Coronavirus Watch: Supreme Court hears arguments on vaccine mandates

The Supreme Court is poised to weigh in on the issue of vaccine mandates for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic.

A majority of justices signaled Friday they are skeptical of the Biden administration's authority to require millions of Americans who work for large companies to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

With the number of infections soaring because of the omicron variant, several of the court's conservative justices indicated that while they believe states may have power to set vaccine requirements it is a different story for federal agencies. Read more here.

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

• Hospitalization rates among the youngest children are reaching their highest levels yet as the omicron variant spreads and babies and toddlers remain ineligible to be vaccinated, the CDC said. Although hospitalization rates among the youngest children remain lower compared to many older Americans, data from the CDC indicate 4.3 per 100,000 children 4 years old and younger were hospitalized in the week ending Jan. 1.
• Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine won't be available anytime soon for kids younger than 5 years old. In early tests, the lower dose didn't produce as much immune protection as did shots given to other age groups, a Pfizer scientist said at a federal advisory committee meeting Wednesday.
• New evidence underscores the importance of boosters against omicron, with an mRNA vaccine booster offering the best protection against the fast-spreading variant.
• The time between completing the first doses of the Moderna vaccine and a third, booster dose can be shortened to five months, the FDA said. A similar change was announced for Pfizer's vaccine earlier this week.
• Chicago Public Schools classes were canceled for a third day Friday as the city's teachers union and district remain deadlocked over COVID-19 safety rules.

Your COVID-19 questions, answered. From vaccines to variants, information about the pandemic is constantly evolving. We’ve compiled a resource guide with everything we know about the virus and the best practices for keeping you and your family safe.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 58.6 million COVID-19 cases and 834,300 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 301 million cases and more than 5.6 million deaths. About 73% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 62% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among U.S. adults, 85% have received at least one shot, and about 73% 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