A NEW VACCINE now under development is showing promise in early testing the battle against the coronavirus (Shutterstock).

Hopes are rising for a vaccine to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Associated Press, the experimental injection created by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna, Inc., is boosting a person’s immune system.

“No matter how you slice this, this is good news,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top government expert on infectious diseases.

A 30,000-person study will start later this month to determine the vaccine’s success is blocking the virus. Success was reported Tuesday on a test of 45 volunteers. There were no serious side effects, but flu-like reactions occurred in some people being vaccinated and tested.

Policy and politics in the president’s day

President Donald Trump on Tuesday what most presidents do in a re-election year: he combined policy initiatives with political speech.

DONALD TRUMP

According to the Associated Press, the president signed a law penalizing America banks that have conducted businesses in Hong Kong where pro-democracy protesters are under pressure from the Beijing government. A new security law passed by the Beijing parliament led led to the arrest of hundreds of those wanting more local control over their territory, which – until 1999 – was under British control.

He also criticized Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, for allegedly being tool tolerant of the Chinese government during his tenure as vice president under President Barack Obama.

Also in the news … Masking up

Over 75 percent of American adults wear masks or other face-coverings when in public as a guard against the spread of the coronavirus, according to a study released today by the Center For Disease Control • U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized for an infection • The population of the U.S. and the world will begin to drop after the mid-century, according to a report in USA Today. The American birth rate – now at 1.8 per woman – is below the 2.1 number needed to maintain population levels. • The daily total of new deaths from coronavirus in Florida hit 132 on Tuesday, setting a new record high for that state.

Stock market has a better Tuesday

The Dow Jones Average led the charge Tuesday as Wall Street posted strong gains.

THE BULLS had a good day on Wall Street.

The DWA rose 556.79 points to 26,642, an increase of 2.13 percent. The S&P 500 jumped 42.30 points to 3,197.52, up 1.34 percent.

Nasdaq, which tends to be the most volatile of the major exchanges, jumped 42.30 points to 10,488.58, a rise of 0.94 percent.

The increases are credited in part to good news about the development of a vaccine against the coronavirus.

Clouds bringing milder weather

Increasing cloudiness will bring shade and lower temperatures to the West Orange County area, according to the National Weather Service.  Wednesday’s high will be 78, with winds from the southwest gusting as high as 20 miles an hour. Overnight lows all week will be around 64. Thursday’s high will hit 78, with temps rising to 80 or 81 on Friday. The weekend will be similar will highs in the 81-83 degree range.

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