The growth in new cases in the United States is slowing, but still 90,000 people here have died from COVID-19.

There is good news on a potential vaccine.

A Massachusetts company reported Monday that an experimental vaccine given to 45 patients showed encouraging results.

None of the patients had serious side effects, and eight of them produced the type of antibody known to fight off the virus in the lab.

The usual caveats apply. This test is very early and very small, and a vaccine isn't likely to be widely available until next year at the earliest, but it is still promising.

Coming up, what social scientists have to say about how reactions to the pandemic are getting more and more political.

This is coronavirus daily from NPR. I'm Kelly McEvers. It's Monday, May 18th.

When the chair of the Federal Reserve speaks, the economy listens. That's why the current chair Jerome Powell, like Fed chairs, before him, speaks very carefully.

The current downturn is unique in that it is attributable to the virus and the steps taken to limit its fallout.

In a speech last week, Powell, a Republican appointed by the president, carefully signaled that unlike past recessions, the economy today isn't really broken.

It's just powered down. This time, high inflation was not a problem. There was no economy threatening bubble to pop and no unsustainable boom to bust.

And he said more government spending could help additional fiscal support could be costly, but worth it if it helps avoid long term damage and leaves us with a stronger recovery.

Powell said the same thing in a 60-minute segment that aired over the weekend when he again warned about possible long term damage to the economy.

The good news is that we have the tools to limit that longer on damage by continuing to provide support to households and businesses as we get through this.

Continuing to provide support means Congress approving money and the Federal Reserve helping to give that money out.

Congress has done a great deal and done it very quickly. There is no precedent in post-war war to American history that's even close to what Congress has done.

And the question is, will it be enough? And I don't think we know the answer to that. It may well be that the Fed has to do more. It may be that Congress has to do more.

But Congress has not been able to agree on more and the president said earlier this month.

We're no rush. We're no rush. There's no timetable for more spending.

The Democrats have to do what they have to do.

Here's another way the situation with the economy now is different from hard times in the past.

This morning, new numbers showing the worst unemployment rate since the Great Depression.

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