News Room

It’s been more than six months since the coronavirus was first detected in Massachusetts. The global pandemic has disrupted school, work, travel, sports and even friendships. Data from the Massachusetts Department of Health shows the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths has dropped significantly since it peaked last spring but the number of people with the virus has been steady or climbing for more than two months. More people are getting sick with COVID-19 than getting better.

With the loosening of change fees and the flexibility to work remotely, some travelers are considering booking last-minute getaways and holiday travel.

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas topped reported locations of possible COVID-19 exposures in June, July and August in Southern Nevada, according to state disease investigation analyses obtained by the Review-Journal. The resort ranked first in each of five analyses, with other Strip hotel-casinos also near the top. The analyses — one conducted in July and the remainder in August — show that since hotel-casinos reopened in early June, they have consistently ranked higher as “possible exposure sites” than any other types of businesses in Clark County.

President Donald Trump touted vaccine distribution plans in a Friday news conference and pledged 100 million vaccine doses by the year's end, a promise that contradicts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's most optimistic projections. "We will have manufactured at least 100 million vaccine doses before the end of the year, and likely much more than that," Trump said. "We expect to have enough vaccines for every American by April."

Ultra-cold freezers are suddenly a hot commodity. One of the most advanced US coronavirus vaccines, created by Pfizer in partnership with BioNTech, has to be stored at -70° Celsius (-94° Fahrenheit), or around 30°C colder than the North Pole in winter. It’s far from certain that the vaccine will be approved for widespread distribution. But if it is, very few freezers go that cold.