Roundtable: The COVID-19 Vaccine Arrives As New Cases Soar

Friday, December 18, 2020

Credit: Pool photo via CBS 8

Above: Sonia Garcia, a technician at Rady Children's Hospital, getting the COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 15, 2020.

San Diego receives its first batch of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, transportation advocates have high hopes for a major expansion of bus and rail service, and a look back at how KPBS covered the top stories of 2020.

Aired: December 18, 2020 | Transcript

PANEL:

Jonathan Wosen, reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune

Joshua Emerson Smith, reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune

Suzanne Marmion, director of news and editorial strategy, KPBS News

KPBS Roundtable airs on Fridays at 12:30 p.m. on KPBS Radio and at 8:30 p.m. on KPBS TV. Encore presentation Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on KPBS TV.

San Diego Gets The Vaccine

It’s a milestone week for San Diego as our region receives its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines. Medical professionals are among the first to receive the shots and other high-priority and at-risk groups will be at the front of the line as more supply arrives. Jonathan Wosen, who covers San Diego's biotech community, joins us to talk about the scientific breakthrough as we endure the worst period yet for the pandemic.

Transportation Advocates Ready To Pursue Big Goals

The San Diego region may be at a big moment of opportunity when it comes to realizing an ambitious vision for regional transportation. A $177 billion expansion of rail and bus service would need the approval of voters who have increasingly backed progressive politicians in recent years. Joshua Emerson Smith joins us to talk about why proponents believe the time is right to make this big ask.

How KPBS Covered The Year's Top Stories

For our final segment of 2020, KPBS Director of News and Editorial Strategy Suzanne Marmion joins us for a discussion on the relentless news cycle and how it challenged newsrooms in the past year. A pandemic, major social unrest, the shift toward remote working and unprecedented economic challenges forced us to rethink how we do our work of keeping the public informed.

The urgency of addressing human causes of climate change has long been apparent. To amplify this issue that's paramount to us all, KPBS has launched a Climate Change Desk to step up our coverage of this existential threat including reported stories and interviews with experts and newsmakers.

Roundtable is a lively discussion of the week's top stories. Local journalists join host Mark Sauer to provide insight into how these stories affect residents of the San Diego region.

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