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Covid-19 Vaccine Available Soon   

The Food and Drug Administration’s advisory panel has voted to recommend that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, be approved on an emergency basis, and the FDA has approved it.

This vaccine is reported to be 95% effective. Two doses are required. It must be stored at -94 degrees Fahrenheit. Though some people appear reluctant to take the vaccine, I expect that most will. I know there are some people who may have serious reactions to vaccinations and we must take into account their situations.

It appears that Moderna’s vaccine will also be approved very soon.

U.S. Unemployment Declines Again

Non-farm employment increased by 245,000 in November nationally. The unemployment rate edged down to 6.7%. There are 10.7 million unemployed. The labor force participation rate was 61.5%, a slight decrease from last month. There are 149,732,000 people working.

Community College Enrollment Declines

The Legislative Services Agency reports that enrollment in Iowa Community Colleges has declined this fall. The rate varies from area to area and two actually had increases, including Area 11 here in our area.. This is consistent with national trends. Speculation on the reasons ranges from relatively low unemployment figures causing potential students to get jobs and believe they do not need more education, to negative feelings about virtual learning. My thought is that that some potential students might have concerns about virtual learning, particularly those needing hands on instruction, but for others it might be more convenient to take virtual classes.

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