Coronavirus Watch: Could Moderna and J&J boosters be coming soon?
A federal advisory committee will meet Thursday and Friday to discuss the safety and need for a booster shot for people who already received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Members of the federal advisory panel also will hear data about the likely safety and effectiveness of giving people booster shots from a different vaccine manufacturer than their original doses.
While "mixing and matching" vaccines is presumed safe, there has been little data so far and the government has encouraged people to stick with the same vaccine. Read more here.
It's Wednesday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news you need to know.
- Starting next month, the U.S. will allow fully-vaccinated foreign nationals to cross its land borders for nonessential purposes such as tourism or to visit friends and family.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made good on his threat to fine local governments that require employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, giving Leon County until Nov. 5 to pay a $3.57 million penalty.
- Two of the nation's largest airlines – Southwest Airlines and American Airlines – said they plan to follow looming federal guidelines and require that their employees are vaccinated, despite an order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that attempts to block such mandates.
Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 44.5 million COVID-19 cases and 716,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 238.8 million cases and more than 4.8 million deaths. About 65% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 56% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among U.S. adults, 78% have received at least one shot, and about 68% are fully vaccinated.
Tracking the pandemic: See the numbers in your area here. See where cases are rising here. See vaccination rates here. And here, compare vaccinations rates worldwide and see which countries are using which vaccines.
– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck