Coronavirus Watch: To mask or not to mask?

More than 98% of the nation's counties no longer fall under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation to mask up. 

But experts warn the pandemic is still far from over. Some worry the CDC's new metrics may fall short of projecting a community's true COVID-19 risk.

Read more from reporter Adrianna Rodriguez here.

It's Wednesday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know for the middle of your week:

• Pfizer and BioNTech requested federal permission Tuesday to provide an additional booster dose of their COVID-19 vaccine to people 65 and older.
• Second gentleman Doug Emhoff tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19, forcing Vice President Kamala Harris to miss an evening ceremony to recognize Equal Pay Day.
• Major League Baseball is dropping regular COVID-19 testing for all but those who are symptomatic, easing pandemic mandates less than a week after reaching a collective bargaining agreement.
• Vietnam is scrapping quarantine and other travel restrictions for foreign travelers, aiming to fully reopen its border after two years of closure, according to the country's government.

Please note: After this Thursday, we'll be sending out Coronavirus Watch twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. We appreciate your readership and are honored to be able to continue sharing important stories with you.

See our COVID-19 resource guide here. See total reported cases and deaths here. On vaccinations: About 76% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 65% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

– Cady Stanton, Paste BN digital editor fellow, @cady_stanton