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The New Orleans Pelicans are the first NBA team to have received COVID-19 vaccinations, with the team announcing eligible players and staff had gotten their first shots. In welcome news for the NBA, which has battled disruptions caused by players contracting the virus, leading to games being postponed and stars sitting out either due to quarantine or mandatory contact tracing, it could mean the league will eventually be able to return to more normal operation by the beginning of the 2021/2022 season. (Young, 3/14)

World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma gave an impromptu concert in the waiting area of a Massachusetts vaccination site after receiving his 2nd COVID-19 dose. During the customary 15-minute observation period that follows each dose, Ma performed Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" and the prelude to Bach's "Cello Suite No. 1" on his cello, which he'd brought with him. (Goel, 3/14)

During a recent Sunday service at the Gathering Place, an evangelical church in Orlando, Fla., the Rev. Gabriel Salguero focused his sermon on the Covid-19 vaccine, and the fear and suspicion that his largely Latino congregation clutches so tightly. He turned to the New Testament: the parable of the good Samaritan, about the importance of aiding the stranger. “In getting yourself vaccinated, you are helping your neighbor,” he preached to about 300 masked and socially distanced worshipers. “God wants you to be whole so you can care for your community. So think of vaccines as part of God’s plan.” (Hoffman, 3/14)

Across the nation, vaccine hesitancy is not just a matter of race; it's also a spiritual issue that's running widespread in many faith-based communities. According to a recent Pew study, nearly 50% of white evangelicals say they won't take the coronavirus vaccine, as do more than 30% of African-American Protestants. At the 3,000-member Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, it's not uncommon to see many Sunday worshipers streaming into the church without masks. (Vann, Folmer, Hosenball and Jung, 3/15)

Baltimore-area school districts say that most teachers who have requested a COVID-19 vaccine through the district have been inoculated or scheduled an appointment to do so, but that it’s difficult to know how many teachers have yet to receive — or don’t want — a vaccine. School system officials say thousands of employees have not responded to their offers of help to get shots as federal, state and county officials emphasize educator vaccinations. (Bowie, 3/15)

For those infected in recent weeks, as vaccinations became available and experts began talking of an impending return to normalcy, the bad timing is the pandemic’s latest cruel twist. “It’s kind of like running the race and getting to the last 15 yards and tripping and falling,” said Bill Moore, 68, a guitarist and government contractor who tested positive for the virus in early March. “I’m just irritated,” he said as he recovered at his home in Bowie, Md. “Everyone likes to win.” (Schwartzman, 3/12)

America's wealthiest are finding ways to access the vaccine ahead of those who qualify for it. The pandemic has already widened existing health inequities and underserved communities continue to lag in vaccinations compared to the white and rich. (Chen, 3/13)