‘I just pray God will help me’: Racial, ethnic minorities reel from higher covid-19 death rates While overall fatality rates have plummeted since the spring, experts say many of the deaths in minority communities are preventable. Dan Keating, Ariana Eunjung Cha, Gabriel Florit, Chris Alcantara Washington Post

.... Nearly nine months after the virus exploded in the United States, and amid big treatment strides, the disease continues to ravage African American and other minority communities with a particular vengeance.

Moderna CEO cautions that COVID vaccine is "not a silver bullet" to end pandemic "[The vaccine] is not a silver bullet. What we need is we need surveillance to be stronger, we need public health measures," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said on Thursday. Newsweek

Stéphane Bancel, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company Moderna, warned on Thursday that a COVID-19 vaccine is not "a silver bullet," to end the pandemic, and advised people to continue wearing masks and follow public health guidelines.

Pfizer, BioNTech seek emergency use of COVID-19 shots in US Pfizer formally asked U.S. regulators Friday to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and... AP NEWS

Pfizer formally asked U.S. regulators Friday to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and eventually an end to the pandemic -- but not until after a long, hard winter.