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December 18, 2020

Welcome to 2020's last edition of The Reader, a weekly roundup of our stories and insights.

What a year it's been. Today, we're looking back at some of our reporters' most-read work of 2020. Readers cared about why patients who recover from COVID-19 test positive again; why the U.S. has a shortage of coins; who is part of the great CEO exodus; and how Joe Biden cancelling student loan debt would impact the economy.

Read on for more stories, and have a safe and happy holiday season.

Clifton Leaf

Editor-in-chief, Fortune

MOST READ

Why are patients who recover from coronavirus testing positive again?

It's possible that patients are not actually being reinfected, but that other factors—misdiagnosis, human error, or faulty tests—are giving that appearance.

BY NAOMI XU ELEGANT

MARCH 6, 2020

MUST WATCH

The COVID-19 vaccine is officially distributed in the U.S.

Here's what you need to know.

Here's a peek at Fortune Analytics, our exclusive newsletter for Premium subscribers that brings you weekly business insights based on timely data analysis by our editorial team and exclusive polling. 

This week, we polled 2,098 U.S. adults on whether cities are seeing a mass migration. The big picture:

• Millions of Americans moved as a result of the pandemic—and millions more plan to do so. Among U.S. adults, 16% have either moved out of their city/county during the pandemic (6%) or plan to move in the next 12 months (12%). Around 2% of Americans who moved during the pandemic plan to do so again in the next year. This reveals a big uptick in migration: In normal years, 3.7% of Americans move across county lines.

To get the full briefing, consider becoming a Fortune Premium subscriber. You'll also get access to all of our stories on the web and in print.

Your support makes our journalism possible. Thank you.

More essential reads

• One university may have the best COVID testing operation in the U.S.—and tests students twice a week

  by Lee Clifford

• The great CEO exodus of 2020 by Polina Marinova
• Testing for coronavirus should be free, but it’s not always that simple by Sy Mukherjee
• Business gets ready to trip: How psychedelic drugs may revolutionize mental health care by Jeffrey O'Brien

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From the archives

“Governments must get involved in vaccine production. The current shortfall helps highlight the risks that discourage private-sector vaccine makers. Flu is one of the fastest-mutating pathogens; it changes so rapidly that last year's vaccine is usually ineffective at preventing this year's flu. Therefore vaccine cannot be stockpiled. In developing vaccine for an upcoming flu season, scientists must anticipate which mutations will dominate; if they guess wrong, the vaccine is less effective and demand drops. All this helps make vaccines a not very profitable business. Add the fact that vaccine makers carry substantial liability if their products go wrong, and you can see why few drug companies make vaccines.”

—Viruses of mass destruction, John M. Barry, November 2004

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