Vaccines are here. But deaths are still rising.

The US reaches 300,000 Covid-19 deaths as vaccines gain approval; rich countries are hoarding vaccine doses.   Tonight's Sentences was written by Benjamin Rosenberg. TOP NEWS Another effective vaccine may be on the way as the US hits 300,000 deaths Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Just as one Covid-19 vaccine has started distribution in the United States and another may soon follow, the US has surpassed 300,000 confirmed deaths from the virus, a number similar to the populations of cities like St. Louis, Orlando, and Pittsburgh. [AP / Adam Geller and Heather Hollingsworth] Daily deaths have been rising to record levels, as have hospitalizations. The US recorded a single-day high of more than 110,000 hospitalizations on Monday, and several days in the last week have seen more American deaths than the attacks of September 11, 2001. [CNN / Susannah Culliane, Holly Yan, and Ralph Ellis] According to Johns Hopkins University data, the US reported more than 16 million total Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began, more than any other country. Health researchers are forecasting that the death toll could near 540,000 by the beginning of April. [CNBC / Emma Newburger and Noah Higgins-Dunn] The latest grim milestone comes less than a month after the US crossed the 250,000-death threshold. It took nearly two months, from September 21 to November 18, for the country to go from 200,000 to 250,000 deaths. [Axios / Orion Rummler] Nearly one in 1,000 Americans has died from the virus — more than twice as many American deaths as in World War I and five times the number killed in the war in Vietnam. Vaccines will help, but numbers will continue to rise as they are rolled out. [Washington Post / Marc Fisher, Scott Wilson, and Arelis R. Hernandez] Not that the vaccines aren't welcome news. The US approved Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine candidate on Friday, and the first doses are now being distributed to every corner of the country. Health care workers and current Covid-19 patients have begun to receive the vaccine. [ABC News / Ivan Pereira] A second vaccine may soon be on its way as well. The Moderna vaccine, documents from the Food and Drug Administration show, is not only 94 percent effective at preventing symptomatic illness, but it also seemingly prevents the spread of Covid-19. [NBC News / Erika Edwards] Assuming its vaccine candidate gets FDA approval soon, Moderna plans to distribute 6 million doses around the country as early as Friday. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, to be taken four weeks apart. [The Hill / Joseph Choi] The next critical step is to convince enough people that the vaccines are safe and necessary to bring the pandemic to an end. The US's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Tuesday that 85 percent of Americans need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. [Vox / Dylan Scott] Developing countries face longer waits for vaccines The US, United Kingdom, and Canada were among the first countries to approve the Pfizer vaccine and begin distributing it to their citizens, but for many less wealthy nations, the wait for the vaccine will be longer. [AP / Maria Cheng and Aniruddha Ghosal] Many of the world's wealthiest countries will be able to vaccinate their entire populations without much trouble. But in 2021, that will likely not be possible in places like India, Nepal, Egypt, and El Salvador. [NYT / Megan Twhoey, Keith Collins, and Katie Thomas] The People's Vaccine Alliance has accused rich countries of hoarding vaccine doses that could be distributed to nations in greater need. The alliance said that nearly 70 lower-income countries will only be able to vaccinate 10 percent of their citizens. [BBC News] Among those lower-income countries are Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Ukraine, which all have significant numbers of current Covid-19 cases. Meanwhile, a group of wealthy economies containing 14 percent of the world's population has bought more than half of the vaccine stock. [Al Jazeera] The World Health Organization has created a global initiative called Covax to distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income countries at affordable prices. Covax has not raised sufficient funds yet, however, and President Donald Trump refused to join the effort. [The Guardian / Karen McVeigh] MISCELLANEOUS A day after the Electoral College certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, Russian President Vladimir Putin finally congratulated him. [NYT / Anton Troianovski] A few hours later, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did the same, congratulating his former Senate colleague on his win. Most congressional Republicans in both houses have still not accepted the election results, however. [CNN / Ali Zaslav, Manu Raju, and Ted Barrett] Following another sharp increase in Covid-19 cases, London will institute another lockdown ahead of the holiday season. Germany, meanwhile, will impose a national lockdown in another attempt to curb the spread. [MarketWatch / Lina Saigol] VERBATIM "Rich countries have clear human rights obligations not only to refrain from actions that could harm access to vaccines elsewhere but also to cooperate and provide assistance to countries that need it." [Steve Cockburn, head of economic and social justice at Amnesty International / Al Jazeera] LISTEN TO THIS Dylan Matthews joins Matt and Dara to discuss Covid-19's impact on poverty and the road to recovery. [Spotify / Matt Yglesias, Dara Lind, and Dylan Matthews] Read more from Vox   America's hollow middle class   Trump's rigged election rhetoric puts Georgia Republicans in a bind   Inside the final days of the $35 million startup meant to fix the Democratic Party   A new $748 billion bill could be Congress's best hope for more stimulus this year   The 15 best books our book critic read this year   Facebook Twitter YouTube This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. 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