The latest on COVID and vaccines

We look at the vaccine rollout and why it's behind schedule as deaths, hospitalizations, and infections continue to surge.

Air Date: January 8, 2021 10:00 am

Demetrio Olivieri, a firefighter with Philadelphia’s Ladder 24, receives the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 6, 2021 from Captain April Smallwood. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

A year into the coronavirus pandemic, with 357,000 Americans dead, hospitalizations are continuing to surge. The vaccines have brought welcome news, but getting people inoculated in the U.S. has been painfully slow. This hour, an update on our fight against COVID-19 and missteps with our pandemic response and the vaccine rollout. We’ll also discuss new strains that have emerged around the world and if the vaccines can handle them. And, we’ll look at vaccine hesitancy, whether we should pay people to get vaccinated, and pandemic fatigue. ANGELA RASMUSSEN, a virologist at Georgetown University, and ALISON BUTTENHEIM, professor the University of Pennsylvania Nursing School are our guests.

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