Things to Know: Vaccine shipments coming to US pharmacies

Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.:

THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY:

— The Biden administration will begin shipping COVID-19 vaccines to U.S. pharmacies next week as it seeks to ramp up vaccinations with the appearance of new and potentially more serious virus strains. Coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said Tuesday that about 6,500 pharmacies around the country will receive a total of 1 million doses of vaccine and that more locations will be added as drugmakers increase production. Pharmacies have become a mainstay for flu shots and shingles vaccines, and the industry is capable of vaccinating tens of millions of people monthly.

— Pressure is building on U.S. school systems to reopen classrooms to students who have been learning online for nearly a year. The debate is pitting politicians against teachers who haven't been vaccinated yet against COVID-19. In Chicago, there’s so much rancor that teachers are on the brink of striking. In California, a frustrated Gov. Gavin Newsom implored schools to find a way to reopen. And in Cincinnati, some students have returned to their classrooms after a judge threw out a lawsuit brought by teachers concerned about their safety.

— Misguided attempts to protect inmates from the coronavirus at one prison “caused a public health disaster” at another, according to a report by California’s inspector general. Outdated tests failed to detect that some of the transferred inmates were already infected, and two of them later died. Corrections officials reiterated Monday that they had the best intentions. The transfer of those inmates from the California Institution for Men east of Los Angeles to San Quentin State Prison north of San Francisco at the end of May led to the deaths of 28 inmates and a correctional officer there, while...