In the News

Three vaccines developed to prevent COVID-19 infections received emergency use authorization earlier this year, allowing nearly half the U.S. population to be fully vaccinated against the virus. But while much of the population remains skeptical of vaccination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working to fully approve, or license, the three vaccines.

A group of Iowa mothers of young school-age children held a rally and sit-in at the Iowa Capitol on Wednesday pushing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to issue an executive order reversing a state law that prohibits school boards from implementing mask requirements in schools.

Mask mandates in schools have been a bitter source of controversy, sparking protests at school board meetings and fights between school districts and state leaders. But a new poll finds most parents are in favor of requiring masks.

Americans who don’t want to get the shot, but want the privilege of showing a card may be tempted to get a fake.

The CDC's advice for keeping your child protected from this highly contagious version of the coronavirus now and this fall: Mask up in schools and other crowded venues. And make sure everyone age 12 and older in the family gets a COVID-19 shot.  

Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is currently only authorized for emergency use in the United States, but its full approval by the US Food and Drug Administration could happen within weeks.
 

Less than two weeks ago, just one locality in Maryland was colored orange on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s map — signifying “substantial” coronavirus spread. None were red, which would mean the level of transmission is high. As of Tuesday, all but two counties were in the substantial or high transmission zone.

Schools are reopening just as the rise of the more contagious Delta variant shifts the fight against Covid-19. Masks are back on top of the policy agenda. And confusion reigns.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising even vaccinated people to return to mask-wearing in indoor public spaces located in areas with higher rates of coronavirus infections.

 As the Delta variant sweeps the world, researchers are tracking how well vaccines protect against it — and getting different answers.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, is special in one way, though: more than any other pathogen, it has provided the public at large with lessons in immunology—and terms such as “breakthrough infections” and “herd immunity” have gained a broad familiarity.

The WHO says people who are fully immunized should hold off on getting a third shot while so many people in the world are still waiting for their first. More than 80% of all COVID vaccines given so far have been administered in upper-income nations.