Morning Reading – Tuesday, December 08, 2020
In COVID-19 milestone for West, Britain starts mass vaccination | Reuters
A 90-year-old grandmother became the world’s first person to receive a fully-tested COVID-19 shot on Tuesday, as Britain began mass-vaccinating its people…
December 7, 2020 Health Officer Statement – San Mateo County Health
Just because one has the legal authority to do something, doesn’t mean one has to use it, or that using it is the best course of action. What I believed back in May, and what I believe now, is the power and authority to control this pandemic lies primarily in your hands, not mine.
C.D.C. Call for Data on Vaccine Recipients Raises Alarm Over Privacy – The New York Times
The Trump administration is requiring states to submit personal information of people vaccinated against Covid-19 — including names, birth dates, ethnicities and addresses — raising alarms among state officials who fear that a federal vaccine registry could be misused.
On the Front Lines of Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Program
Moderna’s technology was unique because its “platform,” as Smith calls it, could swap out genetic sequences so that it could be used to vaccinate against all manner of ailments, like a miracle gadget you might buy on QVC.
Is Trump Trying to Stage a Coup? – The Atlantic
The incoherence and incompetence of the attempt do not change its nature, however, nor do those traits allow us to dismiss it or ignore it until it finally fails on account of that incompetence.
Why we returned to reading | Financial Times
Against the backdrop of a deadly virus that saw many of us banished to our homes, the pandemic has been a boon to books.
Big Push Into Helium Could Have the World on Russia’s String – The New York Times
A huge production facility in Siberia is nearing completion, one that some analysts say could disrupt the global market for the lighter-than-air gas, which plays an increasingly critical role in industries like medical technology, space exploration and national security.
Chuck Yeager, Legendary Test Pilot, Face of “The Right Stuff”, Dies at 97. – The Aviationist
On October 12, 1944 Yeager became the central character in one of the most remarkable pages in the history of aerial combat. He shot down five German airplanes in one day, including two without firing a shot.