21 THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2021
AFTER THIS TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD YEAR, maybe the best thing about 2021 will simply be that it isn’t 2020. Certainly, an end to the health and financial challenges, the pain, incivility and grief that have marked the past 12 months will be most welcome—although it may take many months into the New Year to get us there. But the absence of awful is not enough to make 2021 a good year; we need not just a respite from the heavy weight put upon us by the pandemic but the promise of actual joy. ¶ Fortunately, there are plenty of things to look forward to next year, and not just the return of, well, everything—at some point, sports, culture, travel, in-person get-togethers with the people you love and care about—although we’re eagerly anticipating all that. But a return to normalcy is far from the only thing 2021 has going for it. Here’s a sampling of all the other good stuff coming your way over the next 12 months— the events, people, technology, innovations, movies, music, TV shows and more that, hopefully, will make 2021 a very happy New Year.
THE VACCINE ROLLOUT
Without a doubt, the most anticipated event of 2021 is the arrival of the COVID vaccine in large enough quantities to finally help stem the tide of the pandemic. The timeline for the rollout is ambitious, especially given the daunting logistics of distributing two-dose vaccines that must be stored at extremely low temperatures. Bearing in mind that things will inevitably go wrong and there will be delays, here’s what you can expect to happen, when.
The first vaccines ship
Following initial shipments of an estimated 6.4 million doses by year end, the Centers for Disease Control are recommending that, a “substantial proportion” of this population are expected to be vaccinated, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease official.
