Despite far fewer rules and restrictions, Florida lands nearly in the middle of all states on a variety of coronavirus metrics. Gov. Ron DeSantis' gamble to take a laissez-faire approach appears to be paying off — at least politically, at least for now, as other governors capturing attention in the opening phase of the pandemic now face steeper challenges. https://cnn.it/3vxOBvp | CNN Replay

President Biden's COVID-19 response team provides updates on pandemic numbers and vaccine rollout statistics. | Western Journal TV

FIRST VACCINATIONS: Tom Llamas reports on the race to distribute COVID-19 vaccine doses across the country, with a New York nurse among the first to get the shot and images of health care workers rolling up sleeves in Connecticut, Florida and Texas. https://abcn.ws/3gNHLen | ABC World News Tonight with David Muir