This Thursday marks one year since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.
The big picture: Coronavirus vaccine rollouts are accelerating in the U.S. and elsewhere. The WHO remains concerned about disparities, with rich countries snapping up doses. The pandemic has had a huge economic impact globally, after much of the world locked down. Governments have provided relief packages and are looking to reopen safely.
People check electronic tickets on mobile phones at a movie theatre on March 9, as the New York City movie theatre reopens following a yearlong closure due to the pandemic. Photo: Liao Pan/China News Service via Getty Images
Healthcare workers look after a homeless coronavirus patient in a hotel room in Prague's four-star King Charles Boutique hotel on March 8. Once a destination for international travelers, the hotel has now opened its doors to the city's homeless who have COVID-19 or need to quarantine. Photo: Michal Cizek/AFP via Getty Images
People waiting for half an hour after receiving the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to see if they have any adverse reaction on the first day of the it being made available to residents in Athens, Ohio. Photo: Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Two women wearing kimonos wait on March 7 to attend a "coming-of-age" ceremony at DisneySea in Urayasu, Japan, which was postponed because of the pandemic. Photo: Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images
California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivers his third State of the State address virtually from an empty Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on March 9. Photo: Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Nesta Guinness-Walker of AFC Wimbledon in action against Burton Albion on March 9 in London, England. Government social distancing laws prohibit fans from being inside venues, resulting in games being played behind closed doors. Photo: Ashley Western/MB Media/Getty Images
More than two months after starting a world-leading COVID-19 vaccination campaign for its own citizens, Israel begins administering the Moderna vaccine to Palestinian laborers from the West Bank at the Meitar crossing checkpoint between the West Bank and Israel on March 9. Photo: Amir Levy/Getty Images
Volunteers help a chef (c) from a nonprofit prepare food for students in need on March 9 as part of an intiative that helps the most vulnerable people while fighting against food waste in Paris, France. Photo: Stephane De Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images
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