December 8 could become a historic day in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as today the United Kingdom officially started vaccinating its population. The UK is using the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and has reportedly purchased 40 million doses so far. Pfizer has stated it could produce 50 million this month; output levels for 2021 are still unclear.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump found himself in hot water again, this time over the above-mentioned Pfizer vaccine. His government purchased 100 million doses in advance (enough to vaccinate 50 million people, as each person requires two doses a few weeks apart). Pfizer then offered a contract for more vaccines, which Trump refused.
The current agreement between the US government and Pfizer allows for up to 500 million doses to be purchased in the second half of 2021. However, this number is not binding. As other countries are placing their own vaccine orders and Pfizer having a logistical output cap, the US might be unable to buy 500 million more doses even if it wanted to.
The issue of when and how Americans will get vaccinated is ever more pressing, as the country has hit a record-breaking 102,000 hospitalizations and its highest weekly lethality rate. The United States has had over 15.3 million cases (200,000 new ones just yesterday) and more than 290,000 Covid-related deaths.
The coronavirus situation in Europe is beginning to stabilize thanks to the November lockdowns. France, Spain, Italy, the UK, and Germany have all seen a significant drop in the number of Covid-19 cases reported daily. Russia is now the biggest coronavirus hotspot outside of the United States, beating even India in its daily statistics.
With lockdowns in the United States, a lack of fiscal stimulus, and optimism about the vaccines wearing off, today stock indices continue to decrease in value. Companies to watch out for include Tesla and Uber.
In other news, we may finally be moving towards a final resolution on the Brexit issue. After months (years, really) of negotiations that did not lead anywhere, today Boris Johnson will be meeting with Ursula von der Leyen. The two leaders could try to reach a compromise on their own, bearing in mind that the European Commissioner represents the interests of the entire European Union.
However, if the two of them cannot reach an agreement, it is unlikely that the negotiators will. If a trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union does not come this week, it may be too late for one.
