An aerial view of the Maui wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023.
Credit: US Civil Air Patrol

Wildfires, driven by strong winds and fueled by dry conditions, caused great destruction and loss of life on the Hawaiian island of Maui. With strong winds stemming from a distant hurricane and warmer temperatures on the island due to climate change, the wildfires caught and spread rapidly. Three wildfires started in Maui on Tuesday, August 8th, 2023. The Upcountry Wildfire fire began in central Maui minutes after midnight. The fires in Lahaina and Pulehu started later on in the morning. The catastrophic fires took many by surprise as the island was unprepared for the severity of the wildfires.

President Joe Biden issued a federal disaster declaration following the devastation on Thursday, August 10th. Some wildfires started on the Big Island and Oahu but were quickly contained. The Army, Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and National Guard began efforts to extinguish fires and rescue and aid survivors. As firefighters worked to contain the blaze, the death toll climbed to 99 on Monday, August 15th. Many officials warn the number could increase as search and rescue efforts continue throughout the island.

Soldiers in the Hawaii National Guard assist in search and rescue efforts after the Maui wildfires in Lahaina on Aug. 10, 2023.
Credit: Andrew Jackson, US National Guard

Fires destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina, killing dozens of people and forcing thousands to evacuate. Lahaina, a town with 13,000 residents on northwestern Maui, was hit the hardest. Officials report more than 2,200 buildings were burned to ash and molten metal, including many residential buildings. Fatalities in Lahaina account for most of the death toll from the three fires.

The wildfires have killed more people than the 1960 tsunami that killed 61 on the Big Island. The Laihana wildfire has become the deadliest wildfire on American soil since 1918. In 1918, sparks from a railroad in dry conditions set off a wildfire in Cloquet, Minnesota, killing an estimated 453 people. The deadliest fire in United States history occurred in 1871 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, killing 1,152 people.

Two days before the wildfires began, the National Weather Service in Honolulu announced a fire weather watch due to strong winds and low humidity. However, officials underestimated how fast the fires could spread on a tropical island known for rain forests. Warnings continued on Monday, announcing “critical fire weather conditions.” Hawaii boasts the world’s most extensive emergency alarm system, with 400 outdoor sirens throughout the state territory. Maui has 80 of those sirens. However, the island’s emergency alert systems failed when the fires began. Not one siren blared. On Tuesday, the county officials sent alerts through cell phones, radios, and television. However, many residents had already lost electricity and cell service. Many survivors said they never received an official warning or order to evacuate the area. Some residents only realized there were fires when their home smoke alarm sounded.

The fire spread so quickly that many did not have time to grab essential supplies before leaving their homes. Many people evacuating by car or bicycle were forced to run into the ocean as fires caught up to them. Residents fled through thick smoke and gusts of wind with burning embers swirling around them. Hawaii Governor Josh Green explained the strong winds, reaching up to 80 miles (128 kilometers) per hour, kept first responders from using helicopters to extinguish fires and look for survivors.

As search and rescue efforts continue, the death toll could rise. Many homes burned down have not been checked for survivors or deceased residents. Survivors have been unable to reach family members and friends due to the loss of cell service throughout the island. People are using public radio stations, social media, and county websites to post where survivors are taking shelter.

Experts believe the wildfire was initially started by a power line that fell due to high winds in the area. Many residents are wondering how the fire spread so rapidly. One theory is the presence of nonnative grasses on the island. Farmers planted grasses for livestock. The last sugar cane plantation shut down in Maui in 2016, allowing nonnative grasses to spread unchecked.

On Sunday, August 13th, the Lahaina fire was 85 percent contained. FEMA announced the cost to rebuild after the Lahaina fire would be close to 5.52 billion dollars. With more than 2,100 acres (850 hectares) burned and 2,200 structures damaged or destroyed, many families and businesses will be starting over.

Even if their homes were untouched and standing, many households remain without power. The Maui County authorities advised that residents should not drink tap water. Many people could not find gasoline or clean water through the weekend. As many as 4,500 people are seeking shelter and supplies on Maui. While the search continues, charities and volunteers send survivors bottled water, food, medicine, and other supplies.

Drone footage shows part of the Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023.
Credit: © Gene J. Puskar, AP Photo

On Friday, February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. East Palestine is near the border of Pennsylvania. Residents in the town have worried about their health and future while teams clean up the mess. Environmental efforts are underway to protect fish and wildlife as much as possible. While almost two months have passed, there are still many unanswered questions.

On February 3rd, the train was heading from Illinois to Pennsylvania when 38 of its 150 cars derailed around 9 PM. Representatives from Norfolk Southern stated the derailment was most likely caused by an overheated wheel bearing on one of the cars. The crash caused a fire that damaged 12 more cars. Shortly after the crash, residents were told to evacuate the area. Five derailed cars were carrying vinyl chloride, used to make plastic products. The cars burned for two days, and then officials began a controlled burn of the remaining chemicals to prevent an unplanned explosion.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources stated the chemical spill killed nearly 3,500 fish in local streams. Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine announced that residents could return to the area on February 8th, five days after the derailment. While the Environmental Protection Agency conducted tests and began cleaning efforts, residents of East Palestine complained of headaches, coughs, fatigue, and even skin irritation. Later, officials advised residents to drink bottled water, not water from the city’s supply.

Residents have met in town hall sessions to ask how the disaster happened and what will be done to resolve it. Politicians, including former President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, have visited the town.

Some of the residents of East Palestine were extras in the motion picture “White Noise,” released by Netflix in November 2022, based on the novel of the same name by Don DeLillo. In the fictional movie, a college professor and his family evacuate a small midwestern town after a train derails, creating an airborne toxic event. Many residents say the disaster is like deja vu since they have seen the movie.

Another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ohio on Saturday, March 4th. The second train was not carrying hazardous materials and was cleaned up quickly. A derailment in Arizona occurred on March 16th. However, the train was only carrying corn syrup that didn’t spill.

Others around the world are questioning rail safety. On February 28th, a train carrying 350 people in Greece near Larissa crashed into a freight train. The crash killed 57 people, causing an uproar about rail safety in the country.

Civilians and rescue teams in Harem, Syria, search for survivors underneath rubble after a devastating earthquake hit the region on February 6, 2023.
Credit: © Anas Alkharboutli, dpa picture alliance/Alamy Images

On Monday, February 6th, 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Turkey at 4:17 AM. The epicenter of the earthquake hit Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey, close to the Syrian border. Tens of thousands of people died in the destruction, and the death toll continues to rise. The earthquake’s grasp extended to Syria, causing widespread damage in the northwestern region of the country. The earthquake and aftershocks were felt in Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon. The damage unfolds a new humanitarian crisis in a region already shaken by economic struggles, an ongoing refugee crisis, and war.

Turkey lies on crisscrossed fault lines resulting in frequent earthquakes. The United States Geological Survey reported the epicenter of the earthquake struck 20 miles (33 kilometers) from Gaziantep, Turkey. It hit 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) below the surface. Normally the initial shock of the earthquake hits hundreds of miles from the surface. The earthquake resulted in unusually strong aftershocks, including a 7.5 magnitude tremor 59 miles (95 kilometers) from the epicenter that was originally thought to be a second earthquake. Seismologists normally expect a 6.8 or lower magnitude aftershock from a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The area has experienced more than 80 aftershocks measuring 4.0 magnitude and higher in the hours following the original quake. The earthquake was as powerful as the strongest earthquake on record in Turkey which occurred in 1939. The aftermath of the quakes has caused more damage than the country has seen in decades.

Turkey
credit: World Book map

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced thousands of buildings collapsed in 14 different cities. As search and rescue teams look for people underneath the rubble, snow, rain, and low temperatures hinder their efforts. The near-freezing temperatures shorten the amount of time rescue teams have to retrieve people from the rubble. The weather hampers efforts to stay warm in other parts of the region. Many buildings in Turkey are older with concrete frames that cannot withstand strong tremors. Nearly 15 hospitals buckled from the earthquake. A 2,000-year-old castle used by the Romans and Byzantines also faced damage in the aftermath. The damage has cut power and gas in some regions, leading officials to wonder how to keep survivors warm and safe. Disaster relief officials reported nearly 6,400 people had been rescued already. President Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning.

According to the United Nations refugee agency, Turkey hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees due to the 12-year civil war in Syria. Many people lived in temporary or unsafe housing before the earthquake struck. These camps and makeshift shelters were decimated by the quake. While many Turkish residents lost their homes, work, and schools, the refugee crisis broadens. As the region grapples with the chaos, the refugee crisis will continue.

More than 1,250 people have died, and 1,040 were injured in government-held Syria. These numbers do not account for Idlib, where rebels control the government in northwestern Syria. Officials estimate nearly 390 people have died in Idlib with hundreds more buried under rubble. Years of air strikes and bombardments weakened the infrastructure across Syria. The earthquake demolished several hospitals and pivotal infrastructure, further stressing underfunded and busy health centers.

Dozens of countries, the European Union, and the United Nations have offered aid and support for the affected regions. Search and rescue teams, aircraft, and medical teams are heading toward the region from all across the world. The earthquake is the deadliest earthquake the world has seen since the quake that killed 1,000 people in Afghanistan in June 2022.

As a result of April 2022 flooding, a river burst its banks and destroyed a bridge in Durban, South Africa.
Credit: © Rogan War, Reuters/Alamy Images

Several days of heavy rain have caused severe flooding and mudslides on the east coast of South Africa. A new storm came off the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, April 12th, destroying bridges, roads, houses, and other structures. The storm hit the city of Durban, South Africa’s chief seaport and one of its largest cities, killing at least 443 people. Officials report that 63 people remain missing amidst the damage in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

The influx of rain is a result of a weather phenomenon called a cut-off low, which occurs when a low-pressure system is disrupted and moves slowly across an area. The storm produced the heaviest rains in South Africa in 60 years and is the deadliest storm on record in the country. Meteorologists estimate that over a month’s worth of rain, nearly 12 inches (30.5 centimeters), fell in one day in Durban.

The downpour of rain caused mudslides that washed away entire hillsides, destroying nearly 600 schools and  60 health facilities. More than 12,000 homes have been damaged from the flooding and mudslides. Some schools were in session during the storm, trapping students and teachers inside. Many people sought higher ground and climbed on top of roofs to stay out of reach of the rushing water and mud.

The flooding also washed out complete roads and bridges. One bridge outside Durban collapsed, leaving people stranded on both sides. The rushing water knocked out all power in the area. The mudslides and damage cut off the supply of clean water. Stacks of shipping containers have collapsed into the water.

Rescue efforts continue to find missing people believed to be underneath houses affected by the mudslides. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited with people affected by the disaster and pledged to help rebuild the community.

An image captured by the GOES-16 satellite shows a flash (purple) most likely caused by a bolide (exploding meteor) over New Hampshire on Oct. 10, 2021.
Credit: NOAA

A mysterious boom rattled houses, shook the ground, and frightened pets in southern New Hampshire around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 10. Curious people in the Granite State took to the internet to find the cause. Was it an earthquake, an aircraft, a single thunderclap, a spaceship, or a meteor? There was nothing in the news about it, so one observer called the fire department, which also did not have any answers. Around 400 residents shared their observations on volcanodiscovery.com, an online forum where people report seismic activity (vibrations from earthquakes). What caused the boom?

While earthquakes do occur in the area of New Hampshire, the United States Geological Survey announced that there were no earthquakes in all New England on Sunday. The Geological Survey is a federal agency tasked in part with monitoring such hazards as earthquakes and volcanoes.

Ruling out an earthquake, many people kept researching. One cause of confusion was that even though there was an audible (able to be heard) boom and physical thud, there was no damage reported. Was it a powerful military plane? The Federal Aviation Administration announced there was no unusual military flight activity over the state. One concerned resident theorized that the sound came from the recently established New Boston Space Force Station, previously an air force base.

Meteorologists said the mystery blast was most likely a sonic boom caused by a meteor. A meteor appears when a piece of matter enters Earth’s atmosphere from space at high speed, causing it to heat up. A fireball is a meteor that burns brightly as it plunges through the atmosphere. If the fireball explodes at the end of its path, it is called a bolide.

Greg Cornwell, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said that a suspicious spot appeared in images from the weather satellite GOES-16, which in part maps lightning strikes, around the same time people reported the boom. Weather satellite images generally pick up storms and other weather patterns. Although it was overcast that morning, there were no thunderstorms to explain the blip. Bolides and fireballs have in the past appeared as false storms in satellite images. Cornwell also explained that this time of year is known for meteor showers.

Many experts considered it likely that a meteor explosion produced the mysterious boom. However, to officially pin the blast on a meteor, scientists need a direct eyewitness account or video evidence. No solid eyewitness account or video evidence has been brought forward, so residents may have to settle for a hunch.

A thriving Black neighborhood known as “Black Wall Street” lies in ruin following the Tulsa race riot of 1921.
Credit: Library of Congress

May 31, 2021, marked 100 years since the start of the Tulsa race riot of 1921. It was one of the deadliest acts of racial violence in United States history.

From May 31 to June 1, 1921, groups of armed white men attacked Black residents in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The riot began after white vigilantes gathered to lynch (put to death without a lawful trial) a Black man who had been accused of attacking a white woman. The riot probably caused about 300 deaths and destroyed Tulsa’s Black business district.

On May 30, 1921, Dick Rowland, a 19-year-old Black shoe shiner, entered an elevator in the Drexel Building in downtown Tulsa. He encountered Sarah Page, a 17-year-old white elevator operator. What occurred next is unclear. Many historians believe that Rowland may have either stepped on Page’s foot or tripped and grabbed Page’s arm to steady himself. Page screamed. A clerk from a nearby store, assuming that the girl had been the victim of an assault, called police. Rowland fled the scene and was arrested the next day.

Newspaper accounts and rumors about the incident led to widespread talk of lynching. On the evening of May 31, hundreds of white people, including many armed men, gathered near the courthouse where Rowland was held. Groups of armed Black men—many of them veterans of World War I—then arrived at the scene. They offered their services to the sheriff to help protect Rowland, but their offers were refused.

At around 10 p.m., shots were fired during a commotion near the courthouse. The Blacks who had gathered there were outnumbered, and they retreated. They went to Greenwood Avenue—the heart of the Black business district known as “Black Wall Street.” A white mob followed.

Scattered shootings then occurred near Greenwood Avenue in the early hours of June 1. Groups of armed Blacks assembled to hold off the white mob. Many Black residents fought to protect their businesses or families, while others fled to the countryside. Law enforcement officials deputized (appointed as agents of the law) hundreds of members of the mob. Members of the Oklahoma National Guard—all of whom were white—gathered near boundaries of Black and white neighborhoods. Among some whites, rumors attributed the violence to a “Negro uprising.” The mob grew to more than 5,000 white men.

Around 5 a.m., a whistle sounded, and thousands of armed white men marched into the Black business district. They burned and looted homes and businesses. National Guardsmen led thousands of Blacks at gunpoint to makeshift detention centers. Many who resisted were shot. Police did little to stop the arson and violence, and they spent most of their resources protecting white neighborhoods. In many instances, local members of the state National Guard joined in the attacks. Black eyewitnesses recalled white pilots firing on Black neighborhoods from airplanes above.

Thousands of armed white men burned and looted Black homes and businesses during the riot.
Credit: Library of Congress

Around 9 a.m., members of a National Guard regiment from Oklahoma City arrived in Tulsa. Locals called them the “state troops.” Order was restored around 11:30 a.m., when Governor James B. A. Robertson declared martial law (emergency military rule) in Tulsa County. By the time the riot ended, more than 1,200 structures—nearly the entire “Negro Quarter”—had been destroyed by fires.

There is documented evidence of at least 40 deaths in the Tulsa riot. Of this number, about two-thirds were Black. However, many historians estimate that around 300 people were killed. Some unidentified Black victims may have been interred in mass graves.

Authorities never brought criminal charges against Rowland. Authorities also brought no charges against white rioters. Neither the City of Tulsa nor insurance companies compensated Black property owners for losses. The Greenwood business district was eventually rebuilt, but many of its residents remained homeless for months.

Rebuilding begins in the Black neighborhood destroyed by the riot.
Credit: Library of Congress

Newspapers reported on the riot in the days and weeks after the event. Over time, however, the incident received little coverage. The riot was omitted from most Oklahoma history books and classroom lessons.

Blacks displaced by the neighborhood’s destruction line up outside a refugee camp at the Tulsa fairgrounds.
Credit: Library of Congress

In 1997, state officials formed the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. The commission released an extensive report about the event in 2001. Tulsa’s John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park commemorates the victims of the riot. The park, named for a leading Black scholar whose own father survived the riot, officially opened in 2010.

Indian-born American astronaut Kalpana Chawla
Credit: NASA

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. All month long, Behind the Headlines will feature AAPI pioneers in a variety of areas.

In 1997, the American astronaut Kalpana Chawla (1962-2003) became the first Indian-born woman to travel into space. Chawla served on two missions aboard the United States space shuttle Columbia as a mission specialist and robotic arm operator.

Chawla was born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, northern India. Karnal was part of the state of Punjab at that time. Today, it is part of the state of Haryana. She graduated from the Punjab Engineering College in 1982. That same year, she immigrated to the United States. In 1984, she earned a master’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin. She married Jean-Pierre Harrison, an aviation teacher and author, in 1983. She received her doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1988. She then went to work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In 1994, she was selected for training as an astronaut candidate.

In 1997, Chawla flew her first mission on the shuttle Columbia. She was the second person of Indian descent to travel in space, following the Indian-born cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma, who traveled on a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. Chawla’s duties involved conducting experiments in microgravity, sometimes called zero gravity or weightlessness, and launching a satellite using the shuttle’s robotic arm. Her second mission was on the same shuttle in 2003. However, on Feb. 1, 2003, as the Columbia was returning to Earth after the 16-day mission, the spacecraft broke apart high over Texas. Chawla and six other crew members were killed.

Chawla received many honors for her work in space. They include the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. In addition, an asteroid that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter is named the 51826 Kalpanachawla in her honor.

A candlelit vigil on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19, 2021, honored the hundreds of thousands of Americans killed by COVID-19.
Credit: © Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

One year ago, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease COVID-19 a pandemic—that is, a disease that spreads over an extremely wide geographic area. In one year, the deadly respiratory disease has infected nearly 115 million people and killed more than 2.5 million people worldwide.

The first COVID-19 cases occurred in Wuhan, China, near a seafood and live animal market. This fact suggested to scientists that the disease may be zoonotic (spread from animals to people). Researchers proposed that, like the related diseases MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), COVID-19 may have its origin in bats. Further analysis of the virus SARS-CoV-2 showed that it had clearly originated in bats. SARS-CoV-2 stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. How the virus crossed over into human beings has not been determined. After the virus entered humans, human-to-human transmission became the chief way in which the disease spread.

As the pandemic progressed, some authorities closed schools and such nonessential businesses as restaurants, movie theaters, and hair salons. Some officials issued stay-at-home orders. The orders forbade people from leaving their homes except for such necessary activities as working at an essential job, buying food, or seeing a doctor.

To pass time over the long year and help stay cheerful while stuck at home, many people turned to baking treats, reading books, and making arts and crafts. For instance, some people recreated famous paintings. Such museums as the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, provided people with prompts. Then, using household products and costumes buried at the bottom of toy chests, people recreated famous works of art. Emanuel Leutze’s “Washington Crossing the Delaware,” for example, became “Wagon Crossing the Street.” Re-enacting masterpieces was a great way to past the time, while you waited for your treats to bake.

Sandra Lindsay, left, a Black nurse, is injected with the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer on Dec. 14, 2020, in the Queens borough (section) of New York City. The rollout of the vaccine, the first to be given emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, begins the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history.
Credit: © Mark Lennihan, Getty Images

In December 2020, hope began to arrive in the form of vaccines. Vaccines are special medicines that can help make a person immune to a particular disease. The long-awaited “V-Day,” short for Vaccine Day, arrived in the United States on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. Sandra Lindsay—a nurse at a hospital in the Queens borough (section) of New York City—was hailed as the first person in the United States to receive an authorized COVID-19 vaccination.

Not everyone who wants a vaccine has been able to get one right away. The first doses were given to healthcare workers. Then, frontline workers (workers likely to encounter the disease) followed, along with people vulnerable to the virus, including the elderly and those with such risk factors as obesity or diabetes.

Since December, nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population has received the vaccine. Tens of thousands more get vaccinated each day, raising hopes that the end of the pandemic is near.

Credit: © Atstock Productions, Shutterstock

Friday, January 1, is New Year’s Day, the first day of the calendar year. People in almost every country celebrate this day as a holiday. The celebrations are both festive and serious. Many people make New Year’s resolutions to break bad habits or to start good ones. Some think about how they have lived during the past year and look forward to the next 12 months.

In a typical year, New Year’s celebrations may include visiting friends and relatives, giving gifts, and attending religious services. Celebrations usually start on New Year’s Eve, December 31. In the United States, many people go to New Year’s Eve parties. Crowds gather in Times Square in New York City, on State Street in Chicago, and in other public places. At midnight, bells ring, sirens sound, firecrackers explode, and everyone shouts, “Happy New Year!”

Of course, 2020 has not been a typical year, and 2021 New Year’s festivities are likely to look a little different. Efforts are being made to prevent the spread of the pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Such efforts often include social distancing, meant to limit contact among people and thus the spread of germs. So, gone are the large crowds in Times Square. In addition, such traditional New Year’s Day celebrations as visiting friends and relatives or attending religious services might be limited to virtual events this year.

Many people may be particularly excited to say good-bye to 2020. The year was largely overshadowed by the pandemic. COVID-19 was first recognized in human beings in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. By January 30, COVID-19 had caused 170 deaths among some 8,000 confirmed cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern. WHO recommended urgent containment measures as the number of cases and deaths continued to climb. On March 11, WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

As the pandemic progressed, some authorities closed schools and such businesses as restaurants, movie theaters, and barber shops and hair salons. Some officials issued stay-at-home orders. The orders forbade people from leaving their homes except for such necessary activities as working at an essential job, buying food, or seeing a doctor.

As of late December, COVID-19 has caused more than 1.7 million deaths worldwide, and more than 82.1 million cases had been confirmed. More than 185 countries have reported cases of COVID-19.

However, the new year offers hope in the form of vaccines, special medicines that can help make a person immune to a particular disease. The long-awaited V-Day, short for Vaccine Day, arrived in the United States on Monday, December 14, with the beginning of widespread vaccination against COVID-19. The first vaccine doses were given to health care workers. Next in line are frontline workers (workers likely to encounter the disease) and people who are vulnerable to the virus, including the elderly and people with such risk factors as obesity or diabetes. Some of these people have already received the vaccine, but most people may have to wait to be vaccinated until the spring of 2021.

So, it will take some time for things to return to normal. But, here’s wishing you a happier and healthier 2021!

Sandra Lindsay, a Black nurse, is injected with the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer on Dec. 14, 2020, in the Queens borough (section) of New York City. The rollout of the vaccine, the first to be given emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, begins the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history.
Credit: © Mark Lennihan, Getty Images

The long-awaited V-Day, short for Vaccine Day, arrived in the United States on Monday, December 14, with the beginning of widespread vaccination against the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Vaccination involves the administration of special medicines called vaccines, which can help make a person immune to a particular disease. Sandra Lindsay—a nurse at a hospital in the Queens borough (section) of New York City—became the first person in the United States to receive the authorized COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 has killed more than 1 million people and infected more than 60 million people around the world. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an emergency use authorization for the vaccine, by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, on December 11. V-Day provided a moment of hope against the COVID-19 pandemic (worldwide outbreak of disease) even as the U.S. death toll topped 300,000.

The fact that Lindsay—a Black health care worker—was first in line to receive the vaccine is significant. In the United States, COVID-19 has disproportionally affected Black Americans, and medical workers have been on the front line of the fight against the disease. Lindsay said it was important for her to take the vaccine, in part because of the history of unequal and racist treatment of minorities in the medical system. In particular, she mentioned the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, a notorious medical experiment involving Black Americans. Beginning in 1932, medical workers conducted blood tests among 4,000 Black men in Tuskegee, Alabama, and selected for the study about 400 who were found to be infected with the sexually transmitted disease syphilis. The participants in the study were not informed that they were infected with syphilis or told about the expected outcomes of the experiment. Lindsay hoped to inspire Black people and other minorities who may be skeptical about the vaccine. After receiving the first of two doses, she said, “It feels surreal. It is a huge sense of relief for me, and hope.”

The first doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be given to Americans were shipped on Sunday, December 13. The United States is not the first country to approve the vaccine. On December 8, Margaret Keenan of the United Kingdom became the first person in the world to receive the authorized vaccine. Canada has also approved the vaccine, administering its first dose the same day as the United States.

In many cases, administration of a COVID-19 vaccine will be voluntary. But, it will be a while until everybody who wants a vaccine can get one. In the United States, the first doses will be given to health care workers. Frontline workers (workers likely to encounter the disease) and people who are vulnerable to the virus, including the elderly and people with such risk factors as obesity or diabetes will be next. Some of these people may receive the vaccine by the end of 2020. But, most people will have to wait until the spring of 2021.

Most vaccines are administered into the body by injection. A vaccine contains substances that stimulate the body’s immune system to produce molecules called antibodies. The immune system uses antibodies to fight against germs that enter the body. Antibodies produced in response to a vaccine can protect a person who is exposed to the actual disease-causing organism. The process of protecting the body in this way is called immunization. Vaccines have been successful in fighting many other diseases, including chickenpox, meningitis, and yellow fever.

Pfizer and Moderna began clinical trials in July. During these trials, participants were given either the vaccine or a placebo. A placebo is a substance that contains no active ingredient. Comparing infection rates in subjects who received the placebo with those among subjects who got the vaccine can help determine if the vaccine is effective. In the Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials, half the participants were given a placebo of salt water, and half were given the vaccine. The researchers then waited to see who might get sick. The results were very promising—both vaccines were about 95 percent effective in preventing COVID-19. By contrast, commonly administered influenza vaccines (known as flu shots) are 40 percent to 60 percent effective.

In late November, the companies Pfizer and Moderna each applied for emergency approval from the FDA for their COVID-19 vaccines.  The two companies are among dozens of drugmakers that have worked tirelessly to develop a vaccine against the deadly virus.