Joe Neel

Abbott says the information that he provided at a press conference two days ago was a recitation of what law enforcement had told him in a room beforehand.

So many people caught the omicron variant over the winter that almost 60% of everyone in the U.S. — including most children — now have antibodies to the virus in their blood, the CDC said Tuesday.

Kids ages 5 to 11 will soon be able to get Pfizer's low-dose COVID vaccine. CDC director Rochelle Walensky agreed with a unanimous decision of a team of advisers that the benefits outweigh the risks.

The agency acted after an independent panel of scientists strongly supported the move. Kids could start getting vaccinated within the week.

After some debate, a group of scientists advising the FDA concluded that the vaccine's benefits outweigh its risks for young children.

Many families are under financial stress, parents see kids seriously behind in school, huge rent bills and looming evictions and delayed medical care has negative consequences, to name a few.

The investment is a response to an ongoing national shortage and follows a $2 billion investment in September to supply rapid tests to community health centers, food banks and schools.

The leaders of two federal health agencies are telling White House COVID-19 advisers that there is not enough data right now to make a blanket recommendation on boosters.

About 14 million U.S. residents got their first dose of a COVID-19 shot in August, which is about 4 million more than in July. Officials credit vaccine mandates by governments, schools and businesses.

Johnson & Johnson said that when it gave study participants a second jab after six months, their antibody levels were nine times higher than they were 28 days after a first dose of the COVID vaccine.

The CDC is officially recommending a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for people with weakened immune systems. It follows the FDA authorization a day earlier.

The CDC information dated Thursday gives new details on this variant of the coronavirus and says the agency should "acknowledge that the war has changed." It was first reported by The Washington Post.

The cases have been seen mostly in teens and young adults between 12 and 39 years old. No deaths have been associated with this side effect of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Masks are optional for vaccinated kids, and other recommended restrictions have been softened, making for a more relaxed camping experience for children this summer.

Schools have long required vaccinations for several diseases. Now, some colleges and cruise ships are making immunization against COVID-19 mandatory, igniting concerns of equity and civil liberties.

In advance of a COVID-19 vaccine being available, a group of independent medical advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weighed Friday who should get the vaccine first and how.

Health officials once advised going into quarantine and being tested for the coronavirus if you were near an infected person for 15 minutes. Now the rule is a total of 15 minutes in a 24-hour period.

A recent NPR poll finds minority communities have been disproportionately burdened by wage gaps and chronic illnesses during the pandemic. Watch a expert discussion at 12 noon ET Wed. Sept. 30.

In the largest U.S. cities, at least half of all households have seen a serious financial loss such as lost job, wages or savings. Many problems are concentrated in Black and Latino households.

Emily Miller was central in defending the FDA commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn, after he falsely said that blood plasma could lower the death rate from COVID-19 by more than a third.