Well there's good news and not-so-good news on the COVID-19 vaccine front.
First the not-so-good. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield testified Wednesday before a U.S. Senate hearing that a vaccine won't be available to most Americans until late spring or summer of 2021.
That's a bit less optimistic than President Donald Trump's assertions Tuesday on "Fox and Friends" that a vaccine will be ready to go in a few weeks.
Any vaccine will be produced in limited quantities with more becoming available as the months go on. So, Redfield, said the vaccine will go to those most vulnerable first as well as health and other essential workers before being made available to the public at large.
The good news? In a report to Congress, the government outlined plans to offer the vaccine at no cost to all Americans. That should come as a relief to those wondering if they could afford to immunize their families.
All this is assuming a safe vaccine will be approved for use in the coming weeks or months. Several are in the trial stage and we can only hope for the best.
A vaccine is the best hope we have for getting back to something like normal life. The next question is how many of our fellow Americans will refuse the vaccine, for whatever reason, when it becomes available?
The answer will have a big impact on the next step in defeating COVID-19.