ROCHELLE WALENSKY

The Department of Health and Human Services will make 296,000 doses available in the coming weeks, and expects a total of 1.6 million doses to be available in the U.S. by the end of the year.

White House pushes new strategy as cases climb.

The CDC Friday announced it was endorsing a panel’s recommendation that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine be made available to children and teenagers ages 6-17. >> Read more trending newsThe endorsement allows the U.S. government to begin rolling out Moderna’s vaccine for children and teenagers. The CDC had previously approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children 6 months through 5 years, and adults 18 and older. “It is critical that we protect our children and teens from the complications of severe COVID-19 disease,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “Today, we have expanded the options available to families by recommending a second safe and effective vaccine for children ages 6 through 17 years.

Moderna's request had been stalled for months as regulators studied whether it posed a higher risk of rare heart inflammation side effects.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off on the recommendation later Thursday,.

This expands coronavirus vaccine offerings to children as young as 6 months.

Roughly 18 million kids will be eligible, but it remains to be seen how many will ultimately get the vaccines.

Virus Outbreak Vaccines Kids This May 2022 photo provided by Pfizer shows production of the Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 in Puurs, Belgium. U.S. regulators on Friday, June 17, authorized the first COVID-19 shots for infants and preschoolers, paving the way for vaccinations to begin next week. (Pfizer via AP) (Uncredited)NEW YORK — (AP) — The U.S. on Saturday opened COVID-19 vaccines to infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The shots will become available next week, expanding the nation’s vaccination campaign to children as young as 6 months. However, exactly how well they work is hard to pin down, especially when it comes to the Pfizer vaccine.

CDC advisers are recommending the use of two separate COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest children made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, paving the way for vaccine rollout as early as next week.

The final signoff is expected later in the day from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

CDC vote: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to approve vaccines for children under 5. (W. Steve Shepard Jr. /Getty Images)Advisers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday voted to recommend Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for children 5 and under. The ACIP, in two separate ballots, voted to recommend both vaccines by a 12-0 vote. Moderna vaccines require only two doses. Moderna’s vaccine only requires two shots for children 6 months through 5, with each 25% of its adult dose, the AP reported.

Virus Outbreak Vaccines Kids This May 2022 photo provided by Pfizer shows production of the Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 in Puurs, Belgium. U.S. regulators on Friday, June 17, authorized the first COVID-19 shots for infants and preschoolers, paving the way for vaccinations to begin next week. (Pfizer via AP) (Uncredited)NEW YORK — (AP) — U.S. health advisers on Saturday recommended COVID-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers and preschoolers — the last group without the shots. However, exactly how well they work is hard to pin down, especially when it comes to the Pfizer vaccine. But problems have not been identified in older children or adults when COVID-19 shots and other vaccinations were given together, and the CDC is advising that it's safe for younger children as well.

U.S. health officials recommended COVID-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

U.S. health officials have opened COVID-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers and preschoolers — the last group without the shots.

The CDC committee voted unanimously to recommend the shots for use in infants through preschoolers after two days of meetings that were open to the public.

The vaccinations for children as young as 6 months old could start next week. But first, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must sign off.

The FDA's action allows the companies to begin shipping millions of preordered doses across the country.

The FDA's action allows the companies to begin shipping millions of preordered doses across the country.

Virus Outbreak Vaccine Kids FILE - Syringes and colorful bandages are prepared as children from local schools prepare to get COVID-19 vaccines in Pittsfield, Mass., on Monday Dec. 13, 2021. (Ben Garver/The Berkshire Eagle via AP, File) (Ben Garver)U.S. regulators on Friday authorized the first COVID-19 shots for infants and preschoolers, paving the way for vaccinations to begin next week. The Food and Drug Administration's action follows its advisory panel's unanimous recommendation for the shots from Moderna and Pfizer. “So I actually think we need to protect young children, as well as protect everyone with the vaccine and especially protect elders,” she said. Moderna's is two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart for kids under 6.

U.S. regulators on Friday authorized the first COVID-19 shots for infants and preschoolers, paving the way for vaccinations to begin next week.

The White House expects vaccinations to begin as soon as Tuesday.

U.S. regulators have authorized the first COVID-19 shots for infants and preschoolers.

COVID cases are trending upward again in the U.S. averaging over 100,000 new daily cases, up from under 30,000 in April, according to CDC data.

COVID cases are trending upward again in the U.S. averaging over 100,000 new daily cases, up from under 30,000 in April, according to CDC data.

FDA looking at Moderna vaccine for young children The Food and Drug Administration’s committee of independent vaccine experts will meet to consider recommending the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for children ages 6 to 17. (Evgenia PARADZHANIAN/Getty Images)The Food and Drug Administration’s committee of independent vaccine experts will meet Tuesday to consider recommending the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for children ages 6 to 17. Should the committee recommend the vaccine, the agency will then decide whether to authorize it for emergency use. The Moderna vaccine is currently available to those over age 18. On Wednesday, the FDA panel will consider expanding the authorization of the Moderna vaccine to infants and children ages 6 months to 5 years.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said some patients with monkeypox also had syphilis, herpes, gonorrhea or chlamydia infections.

Next week brings a marathon of hearings as the U.S. decides whether to open COVID-19 vaccinations to kids under 5.

Rebound symptoms have been reported to occur two to eight days after a patient initially recovers.

Rebound symptoms have been reported to occur two to eight days after a patient initially recovers.

About 200 confirmed cases and more than 100 suspected cases of monkeypox have been detected outside of countries where it usually circulates.

Monkeypox: What you need to know (NCD)WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed nine monkeypox cases across seven states. >> Read more trending newsCDC Director Rochelle Walensky said that monkeypox cases have been identified in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Two infected individuals live in the same household in Utah, according to People. The pair had traveled internationally in early May to “an area currently experiencing monkeypox cases.”Last week, the first case was identified in the United States in Massachusetts. The U.S. government said on Tuesday that it is releasing some of the country’s monkeypox vaccines from the Strategic National Stockpile.

Federal health officials are warning areas in the U.S. where COVID-19 cases are rising to consider indoor masking once again.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, is urging older Americans to get Covid booster shots as hospitalizations rise substantially.

The CDC published updated data Thursday on counties at "medium" and "high" levels of COVID-19.

Virus Outbreak Kid Booster FILE - A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 12 years old sits ready for use at a vaccination site in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. Kids ages 5 to 11 should get a booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, advisers to the U.S. government said Thursday, May 19, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) (LM Otero)Kids ages 5 to 11 should get a booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, advisers to the U.S. government said Thursday. The hope is that an extra shot will shore up protection for kids ages 5 to 11 as infections once again are on the rise. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech currently make the only COVID-19 vaccine available for children of any age in the U.S. Those ages 5 to 11 receive a dose that’s one-third the amount given to everyone 12 and older.

Virus Outbreak Kid Booster FILE - A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 12 years old sits ready for use at a vaccination site in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. Kids ages 5 to 11 should get a booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, advisers to the U.S. government said Thursday, May 19, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) (LM Otero)Kids ages 5 to 11 should get a booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, advisers to the U.S. government said Thursday. The hope is that an extra shot will shore up protection for kids ages 5 to 11 as infections once again are on the rise. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech currently make the only COVID-19 vaccine available for children of any age in the U.S. Those ages 5 to 11 receive a dose that’s one-third the amount given to everyone 12 and older.

Less than a third of children ages 5 to 11 years old are fully vaccinated and will become eligible for the third shot.

U.S. health advisers are urging a booster dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11.

More than 8,000 children have developed MIS-C since the start the pandemic, with kids ages 5 to 11 most commonly affected at 46% of reported cases, according to CDC data. Currently, only 29% of children ages 5 to 11 in the U.S. have complete their first Pfizer vaccination series, according to the CDC. Since the pandemic began, more than 4.8 million kids in the age group have caught Covid and more than 15,000 have been hospitalized, according CDC data. The overwhelming majority of reactions to the vaccine, 97%, were not serious, according to CDC data. The CDC has verified 20 cases of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, in kids ages 5 to 11 as of April following Pfizer vaccination.

The committee will hear testimony about the federal response to COVID-19 and new, emerging variants. (Photo by Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images/Getty Images)Those living in a high COVID-19 threat area should be wearing masks in indoor public settings, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. While death rates remain low, around 3,000 people a day were being admitted with COVID-19 to hospitals around the country. The seven-day average of hospital admissions from the virus rose 19% from last week’s numbers. According to the CDC, most high- and medium-risk areas are in the U.S. Northeast.

The AP Interview Jha FILE - White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, April 26, 2022. Those are areas where people should already be considering wearing masks indoors — but Americans elsewhere should also take notice, officials said. Jha warned that without additional funding from Congress for the virus would cause “unnecessary loss of life” in the fall and winter, when the U.S. runs out of treatments. That would leave the U.S. reliant on other countries for testing supplies, risking shortages during a surge, Jha warned. Hospitalizations also are rising, up 19% in the past week, though they remain much lower than during the omicron wave, she said.

During the White House COVID-19 briefing Wednesday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky urged Americans who live in areas with high community levels of COVID to wear masks. She said Americans in areas with medium COVID community levels should consider wearing masks based on their risk factors.

The AP Interview Jha FILE - White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, April 26, 2022. Those are areas where people should already be considering wearing masks indoors — but Americans elsewhere should also take notice, officials said. Jha warned that without additional funding from Congress for the virus would cause “unnecessary loss of life” in the fall and winter, when the U.S. runs out of treatments. That would leave the U.S. reliant on other countries for testing supplies, risking shortages during a surge, Jha warned. Hospitalizations also are rising, up 19% in the past week, though they remain much lower than during the omicron wave, she said.

Some experts are worried the country now is seeing signs of a sixth wave, driven by an Omicron subvariant.

The AP Interview Jha FILE - White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, April 26, 2022. Some experts are worried the country now is seeing signs of a sixth wave, driven by an omicron subvariant. Hospitalizations also are rising, up 19% in the past week, though they remain much lower than during the omicron wave, she said. ___The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

COVID-19 cases are increasing in the United States – and could get even worse over the coming months, federal health officials warned in urging areas hardest hit to consider reissuing calls for indoor masking.

COVID-19 cases are increasing in the United States – and could get even worse over the coming months, federal health officials warned Wednesday in urging areas hardest hit to consider reissuing calls for indoor masking. Increasing numbers of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are putting more of the country under guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that call for masking and other infection precautions. “(But) prior increases of infections, in different waves of infection, have demonstrated that this travels across the country,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said at a White House briefing with reporters.

Dr. Ashish Jha will lead the briefing for the first time in his role as the White House Covid-19 response coordinator. White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky will provide updates as usual. Hospitalizations have also increased 18% over the past week with about 3,000 people admitted with Covid every day on average, according to CDC data. With infections and hospitalizations rising, the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer booster doses for children ages 5 to 11 this week. The FDA could authorize Covid vaccines for children under age 5, the only group left in the U.S. not eligible, as soon as next month.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shot authorized for 5- to 11-year-olds by the FDA The FDA authorized the booster for those in the age group that has the lowest coronavirus vaccination rate of all eligible Americans. (NCD)The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5-11. The agency authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 last October. A Pfizer booster shot for those ages 12 and above was authorized by the FDA on Jan. 3. Anyone age 12 and older in the U.S. is eligible for a booster shot at least five months after their second COVID-19 vaccination.

The CDC director said she has been "masking more" because of upcoming events she did not want to miss.

The CDC director said she has been "masking more" because of upcoming events she did not want to miss.

Missteps during the pandemic have eroded the agency’s reputation as competent and dependable.

In the wake of the Omicron variant wave over the winter, more than half of Americans are estimated to have antibodies from a previous infection.

In the wake of the Omicron variant wave over the winter, more than half of Americans are estimated to have antibodies from a previous infection.

Roughly 58% of people in the U.S. now have antibodies from previous Covid infection, demonstrating how widespread the virus was during the winter omicron surge.

Pelosi, Garland and Raimondo are the second, seventh and 10th person in the presidential order of succession behind President Joe Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris’ communication director Jamal Simmons, who attended the dinner, also has tested positive for the virus. Tom DeFrank, the president of the Gridiron Club, said he is aware that 14 guests at Saturday’s dinner have tested positive and that other cases could be expected. “As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, we know of 14 guests at Saturday’s dinner who have tested positive for COVID. Drew Hammill, a spokesperson for the speaker, said in a statement, “After testing negative this week, Speaker Pelosi received a positive test result for COVID-19 and is currently asymptomatic.

The Biden administration is expected to end the asylum limits at the U.S.-Mexico border by May 23 that were put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

COVID-19 rates are plunging among migrants crossing the border from Mexico as the Biden administration faces a decision to end or extend sweeping restrictions on asylum that are aimed at limiting the virus’ spread.

Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation through mid-April while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule.

U.S. officials say most Americans live in places where healthy people can safely take a break from wearing masks.

The Food and Drug Administration recently announced it may be recommending a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot as early as this fall.

As cases continue to drop across the U.S., the nation’s leading health officials said we are moving closer to the point that COVID-19 is no longer a “constant crisis.”

Despite the pandemic, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced that all members of Congress are invited to attend President Joe Biden’s upcoming State of the Union address in the House chamber.

President Joe Biden is hoping to use his upcoming State of the Union address as a chance to nudge the pandemic into the nation’s rear-view mirror.

The nation’s top federal health official says the U.S. is moving closer to the point that COVID-19 is no longer a “constant crisis” as more cities, businesses and sports venues began lifting pandemic restrictions around the country.

Florida never had a mask mandate, but other states did and they’re rolling back their restrictions.

Facing growing pressure to ease up on pandemic restrictions, the White House is insisting it is making plans for a less-disruptive phase of the national virus response.

The highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus is driving the daily American death toll higher than during last fall’s delta wave.

The top U.S. public health agency has long been criticized as too slow to collect and act on new information.

The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week.

The White House says the federal website where Americans can request free COVID-19 tests will begin accepting orders on Wednesday.

ABC News is under fire for how it edited an interview that CDC Director Rochelle Walensky gave to “Good Morning America.”.

Delta Air Lines is reporting a $408 million loss for the final quarter of 2021, dragged down by a COVID-19 surge that rocked the airline in December.

Officials across the U.S. are again weighing how and whether to impose mask mandates as COVID-19 infections soar and the American public grows weary of pandemic-related restrictions.

The Biden administration is increasing federal support for COVID-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge.

Hospitalizations of U.S. children under 5 with COVID-19 have soared to unprecedented levels, a worrisome trend in youngsters too young to be vaccinated.

The U.S. is strengthening its COVID-19 booster campaign, endorsing an extra shot for everyone age 12 and older.

U.S. health officials say they are not changing the definition of being “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19.

Some school systems around the U.S. have extended their holiday break or switched back to online instruction because of the explosion in COVID-19 cases.

At least 62,504 Florida residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020, according to a report released Friday by the Florida Department of Health.

At least 62,504 Florida residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020, according to a report released Friday by the Florida Department of Health.

The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge.

U.S. health officials’ decision to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts and could create confusion among many Americans.

U.S. health officials are cutting isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who test positive for the coronavirus and shortening the time that close contacts have to quarantine.

Children younger than 5 can’t get COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. yet, but there are steps you can take to protect them from infection over the holidays.

U.S. officials are loosening rules that call on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive for COVID-19.

President Joe Biden promised to distribute hundreds of millions of free COVID-19 tests and to open more testing sites, but the stepped-up efforts will not come in time for the holidays.

Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S. Federal health officials said Monday that omicron accounted for an estimated 73% of new infections last week.

U.S. health officials are endorsing “test-to-stay” policies that allow close contacts of students infected with the coronavirus to remain in classrooms if they test negative.

The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, as it threatens to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row.

As more cases of the new omicron variant of COVID-19 continue to be identified, the U.S. expanding booster shot eligibility of the Pfizer vaccine Thursday.

The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters, opening a third dose of Pfizer's vaccine to people as young as age 16.

The chief of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 40 people in the country have been found to be infected with the omicron variant so far and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated.

The Biden administration is moving to toughen testing requirements for international travelers to the U.S., for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, amid the spread of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is blasting Sen. Ted Cruz for suggesting that Fauci be investigated for statements he made about COVID-19.

The U.S. is in better shape approaching its second Thanksgiving of the pandemic, thanks to the vaccine.

The U.S. is opening COVID-19 vaccine boosters to all adults, and urging them for anyone 50 and older.

Experts say it's the result of a return to normalcy and a lessening of safety precautions taken while COVID-19 numbers were at its highest.

A federal advisory committee has recommended that all U.S. adults younger than 60 be vaccinated against hepatitis B.

Schoolchildren take the spotlight this week as the U.S. enters a new phase in COVID-19 vaccination aimed at curbing deaths, hospitalizations and more than a year of disrupted education.