Bill Chappell

German Health Minister Jens Spahn says he’s in favor of acquiring Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, noting that new infections in Germany are rising at a “very clearly exponential rate.”

The investment will “rapidly surge domestic testing capability,” said Tim Manning, supply coordinator for the COVID-19 Response Team.

State health officials are breathing a sigh of relief. But they are also cautious: More than 40 million Californians live in counties where COVID-19 risk is deemed “widespread.”

Merck, which previously made an Ebola vaccine, had been seen as a serious contender in the worldwide race to come up with an answer to COVID-19.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus responded, “Thank you my brother Tony,” and thanks also to the U.S. for renewing its support.

Dr. Rachel Levine is currently the secretary of health in Pennsylvania, where she leads the state’s fight against COVID-19.

“I stand by my words,” says Dr. James Phillips, the Walter Reed physician who said the president’s decision to drive by supporters while being treated for COVID-19 endangered his security detail.

Pfizer is pushing back on the Trump administration’s suggestion that the company is having trouble producing enough COVID-19 vaccine.

“Our war against the virus is not over yet, but this week we’re taking a major step toward our eventual victory,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.

“I feel like healing is coming,” New York critical care nurse Sandra Lindsay said after receiving her shot. “I hope this marks the beginning to the end of a very painful time in our history.”