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The vaccination race: Doses are being administered, but which country is out in front?

The vaccination race: Doses are being administered, but which country is out in front?

Last year we spent a lot of time tracking COVID-19 cases and deaths, so it's nice to start following something a little cheerier — the number of vaccination doses administered.

Israel leads the world

The latest data from Bloomberg reveals that the US has administered the most vaccine doses of any country, with more than 5 million jabs already... jabbed. However, when you adjust for population it's actually Israel which is, quite considerably, ahead of the pace.

Israel's vaccination drive began urgently on December 20th and has now successfully administered the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to more than 15% of its population in just 17 days. If Israel maintains that blistering pace (and they've actually been getting faster according to Our World In Data) they may be able to vaccinate the majority of their 9.1m adult population by the end of March.

It just so happens that Israel has an election coming up (also in March). For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presumably his election odds are likely to be closely entwined with his country maintaining the vaccination pace already set.

Pump those numbers up

In the US president-elect Joe Biden has outlined his ambitious goal for 100 million doses in his first 100 days in office. To hit that target, the US needs to administer almost 6 million doses a week, every week, until the end of April — meaning that the US needs to at least triple its current pace.

In the UK, which has just entered a third national lockdown, the story is similar. In London on Monday night PM Boris Johnson outlined a goal of roughly 14 million vaccinations by mid-February, a number which would cover the majority of people most at risk from COVID. To hit that target the UK would need to accelerate from its current pace of ~300,000 a week to roughly 2 million.

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Starbucks issues apology after viral “Bearista” cup meltdown

Holiday cheer turned into chaos this week for Starbucks after the coffee giant’s new “Bearista” holiday cup sent fans into a frenzy. 

Dropped alongside its 2025 holiday menu, the $30 beanie-wearing glass bear tumbler sparked long lines, sellouts, and even in-store scuffles before Starbucks stepped in with an apology.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations,” the company said in a statement to People. “Despite shipping more Bearista cups to our coffeehouses than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast.”

Within hours of launch, frustrated fans flooded Starbucks’ social media pages and even store hotlines. Some customers waited in line before dawn and others said their stores received only a handful of cups. In one Houston location, the craze even turned physical, with police reportedly called to break up a brawl. Meanwhile, the cup is already reselling on sites like eBay, with listings topping $600.

“We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused,” Starbucks said. While in-store customers may be upset, investors seem happy about the viral hit, as the stock has risen over 3% on Friday.

If you’re still hoping for a Bearista at market price, that may not be on order: the chain didn’t disclose how many cups were made or whether a restock is planned.

business

Target tells workers to smile, wave, and greet shoppers if they come within 10 feet of them

Target just rolled out a new rule for store employees: smile, make eye contact, and greet or wave when a shopper comes within 10 feet — and if they get closer, within four feet, ask whether they need help or how their day is going, according to a new Bloomberg report.

Dubbed the 10-4 program internally, the rule mirrors rival Walmarts own 10-foot policy, formalizing behavior Target had previously only encouraged.

business

Monster surges on energy drink buzz, while Celsius sinks on distribution concerns

Shares of Monster Beverage climbed 5% after the bell on Thursday, and held most of those gains into early trading on Friday, following strong Q3 results.

The energy drink giant topped market expectations, with quarterly sales up 17% year over year to $2.2 billion and adjusted net profits growing 41% to $524.5 million — 11% ahead of Wall Street’s estimates. In the report, Monster highlighted its zero-sugar line and new product launches, with a stack of novel flavors already released this year, as bright spots.

During a call with analysts, Chief Executive Hilton Schlosberg said that the global energy drink category “remains healthy with robust growth,” The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that demand for more affordable caffeinated drinks is rising as coffee has become “really expensive.”

Meanwhile, rival beverage business Celsius saw shares fall as much as 23% on its Q3 results yesterday — despite beating expectations, with revenue jumping 173% — largely due to concerns about a change in the company’s distribution channel, as its newly acquired Alani Nu brand joins the PepsiCo distribution network.

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