anonymous , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of body bags and ventilators , mirroring the helplessness and frenzy at the start of the pandemic .
My dad and I start watching in silence , with only the occasional popping sound of microwave popcorn breaking the tension .
Less than five minutes in , my dad shoots up from the couch and walks away , muttering `` It 's too real ...
I ca n't do it . ''
I planned to watch this film with my dad , who had lived in Wuhan until he was 28 , to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I was still a toddler when we left , and though I 've visited several times since , I 'll never know our hometown as he does .
Though this film was a full 180 from our usual Friday night dramedies , I figured the nightmare in Wuhan was over , right ?
None of our family members in Wuhan caught COVID , and daily life there was back to normal , unlike our reality in the U.S .
But perhaps he knew someone in Wuhan who was n't as lucky ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ father who died while I , his daughter , screamed after him ?
He 's not one to open up , so I grab the popcorn , a box of tissues and continue the documentary alone .
The more I watch , the more I start to understand his discomfort .
An ambulance races across an eerily deserted Yangtze River bridge .
The same bridge my family weaved through in terrible traffic to see the mid-Autumn festival light show just a year ago .
The elderly locals , with their strong Wuhanese dialects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of whom came from other provinces , to understand them .
`` He said his teeth are too weak for solid foods ! '
'' I wanted to shout at the screen .
It was impossible not to project my family onto the patients ' faces .
An elderly couple , separated into different rooms , ask a nurse to help them use their phones to check in on each other .
They 're like Nainai , my maternal grandma , who still ca n't center her face after countless video chats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with dementia tires out the workers with his never-ending attempts to escape , claiming he 's perfectly fine .
Stubborn and quick-tongued , he spits light-hearted jabs every time his plans are foiled , only coaxed back into his room with promises that he 'll see his family once he 's healthy .
He 'd be best friends with Popo , my paternal grandma , who grew up on the countryside wrestling oxen .
If she had accidentally chopped off her hand , she 'd brush it off as a flesh wound , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for her grandkids .
Without any markers of date and time , the documentary relies on the bonds between the patients , their families and their caretakers to move the story forward .
At one point the old fisherman , overwhelmed by pain and uncertainty , cries for a quick death .
The twinkle in his eye is replaced by a shroud of fear .
The thought of seeing his family again grounds him in hope .
A health worker , who had previously sat with him , explained , `` If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infect your two adorable grandkids . ''
The old man scoffed , `` TWO ?
I have three grandkids ! ''
The worker beamed , `` Then even more the bliss ! ''
This simple interaction is enough to rekindle his will to recover .
Before long , his day of discharge arrives as an entire room of workers send him off in cheers .
When asked what the first thing he 's looking forward to doing back home is , he says without hesitation , `` to hold my great-grandson ! ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his caretaker is one of countless small acts of empathy throughout the film .
A worker blows up medical gloves like a balloon and draws smiley faces and `` get well soon '' messages before placing them on patients ' beds to surprise them when they wake up .
Another soaks mantou ( steamed bread ) in hot water and spoon feeds a patient whose lungs have deteriorated so much that he struggles to chew without losing his breath .
The health workers do everything they can to rally each other too .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're each others ' family .
One artistic worker thrills his colleagues with beautiful drawings of cherry blossoms on their hazmat suits .
Others decorate their gowns with foods they miss eating , like zhou hei ya ( a popular Wuhan-originated braised duck chain ) or di guo ji ( clay pot chicken ) and promise to treat each other when the pandemic ends .
While millions of people tried to escape from Wuhan before the lockdown started , many health workers drove hundreds of miles into the virus hotbed to heed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precisely put it , `` it 's a hero 's dream.. 76 Days is a raw and harrowing tribute to these heroes and patients of Wuhan who never backed down .
Some get happy endings , like the old fisherman , while others are n't as lucky .
The fates of most were left unsaid by the time the credits rolled , as if a metaphor for the state of the world today .
Some places , like Wuhan , have gotten their happy endings .
But for much of the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the story is still unfolding .
These scenes shot in February are the realities for many hospitals today .
76 Days is n't just a recount of Wuhan 's COVID-19 situation but a wake-up call for those of us in countries that are still fighting .
The sounds from the last scene are forever imprinted on my brain .
I shed a few tears through the film — when a young couple reunites with their newborn or when a daughter picks up her deceased mom 's jade bracelet .
But in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 11 million froze in place with sirens wailing through the chilling air to honor those lost , my eyes could n't hold back the downpour .
I understood then why my dad had to leave five minutes in .
Even if COVID-19 had n't taken any of our family members , everyone in this battle-worn city was family .
We all bear the pain together .
76 Days is currently screening on virtual cinema ; the public can purchase tickets at https : //www.76daysfilm.com/watch Laura Gao is an artist and writer known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I Know . ''
You can explore more of her work and upcoming graphic novel at www.lauragao.com

A Doc About Wuhan's Lockdown Was 'Too Real' For My Wuhan-Born Dad. I'm Glad I Watched
Enlarge this image toggle caption MTV Documentary Films MTV Documentary Films
Several medical workers in hazmat suits sprint across the hallway. A heart-wrenching wail pierces the air — "Baba!" — from a woman watching as her father's lifeless body is wheeled away. The opening scene of 76 Days, a new documentary about the resilience of front-line workers and patients in the 76 days of Wuhan, China's lockdown, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and a journalist credited as "Anonymous," throws the viewer right into the fray of body bags and ventilators, mirroring the helplessness and frenzy at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
YouTube
My dad and I start watching in silence, with only the occasional popping sound of microwave popcorn breaking the tension. Less than five minutes in, my dad shoots up from the couch and walks away, muttering, "It's too real. ... I can't do it."
I had planned to watch this film with my dad, who had lived in Wuhan until he was 28, to get his perspective on top of my own. I was still a toddler when we left, and though I've visited several times since, I'll never know our hometown as he does. Although this film was a full 180 from our usual Friday night dramedies, I figured the nightmare in Wuhan was over, right? None of our family members in Wuhan caught COVID-19, and daily life there was back to normal, unlike our reality in the United States.
Virtual Workshop, Dec. 20 Join Laura Gao and other NPR contributors for an interactive workshop. On Sunday, Dec. 20, at 2:30 p.m. ET, NPR's Goats and Soda is hosting a series of three storytelling workshops. You can draw a comic with Gao, learn how to take a portrait photo with award-winning journalist Julia Gunther or get a crash course on the art of interviewing with NPR senior producer Marisa Peñaloza. RSVP here.
But perhaps he knew someone in Wuhan who wasn't as lucky? Or did he see himself as the father who died while I, his daughter, screamed after him? He's not one to open up, so I grab the popcorn and a box of tissues and continue the documentary alone.
The more I watch, the more I start to understand his discomfort. An ambulance races across an eerily deserted Yangtze River bridge. The same bridge my family weaved through in terrible traffic to see the Mid-Autumn Festival light show just a year ago. The elderly locals, with their strong Wuhanese dialects, struggle to get their nurses, some of whom came from other provinces, to understand them.
"He said his teeth are too weak for solid foods!" I want to shout at the screen.
It is impossible not to project my family onto the patients' faces.
An elderly couple, separated into different rooms, ask a nurse to help them use their phones to check in on each other. They're like Nainai, my maternal grandma, who still can't center her face after countless video chats during quarantine.
An amusing old fisherman with dementia tires out the workers with his never-ending attempts to escape, claiming he's perfectly fine. Stubborn and quick tongued, he spits lighthearted jabs every time his plans are foiled, being coaxed back into his room only with promises that he'll see his family once he's healthy. He'd be best friends with Popo,* my paternal grandma, who grew up in the countryside wrestling oxen. If she had accidentally chopped off her hand, she'd brush it off as a flesh wound, eager to make it home by dinnertime for her grandkids.
Without any markers of date and time, the documentary relies on the bonds among the patients, their families and their caretakers to move the story forward. At one point, the old fisherman, overwhelmed by pain and uncertainty, cries for a quick death. The twinkle in his eye is replaced by a shroud of fear.
The thought of seeing his family again grounds him in hope. A health worker, who had previously sat with him, explains, "If you don't get better, you'll infect your two adorable grandkids." The old man scoffs, "Two? I have three grandkids!" The worker beams, "Then even more the bliss!"
This simple interaction is enough to rekindle his will to recover. Before long, his day of discharge arrives as an entire room of workers sends him off in cheers. When asked what's the first thing he's looking forward to doing back home, he says without hesitation, "To hold my great-grandson!"
The banter between the old man and his caretaker is one of countless small acts of empathy throughout the film. A worker blows up medical gloves like a balloon and draws smiley faces and "get well soon" messages before placing them on patients' beds to surprise them when they wake up. Another soaks mantou (steamed bread) in hot water and spoon-feeds a patient whose lungs have deteriorated so much that he struggles to chew without losing his breath.
The health workers do everything they can to rally each other too. Confined within the hospital walls, they're each other's family. One artistic worker thrills his colleagues with beautiful drawings of cherry blossoms on their hazmat suits. Others decorate their gowns with foods they miss eating, like Zhou Hei Ya (a popular Wuhan-originated braised-duck chain) or di guo ji (clay pot chicken) and promise to treat each other when the pandemic ends.
While millions of people tried to escape from Wuhan before the lockdown started, many health workers drove hundreds of miles into the virus hotbed to heed a moral call of duty. As one precisely put it, "It's a hero's dream."
76 Days is a raw and harrowing tribute to these heroes and patients of Wuhan who never backed down. Some get happy endings, like the old fisherman, while others aren't as lucky.
The fates of most were left unsaid by the time the credits rolled, as if a metaphor for the state of the world today. Some places, like Wuhan, have gotten their happy endings. But for much of the world, including the U.S., where I live today, the story is still unfolding. These scenes shot in February are the realities for many hospitals today. 76 Days isn't just a recount of Wuhan's COVID-19 situation but a wake-up call for those of us in countries that are still fighting.
The sounds from the last scene are forever imprinted on my brain. I shed a few tears through the film — when a young couple reunites with their newborn or when a daughter picks up her deceased mom's jade bracelet. But in the final seconds, when the bustling city of 11 million froze in place with sirens wailing through the chilling air to honor those lost, my eyes couldn't hold back the downpour. I understood then why my dad had to leave five minutes in. Even if COVID-19 hadn't taken any of our family members, everyone in this battle-worn city was family. We all bear the pain together.
76 Days is currently screening through virtual cinema; the public can purchase tickets at https://www.76daysfilm.com/watch.
Laura Gao is an artist and writer known for her viral comic The Wuhan I Know. You can explore more of her work and upcoming graphic novel at www.lauragao.com.
*Author's note: Though in Mandarin, "Nainai" is paternal grandma and "Popo" is maternal grandma, the author's family uses them reversely.