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Once the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were given FDA Emergency Use Authorization in December, the first priority was to create a national vaccine supply chain to get vaccines into the arms of health care workers and at-risk populations.  As the supply of vaccines increased, the footprint of eligible recipients grew.  By April, anyone over age 16 could get vaccinated at no cost at numerous facilities like their local pharmacy. 

FDA regulators will now need to make an official decision on boosters. After that, a separate vaccine panel will vote on whether the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should recommend the approved vaccine. 

If you thought last year's supply chain woes during the pandemic have been resolved, think again: Analysts and industry experts say suppliers and retailers are already dealing with delayed cargo and skyrocketing freight prices, which will cause headaches during the holiday season.

Perhaps you’re snacking on a banana, sipping some coffee or sitting in front of your computer and taking a break from work to read this article. Most likely, those goods – as well as your smartphone, refrigerator and virtually every other object in your home – once were loaded onto a large container in another country and traveled thousands of miles via ships crossing the ocean before ultimately arriving at your doorstep.

The latest Beige Book report from the Federal Reserve cited many supply chain problems encountered across a range of industries. I wanted to talk to an expert on how this problem is being addressed, so I called Dr. Rob Handfield, an N.C. State professor.