#AloneTogether
- “The reason we’re investing not in one but six different vaccines is because of the expectation that they won’t all work.”—NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, after AstraZeneca’s suspension of final testing of its potential COVID-19 vaccine.
- “By the time you mobilize the distribution of the vaccine and get a majority or more of the population vaccinated and protected, that’s likely not going to happen until the end of 2021.”—Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert.
- Amtrak will soon be furloughing more than 2,000 workers because of a sharp decline in ridership and revenue caused by the pandemic. That’s nearly 10 percent of Amtrak’s work force.
- Used car sales: Now on the rise as consumers need options to avoid using buses, trains and Ubers during a pandemic.
- Plane truth: Airports are much more problematic than airplanes.
- 2,900: approximate number of people hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of the coronavirus across Florida—including approximately 500 in the Tampa Bay area.
- Amazon will hire another 100,000 workers—again underscoring the massive shifts to online retailers.
- 26: The number of early-voting locations in Hillsborough County after Raymond James Stadium was added. Amalie Arena is also a site. Early voting begins Oct. 19.
- Demand for (free) coronavirus testing in Hillsborough County has dropped to an average of about 20,000 tests per week. The county’s sites are operating at about 20 percent capacity.
- “It’s no time to talk about where we used to be. The pandemic is still raging.”—Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Kemp.