US: Pfizer COVID-19 shot appears effective for kids under 5

Federal health officials said Sunday that kid-sized doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines appear to be safe and effective for kids under 5, a key step toward a long-awaited decision to begin vaccinating the youngest American children. The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis of the Pfizer shot ahead of a Wednesday meeting where outside […]

The White House will lift its requirement that international air travelers take a COVID-19 test within a day before flying to the U.S.

US lifts COVID-19 test requirement for international travel

The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their flights, easing one of the last remaining government mandates meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus. A senior administration official said Friday that the mandate will expire Sunday at 12:01 […]

State audit finds errors in Florida’s COVID-19 data

COVID-19 data reporting in the State of Florida was not always correct, according to a new report from the state auditor general. A state auditor just released an evaluation of how the state handled the crush of COVID data. The beginning of the pandemic was chaotic and confusing. Many people used the state’s COVID-19 data […]

White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha announced more steps to make the antiviral treatment Paxlovid more accessible across the U.S.

US making COVID antiviral drug Paxlovid more available at test sites

The White House on Thursday announced more steps to make the antiviral treatment Paxlovid more accessible across the U.S. as it projects COVID-19 infections will continue to spread over the summer travel season. The nation’s first federally backed test-to-treat site is opening Thursday in Rhode Island, providing patients with immediate access to the drug once […]

‘Long COVID’ symptoms affect 1 in 4 seniors after infection, study finds

As many as one in four seniors and one in five adults under 65 experienced “long COVID” or “post-COVID” symptoms after surviving a coronavirus infection, a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. The study — published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report — is the latest to […]

Pfizer says 3 COVID shots protect children under 5

Three doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine offer strong protection for children younger than 5, the company announced Monday. Pfizer plans to give the data to U.S. regulators later this week in a step toward letting the littlest kids get the shots. The news comes after months of anxious waiting by parents desperate to vaccinate their […]

Man in Japan gambles COVID town funds mistakenly sent to him

The money was supposed to be COVID-19 assistance for low-income households in a small Japanese town, but it was mistakenly wired to a bank account of a resident who refused to return it and spent most of it on online gambling, police said. Sho Taguchi, a 24-year-old jobless resident in the town of Abu in […]

Lee Health caring for 80 COVID-19 patients; 175% increase since May 1

As of Thursday morning, Lee Health is caring for 80 COVID-19 patients in its hospitals, an increase of 175% since May 1 and the most COVID-19 patients it has treated in a hospital setting since March 1. According to the CDC, over the last 14 days, new cases of COVID-19 are up 71% in the […]

FDA clears COVID booster shot for healthy kids ages 5 to 11

U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized a COVID-19 booster shot for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds, hoping an extra vaccine dose will enhance their protection as infections once again creep upward. Everyone 12 and older already was supposed to get one booster dose for the best protection against the newest coronavirus variants — and some people, including […]

More free at-home COVID-19 tests available online

You can now go online and order more free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are part of a Biden administration program to make COVID-19 testing more accessible for everyone. The program now allows for each household to order three at-home test kits, giving them a total of 16 free COVID-19 tests. The program began in […]