We talk with Dr. Pops about the promising vaccines in human trial, one from Pfizer and the other from Moderna. Both companies said they will file for an emergency use authorization with the Food and Drug Administration in the coming weeks. One or the other vaccine could be ready as early as January, and would likely go to front-line workers in the medical field. The Pfizer vaccine will be a two-stage process and requires extremely cold temperatures - minus 70 celcius, making the rollout a challenge since few facilities are equipped with the cold technology. The Moderna vaccine also requires cold storage, but can handle 20 degrees warmer, putting in the reach of traditional freezers.

Dr. Pops explains that the vaccines use an entirely new approach to unlocking the body's immune system, using messenger RNA (mRNA) that trigger the creation of a coronavirus protein which then kicks off an immune response. The Pfizer vaccine appeared to be 90 percent effective, the Moderna at 94.5 percent. It appears likely that this will be by far the fastest rollout of a vaccine - with the next closest being the mumps vaccine that took four-and-half years.

At the center of effort is the CDC's director Dr. Anthony Fauci, with whom Dr. Pops worked closely with back in the 1980s tracking a strange outbreak of immune-deficiency cases in the Los Angeles area. That outbreak turned out to be AIDS. Dr. Fauci has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984.

We also talk with Dr. Pops about the importance of proper exercise and nutrition to fighting off infections, the stellar yet strange championship seasons of the Lakers and the Dodgers, and what a boost it has been for a beleaguered city. He shared a few of his covid haikus, which he writes every day, including coronavirus / be sure to stay away / from people you like.

We did not talk about Chumash basket weavers, the uneven results of Beyoncé and Jay-Z collaborations or the maple syrup industry.