A panel of doctors and scientists advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to recommend that people 6 months of age and older get new COVID boosters this fall.
As COVID has become less virulent, the debate over vaccine mandates has faded. But some workers who were fired for refusing the shots are still fighting to be reinstated.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has signed off on updated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines that target the original virus and the omicron subvariants.
Anti-vaccine advocates have repurposed a catchy, succinct, and potent slogan. Its unlikely source: the reproductive rights movement, which has been linked to the phrase for more than 50 years.
Anti-vaccine advocates have repurposed a catchy, succinct, and potent slogan. Its unlikely source: the reproductive rights movement, which has been linked to the phrase for more than 50 years.
With immunity waning and the super-contagious omicron family of variants getting better at dodging protection, the Food and Drug Administration decided boosters intended for fall needed an update.
NPR talks to Claire Hannan, who has helped navigate vaccine rollouts in all 50 states, about some of the challenges involved in quickly getting shots out to millions of young kids.
The Novavax vaccine appears to be about 90% effective at preventing mild, moderate and severe COVID-19, Food and Drug Administration scientists say in an analysis of the company's data.
The vaccines now in use are based on the form of the virus that circulated at the beginning of the pandemic and are less effective against the omicron variant. New options are in the works.
Though findings are preliminary, many studies suggest that vaccinated people have good protection against the condition, although just how much is still up for debate.
"We believe additional information regarding the ongoing evaluation of a third dose should be considered as part of our decision-making for potential authorization," FDA officials said in a statement.
The Health Resources and Services Administration is distributing $66.5 million to community groups working across 38 states and Washington, D.C. to help with local vaccine outreach.