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I’ve never covered a moment that simultaneously merits so much despair and so much hope. It’s dizzying. The Biden administration takes office with over 25 million Covid-19 cases nationwide, over 420,000 Americans dead, and new, highly contagious variants of the virus stalking our future. It’s as grim a situation as I’ve seen.But for the first time, we can do more than hide. We can immunize. Getting a population of 330 million to herd immunity is a hellishly difficult undertaking in the best of circumstances, and these are not the best of circumstances. Still, speed matters: Getting to herd immunity a few months faster could save hundreds of thousands of lives. (Ezra Klein, 1/26)

The country needs to ramp up vaccinations rapidly if we are to reach herd immunity by, say, July 4th our Independence Day, Labor Day, or even by the beginning of next year. Some basic math and assumptions paint the picture: We need to  average 2.4 million doses a day starting now to reach the point where 70% of the population is vaccinated by July 4th (assuming two doses needed per person). There are many estimates out there of what’s needed for herd immunity, and that’s probably the bare minimum. It’s also harder than it sounds, because kids aren’t being vaccinated right now, so we need to reach the vast majority of adults, which means overcoming hesitancy where it exists. It’s 1.9 million doses to reach it by Labor Day. And 1.2 million doses per day if we achieve the goal by January 1, 2022. (Drew Altman, 1/26)

Donald Trump’s administration overpromised on coronavirus vaccines. In November, his secretary of health and human services said there would be 40 million doses available by the end of the 2020; he was off by about a month. Trump himself promised 100 million doses in that same period. Everything he and his team said was a sales pitch, designed to foster the false impression that the pandemic they let burn out of control was on the cusp of ending. There’s a growing consensus that Joe Biden’s administration has done the exact opposite. “Biden’s early approach to virus: Underpromise, overdeliver,” says an Associated Press headline. In December, when Biden pledged 100 million vaccine shots in 100 days, some experts thought it was a reach. But now that the United States is already vaccinating a bit more than a million people a day, that figure is far too modest. (Michelle Goldberg, 1/25)

It’s hard not to look in dismay at the feeble start to the European Union’s Covid vaccination campaign. The bloc has only managed to administer about 8.9 million doses in total, according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker, about two for every 100 citizens. The U.S. and the U.K. are running at seven and 10.5 respectively, while Israel is at 43. Since all vaccines that have been approved so far require two jabs to work, it’s a very steep mountain to climb to get the EU’s program on track. (Ferdinando Giugliano, 1/26)

Time is nearly up for my business and many others. Restaurants operate under a unique business model that is tight on cash and short on profit. Ten weeks of diminished revenue can spell trouble for a restaurant’s business health. Independent restaurants across the country have been struggling for more than 10 months on financial fumes. The solutions offered by Congress so far have amounted to a Band-Aid on a bullet hole. Our first round of Paycheck Protection Program funds are gone, and the second round will keep us afloat for only a few weeks. Restrictions limit indoor dining, and winter weather has brought an end to outdoor dining for much of the country. Thousands more businesses will soon have no choice but to shut their doors forever. It’s time for Congress to make restaurants a priority and pass direct aid. It’s the only thing that will save our restaurants and workers. (Robert St. John, 1/25)

Depending on who’s talking, Florida is either a leader or a laggard in inoculating residents against COVID-19. And it’s possible to find data to back up either claim. Florida, for instance, doesn’t look so good compared to Alaska and West Virginia, which lead the nation in the percentage of residents who have received at least one dose of the vaccine. But Florida has administered more of its available vaccine than Pennsylvania, Arizona and about 20 other states. Two data points, two different conclusions. (1/26)

On Monday morning, the Richmond City and Henrico County Health Districts launched a new Facebook Live series aimed at giving the public a better handle on issues associated with COVID-19 vaccines. Nurse Manager Amy Popovich, the local lead on vaccination efforts, was explicit about demand far exceeding supply. While more than 60,000 people in the health district have filled out interest forms to get a vaccine, Popovich said this week’s allotment of doses only is 6,400 between the city of Richmond and Henrico County. That’s about one-fourth of the doses that were requested and one-fourth of the capacity that the health district could handle, she added. (1/25)

Super Bowl LV is set. The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Buccaneers on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida. Win or lose, Kansas City won’t host a traditional Super Bowl parade this year. Amid the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team and City Hall announced Monday that a city-wide celebration is off. Enter the three-member Cass County Commission, which on Friday extended an invitation to the Chiefs and their fans to host a possible victory parade in the southeast part of the metropolitan area. (1/26)