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Coronavirus Watch: When Moderna, J&J booster shots could be available

Grace Hauck   | Paste BN

A CDC advisory committee is expected to vote Thursday afternoon on whether to allow booster shots for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

On Wednesday, an FDA committee authorized both boosters for certain populations and gave its approval for people to mix and match boosters.

If the CDC panel recommends the boosters, too, the agency's director typically signs off within a day, potentially making them available as soon as Friday.

But a big question remains: Will the CDC committee also recommend people be allowed to mix and match booster doses?

It's Thursday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:

  • Unvaccinated Minnesotans are 15 times more likely to require hospitalization for COVID-19 and 30 times more likely to die from the disease than vaccinated residents, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said.
  • The U.S. has donated 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally as of Thursday morning, the White House announced. 
  • 80 animals at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine created for veterinary use. The animals include big cats, great apes, giraffes, red pandas, skunks, goats, river otters, bearcats and domestic dogs and cats.
  • Most Russians have been ordered to stay home from work for a week beginning Oct. 30 to curb rising infections and deaths.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 45 million COVID-19 cases and 731,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 242 million cases and more than 4.9 million deaths. About 66% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 57% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among U.S. adults, 79% have received at least one shot, and about 69% 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

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