The U.S. is now averaging about 40,000 new coronavirus cases per day, down more than 40% from less than a month ago and just one-fifth of what the nation was facing at the start of the year.
And the fight against the pandemic just added another weapon Monday when the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine for adolescents 12-15 years old.
Still, the race for herd immunity that could help put the pandemic in the nation's rear-view mirror is not going entirely smoothly. Some states want the federal government to withhold staggering amounts of vaccine this week amid plummeting demand for shots. Concern over waning interest in vaccination has prompted President Joe Biden to schedule a meeting Tuesday with six governors aimed at regaining momentum.