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Now comes the news, for the second time in a week, that an experimental vaccine has proved surprisingly effective against Covid-19. Moderna’s vaccine, like Pfizer’s, has shown early protection higher than 90%. Also heard are caveats: Doses won’t be available for months. But the news may be better than we think. These announcements materially change incentives now, especially for the young who are the key spreaders. (Holman W. Jenkins, Jr., 11/17)

After years of rumors and small steps into the pharmacy business, Amazon.com Inc. finally announced a firm expansion of its prescription drug ambitions Tuesday, about two years after it signaled its intent with the purchase of mail-order drug startup PillPack. Customers will now be able to use the new Amazon Pharmacy to order medicines online, and Prime members who don’t use insurance will get discounts. The move, while expected at some point, still hit pharmacy giants CVS Health Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. hard: Both stocks slumped in early trading Tuesday. Investors are right to be concerned. (Max Nisen, 11/17)

Regulatory authorities are gearing up for a deluge in people reporting side effects when the new Covid-19 vaccines go into use. Even as vaccines like the one from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE reach safety milestones and look set for regulatory approval, managing the reporting and follow-up of what are known as adverse drug reactions will be critical to keeping to the high levels of public participation needed for a vaccination program to be successful. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to send daily texts to those who are vaccinated for the first week and then weekly texts for six weeks, while the Food and Drug Administration will also be monitoring side effects in real time. (Therese Raphael, 11/18)

The drugmakers Moderna and Pfizer buoyed hopes for an end to the coronavirus pandemic when they announced this month that their vaccines were 94.5 percent (Moderna) and 90 percent (Pfizer) effective at preventing Covid-19, based on preliminary results from ongoing clinical trials. Neither vaccine produced any serious safety concerns. Pfizer’s and Moderna’s data were analyzed by independent experts, though their findings were published in news releases, not peer-reviewed scientific journals, so the results are not yet considered conclusive. But if the numbers hold steady through the end of the trials, these vaccines would be among some of the most effective ever created. (Spencer Bokat-Lindell, 11/17)

With good vaccines apparently on the way, it’s now possible to imagine a new post-pandemic world order. One question is whether China has overtaken the U.S., and on that there is good news: In terms of ideas and relative influence, America may have opened up its lead.Start with the vaccines themselves. China has done surprisingly well, and some of its vaccines are likely to prove sufficiently effective and safe. But the U.S., working with the German BioNTech company, has produced an entirely new kind of vaccine platform, namely mRNA vaccines. They can be quickly manufactured and hold the promise of combating many future viruses. The China vaccines are mostly based on older methods, with the Chinese doing their utmost to scale up production quickly. (Tyler Cowan, 11/16)

Exit polls show that when President Trump accused Democrats of exaggerating the gravity of the COVID -19 pandemic his supporters believed him. Trump supporters showed as they voted that they don’t see COVID-19 as a very urgent problem.  It leaves the Biden administration with a massive public re-education challenge in red America and among Trump supporters in every state. (Drew Altman, 11/17)

The headlines about the novel coronavirus this week are both alarming and encouraging. First, the bad news: Hospitalizations in the United States have doubled since Labor Day, exceeding the numbers recorded at any time since the pandemic began. Far from "rounding the corner," the nation faces a perilous winter as temperatures start to plunge and flu season takes hold. (David Oshinsky, 11/17)

Here’s a silver lining in the Covid-19 pandemic: Teens are talking more with their parents and showing signs of improved mental health, according to a survey from the Institute for Family Studies (where I am a contributing editor). The study, released in October, found that 56% of 1,523 U.S. high school students surveyed between May and July reported talking to their parents more during quarantine than before. Fifty-four percent said their families have dinner together more often, 46% reported spending more time with siblings, and 68% said their families had become closer during the pandemic. (Erica Komisar, 11/17)

Friends and I have been talking recently about how to make Thanksgiving celebrations safe. “You already know what I’m going to say,” I told one, whose enormous brood of Catholic siblings are now raising enormous Catholic broods of their own. “It’s not safe?” “It’s not safe,” I agreed. I hate playing the role of The Grinch Who Stole Thanksgiving. Like you, I’m longing to see friends and family, and enjoy my favorite holiday. Those things make life worth living. (Megan McArdle, 11/17)

This morning, my children went to school — school, in an old brick building, where they lined up to go in the scuffed front doors. I went to work out at the gym, the real gym, where I huffed and puffed in a sweaty group class. And a few days ago, my partner and I hosted a dinner party, gathering eight friends around the dining room table for a boisterous night that went too late. Remember those? Where I’m living, we gather without fear. Life is unfolding much as it did a year ago. This magical, virus-free world is just one long day’s drive away from the Empire State Building — in a parallel dimension called Nova Scotia. (Stephanie Nole, 11/18)