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As always I like to start with some of the good science news. Moderna in partnership with the National Institutes of Health launched their phase 3 study. The vaccine will enroll 30,000 people in the United States to be part of this trial.

Pfizer and BioNTech have started a combination Phase 2 and 3 trial. They also plan to enroll 30,000 people, this time from several countries around the world including the US, Argentina, Brazil, and Germany.

This is all crazy fast which is crazy amazing. Dr. Fauci said that he thinks a vaccine could be available by the end of the year and he’s confident that scientists are working to make sure it’s safe. That’s the most important. So remember, we want them to take enough time to determine that it’s both effective and safe.

In other good and cool health news, a team in England has developed a new blood test for prostate cancer that can determine the exact stage and progression of the disease with 99% accuracy, which is unprecedented for this type of cancer. It’s done by examining changes in the white blood cells. They say this test could help reduce the need for invasive biopsies by about 70% and help identify patients needing urgent treatment or closer monitoring.

Here’s another reason to get your flu shot! In a huge study that analyzed data from 7 million patients, researchers from Texas Tech University found that those who got a seasonal flu shot cut the risk of heart attacks by up to 85 percent, and almost cut in half the number of strokes. This is good to know for all of us but especially for older people who are less likely to get the flu shot but who would benefit the most given they can have serious cardiac issues.

A woman, whose last tanglible connection to her mother is a teddy bear with her voice recorded on it, is breathing a sigh of relief. And it’s all thanks to social media and the actor Ryan Reynolds. The bear was stolen when the woman was moving. She posted to social media, it went viral, Ryan Reynolds saw the post, he offered a $5000 reward – no questions asked- to the person who returned it…and it worked! The bear is back and there is proof of goodness in the world.

A little boy in Israel had to quarantine and was going to miss his class picture. But thanks to an awesome teacher, that didn’t happen. The picture taking came to him!

Alright, this story is particularly amazing. Shetara Sims has not had it easy. She recently lost her job due to COVID and back in 2012, her eldest daughter was killed. When sh found a dollar bill in a parking lot, she decided to buy a lotto ticket and won $100. Though she only had $7 to her name, and at the urging of her 12 year old daughter, she called the Kansas City Missouri Police department and donated the $100 to an officer who had been shot earlier in the month and was still in the ICU. When she lost her daughter, she said the detectives went above and beyond. When KCPD found out about her situation, they started a gofundme which has raised over $150,000. Talk about the best lottery ticket ever! And what a beautiful story of a community coming together to support one of their own.

If you ever think you’re too old to learn a new trick, remember Giuseppe Paterno. He enrolled at the University of Palermo in 2017 and he just graduated…number 1 in his class. He said, knowledge is like a suitcase I carry with me. It was now or never.”

Share your good news and thanks for watching. Wear a mask!