⁍ The U.S. economic recovery should continue, but depends on people using masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

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⁍ Several vaccines are already in trials, but their success and the speed of deployment is not guaranteed.

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⁍ The economic recovery could resemble a bumpy ‘Nike swoosh,’ with growth going up and down based on the virus.

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– The economy should keep growing, but only if people wear masks to stop the spread of the H1N1 virus, a Philadelphia Federal Reserve official said yesterday. The virus “depends on a sustained decline in the rate of new infections—probably a result of nearly universal mask-wearing, especially indoors—that ensures only sporadic new outbreaks,” Patrick Harker told a financial forum, according to Reuters. He said he is “assuming that a vaccine becomes widely available sometime mid to late next year.” Harker said the economic recovery could resemble a “Nike swoosh,” with growth going up and down based on the virus. “We’ve really got to get the virus under control because that is driving everything.” He said he is assuming there will be at least another $1 trillion in fiscal stimulus as part of his economic forecast, and says GDP will go down by several tenths without it. Even if the recovery continues and a new surge of the virus is avoided, “employment, unfortunately, probably won’t be back to pre-pandemic levels until 2023,” Harker said. Given the high levels of joblessness, “I would urge lawmakers to consider providing additional support soon.”