The U.S. military said on March 2 it is no longer requiring masks indoors at the Pentagon after new COVID-19 guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Raytheon Technologies’ top boss warned on Oct. 26 that the U.S. aerospace and defense firm will lose ‘several thousand’ employees who refused to take Covid-19 vaccines, as the company prepares to meet the Biden administration’s Dec. 8 deadline for immunization.

U.S. distribution of Moderna Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine began on Dec. 19, with more than 3,700 sites due to start receiving and administering shots as soon as Dec. 21, vastly widening the rollout started by Pfizer Inc.

U.S. coronavirus deaths soared to a daily record of 3,580 and hospitalizations rose for the 19th straight day on Dec. 16, ramping up the stakes as regulators on Dec. 17 considered whether to approve a second Covid-19 vaccine.

Pfizer, COVID vaccine

The first days of Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout have seen unexpected hitches including some vaccines being stored at excessively cold temperatures and Pfizer reporting potential challenges in vaccine production, U.S. officials said.

The United States hit a record 16 million Covid-19 cases on Dec. 12, with deaths closing in on the 300,000 mark, as millions of doses of a new vaccine were expected to start rolling out across the nation on Dec. 13.

Nasal Swab, COVID

Origin, a 3D printing specialist for medical devices, completed clinical trials and validation of the company’s 3D-printed nasopharyngeal swabs for use in COVID-19 test kits.

U.S. states pleaded with the Trump administration to coordinate a national response to the coronavirus outbreak, saying patchwork measures enacted by state and local authorities were insufficient to confront the coast-to-coast emergency.