The community benefits—and struggles—of New York City's pandemic-prompted "open streets," criminals aim to broker fraudulent vaccine contracts with countries desperate for pandemic relief, and more.

Olivia Koscso's reads

New Barbie dolls honor women of the pandemic. Mattel Inc. has unveiled its newest collection of "Barbie Role Models," each representing a female hero from the front lines of the pandemic. This includes British professor Sarah Gilbert, the project leader for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, who says she hopes the Barbie inspires young women to pursue science and math. Writing for CBS News, Sophie Lewis highlights the six new Barbies representing women from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Are New York City's 'open streets' here for good? The pandemic prompted New York City to close off many of its streets from cars, creating "open streets" for people to participate in outdoor community activities, such as zumba, soccer, and running neighborhood food pantries. Currently, 34th Avenue in Queens is the city's most celebrated open street, but critics say a recent push to permanently restrict cars from the street has gone too far. Writing for the New York Times, Winnie Hu details the use of the concept to date, as well as a potential compromise among 34th Avenue's strongest proponents and opponents.

Vivian Le's reads

The future of health care—for astronauts. Telehealth has been beneficial for many patients during the pandemic, but did you know that it's helped patients beyond Earth's atmosphere? Writing for Healthcare Finance News, Jeff Lagasse explains how astronauts aboard the International Space Station have been using telehealth since 2002, and what health care might look like for future space travelers.

Criminals aim to scam countries with Covid-19 vaccine deals. As soon as Covid-19 vaccine distribution began, criminal organizations and individuals approached authorities in dozens of countries—including Brazil, Canada, Spain, and Argentina—claiming to be able to provide access to much-needed vaccines. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Jared Hopkins, Kim Mackrael, and Giovanni Legorano dive into the criminal underbelly trying to broker fraudulent contracts worth millions of dollars in countries desperate for Covid-19 vaccines.