Next steps a year after first COVID-19 vaccine, a spacecraft touches the sun: 5 Things podcast – USA TODAY

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast:A year after first COVID-19 vaccine, here's what's next for researchers

Patient safety reporter Karen Weintraubexplains. Plus, the EPA is warning about a cancerouschemicalfound in water, a spacecraft touches thesun, money reporter Terry Collins recommends giving stocks as a holiday gift to kids and 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' hits theaters.

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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson. And this is 5 Things you need to know Thursday, the 16th of December, 2021. Today, what's next a year after the first COVID-19 vaccine. Plus, a spacecraft touches the sun and more.

Here are some of the top headlines:

We're just past the one year mark since the first COVID-19 vaccine. In the month since, tons of progress has been made, including promising research on boosters to add protection to initial doses. So as the omicron variant continues to worry, people want to know what's next. Patient safety reporter Karen Weintraub is here to answer some of those questions.

Karen Weintraub:

So a couple of things, the first is they're going to come up with some variant specific vaccines. And that means a vaccine that can fight is targeted directly at omicron, for instance. It's not clear yet whether we need one. The vaccines do seem to be holding up we think, at least in lab studies. But if not omicron, there's going to be another one down the road. So they're trying to make sure that they can fight a specific variant if necessary. After that, then they're going to try to come up with a vaccine that combats all the variants or a wide range of variants. And then after that, they're going to try to fight all coronaviruses or all in a certain class. So we've had three different pandemics from coronaviruses since 2003. There was the original SARS, MERS, which is mostly in the Middle East, and then this one. And so the concern is that there may be another. And so they want to come up with a vaccine first that can prevent all of those possibilities.

The biggest challenge is going to be to go after a variety of different types of viruses, provide effective and durable protection against a wide range of viruses. And there's just a ton of scientific challenges there. The other challenge of course that they're facing is acceptance. As we've seen with the COVID vaccine, not everybody is willing to take them, and vaccines are useless unless people take them.

So right now, our only option is a needle in the arm, which a lot of people don't like. So at some point, not entirely clear when these are coming, but there was a study that started this week of a vaccine that's delivered by air. It's like shot into your arm with a puff of air. And then there are going to be potentially some nasal vaccines where you just like a nasal spray that coats the inside, the mucosal lining of your nose and sinuses. And then there may be something that goes on almost like a bandaid where you push into your skin and these tiny, tiny needles, so small you can't even feel them, will inject the vaccine into your arm. So hopefully, that'll help for people who are uncomfortable with needles.

Taylor Wilson:

The US passed 800,000 COVID-19 deaths this week, part of more than 5.3 million COVID deaths around the world.

The Environmental Protection Agency is moving to update health advisories after new documents show a chemical found in drinking water is likely a carcinogen. The chemical called PFOA has essentially no safe level of exposure. PFOA and similar chemicals are in the blood of 98% of Americans and small amounts are in drinking water across the country. New EPA documents also affirm findings that the chemicals are driving up kidney cancer rates and weakening immune systems. The EPA may require water utilities to filter out detectable amounts of PFOA or could decide that the cost of doing so outweigh the benefits. The agency will hold its first public hearing on the process later today.

For the first time in history, a spacecraft has touched the sun. NASA announced this week that its Parker Solar Probe has flown through the sun's upper atmosphere or corona, and sampled particles and magnetic fields there that happened in April during the craft's eighth close approach to the sun. But scientists said it took a few months to get the data back and several more months to confirm it. At its closest approach, the front of the probe's solar shield endured temperatures approaching 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The $1.6 billion mission aims to bring more information about our solar system and could also help learn more about other stars, too. Plus it can help improve space weather forecasts that impact life on earth. The probe initially launched in 2018.

Popular gifts for kids every holiday season range from the latest video game console to Legos and Barbies, but there's one present that's a bit out of the box. Money and Tech reporter Terry Collins explains how giving stocks to your kids is not just for the wealthy and it's one gift that supply chain issues cannot ruin.

Terry Collins:

Well, I think it's better probably maybe some ways, according toexperts, better for over the long haul instead of getting the latest thing, whether it be a smartphone, gaming console or some other electronic device. In terms of stocks, they mature as the child matures. They can grow over time. It has the ability to maybe make something as a good gift to use for educational purposes, maybe paying for a private school tuition or college tuition. Or if proper planning goes, maybe it could be something that's a pre-retirement fund that can just age as they are. It's in some ways seemingly a viable alternative. It's smart. After talking to some of the experts, I think it's something that, wow, it feels like the younger the child is, the earlier the better.

And it just seems like one of the more smarter gifts you can get if you're thinking of not messing up, getting a child something for Christmas beyond a gift card. It seems like it's a wise, long term investment. And for those who give, it's a bit tax benefit as well. You can give up to $15,000 and not pay taxes on it. So I just find it to be one of the more smart options to consider giving kids for Christmas. Theymay not appreciate it now, but give a few years, I think they'd have a different perspective on it.

If you consider giving stock, talk to someone ahead of time like a planner. I know we only have about 10 days left before Christmas, but you can actually do this through December 31st. So you have a little more time. Make sure that it's something that is planable and feasible for both you and the young person you're giving it to. There's exclusions you can take advantage of, but it's got to be all given and made before December 31st.

Taylor Wilson:

For more, search "stocks gift" on USATODAY.com.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is here.

Tom Holland as Peter Parker:

Ever since I got bit by that spider, I've only had one week where my life has felt normal. That was when you found out.

Taylor Wilson:

The movie picks up where 2019's Far from Home left off. Peter Parker played by Tom Holland has to deal with the fallout after his secret identity as Spider-Man gets leaked to the world. Benedict Cumberbatch is also back as Dr. Strange to help him out and some familiar villains from past Spider-Man franchises make appearances. Spoiler alert:Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin and Alfred Molina as Doc Ock. Our movie critic Brian Truitt was a big fan of the new movie, giving it three and a half out of four stars.

And we ask for a five star review if you're listening to 5 Things on Apple Podcasts. You can also find the show wherever you like to find your pods, seven mornings a week. Thanks as always to PJ Elliott for his great work on the show. And I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

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Next steps a year after first COVID-19 vaccine, a spacecraft touches the sun: 5 Things podcast - USA TODAY