Good morning southern Colorado and here's what you need to know on your Monday morning.
If you'd like to read the full story, be sure to click on the story headline.
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CDC gives 'OK' to begin inoculations of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, shots could start Monday morning
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given the green light to begin administering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Americans age 18 and older. Inoculations using Moderna’s version of the vaccine could begin Monday morning. This is the second vaccine to combat the surging coronavirus approved first by the FDA and then the CDC this month.
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Congress reaches agreement on $900 billion COVID-19 relief package
Leaders in Congress say they have reached a deal on a $900 billion long-awaited COVID-19 relief package, according to multiple reports. The announcement comes Sunday evening, after months of negotiations. Exact details are not released yet. It is expected to include $300-a-week in supplemental jobless benefits, direct payments of $600 for individuals, more than $300 billion in small business loans and more than $80 billion for schools, as well as billions for help with vaccine distribution. Nothing is final, though, until the final language of the bill is released.
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Warm and a little breezy for the first day of Winter!
It's the first day of winter and the start of Christmas week! Oddly enough, it'll feel a lot more like an early Spring day than the first day of Winter. We're going to have lighter winds today compared to Sunday, but it'll still be breezy in the mountains.
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The Review & Preview: What southern Coloradans need to know this week
With so much information being announced daily about the COVID-19 pandemic, here is a review and preview of what is going on in southern Colorado as it pertains to the virus. Click the link above for a full breakdown of updates from the last week and what to look forward to this Christmas week from News5.
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Colorado officials say avoiding Christmas spike key to hitting finish line on COVID-19 fight
State epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said if Colorado avoids a COVID-19 spike from Christmas and New Year's Eve activity, the state is on track to see numbers similar to the spring in time for school to reopen in January. The latest state modeling data also projected Colorado could be back down to numbers similar to summer by mid-March if the downward trend continues. This is also when the state hopes to see population level protection from the vaccine, according to Herlihy.
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