ROCHELLE WALENSKY

The Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted vaccination services, resulting in millions of kids missing their measles shots.

LONDON — (AP) — The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say measles immunization has dropped significantly since the coronavirus pandemic began, resulting in a record high of nearly 40 million children missing a vaccine dose last year. In a report issued Wednesday, the WHO and the CDC said millions of children were now susceptible to measles, among the world’s most contagious diseases. In 2021, officials said there were about 9 million measles infections and 128,000 deaths worldwide. More than 95% of measles deaths occur in developing countries, mostly in Africa and Asia. There is no specific treatment for measles, but the two-dose vaccine against it is about 97% effective in preventing severe illness and death.

The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say measles immunization has dropped significantly since the coronavirus pandemic began, resulting in a record high of nearly 40 million children missing a vaccine dose last year.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden's education secretary has tested positive for COVID-19. Miguel Cardona, who has been vaccinated and boosted against the virus, tested positive Tuesday and has mild symptoms, the Education Department said in a statement. He tested positive the morning after he attended Halloween festivities at the White House. Cardona, 47, separately welcomed elementary school trick-or-treaters to the Education Department on Monday and later spoke at the Association of Art Museum Directors’ annual meeting. ___The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

President Joe Biden’s education secretary has tested positive for COVID-19.

NEW YORK — (AP) — The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tested positive again for COVID-19. Dr. Rochelle Walensky had mild symptoms Sunday and is isolating at her home in Massachusetts, the CDC said Monday. Walensky, 53, first tested positive on Oct. 21. CDC officials said Walensky is up to date on her vaccines. Walensky took over the CDC in January 2021.

The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tested positive again for COVID-19.

The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tested positive again for COVID-19. Dr. Rochelle Walensky had mild symptoms Sunday and is isolating at her home in Massachusetts, the CDC said Monday. Walensky, 53, first tested positive on Oct. 21.

Their focus is on getting reformulated booster shots to seniors and the immunocompromised to avert thousands of preventable deaths.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday night.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tested positive Friday night for COVID-19, the agency announced on Saturday. “Consistent with CDC guidelines, she is isolating at home and will participate in her planned meetings virtually,” the CDC said. The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tested positive for COVID-19. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who is up to date on her vaccinations, tested positive Friday night and had mild symptoms, the CDC said in a statement. According to The Associated Press, CDC senior staff members and other close contacts have been informed of the director’s positive test and are monitoring their health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky had tested positive for COVID-19, despite being up to date with vaccines.

According to a statement, the public health agency's director is up to date with her vaccines.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky's sole meeting with parents before issuing school reopening guidance turned out to be with a handful of progressive activists, documents reveal.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging Americans to get their flu shots before the end of the month amid fears of a severe season.

A higher share of Americans plan to mask at least sometimes this flu season to avoid germs than plan to get vaccinated, according to a survey from the NFID.

The spread of monkeypox is slowing in the U.S., but the virus is so widespread that full elimination is unlikely, the CDC said, noting it will continue to be a threat for the next few years.

Early data, based on people who were eligible for the shots, found the unvaccinated are 14 times more likely to catch monkeypox.

It was the first look public health officials have offered into how the Jynneos vaccine is affecting monkeypox, a virus that is primarily spread among men who have sex with infected men. There is no scientifically conclusive data available to prove effectiveness of the Jynneos vaccine against monkeypox. As some cities and counties tried to stretch the limited supply this summer they stopped offering the recommended second dose of the shot. Now, public health officials are trying to catch up, reminding people to get their second dose. Public health officials also announced changes Wednesday to who is eligible for the vaccine and how they can get it.

U.S. public health officials say at-risk people who have received just one dose of the monkeypox vaccine have appeared to be significantly less likely to get sick from the virus.

These are the first real-world findings on how well the vaccine is working in the current outbreak

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky avoided explaining on Thursday whether or not the coronavirus pandemic was over after President Biden’s previous declaration.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — U.S. health officials are warning against overuse of the lone drug available to treat monkeypox, saying that even a small mutation in the virus could render the pills ineffective. In an online update, FDA officials cautioned that a single molecular change to monkeypox "could have a large impact on the antiviral activity of Tpoxx." Tpoxx is approved for the related smallpox virus, and its use against monkeypox is considered experimental and tightly controlled by federal officials. Tpoxx works by targeting a single protein found on monkeypox, smallpox and similar viruses. But FDA officials have cautioned that results in animals must be confirmed in human testing.

U.S. health officials are warning doctors against overusing the lone drug available to treat monkeypox.

The rate of new monkeypox cases in the U.S. is slowing, according to an official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Florida over the last two weeks has reported XX,XXX new cases of COVID-19 and X,XXX virus-related deaths to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials on Tuesday signaled that people are likely to need an annual COVID-19 booster shot in the same way that people get annual influenza shots as the virus continues to evolve. He added that most people would likely need “annual, updated COVID-19 shots matched to the currently circulating strains.”People who are vulnerable to severe outcomes of the disease will likely need more frequent vaccinations, Fauci said. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said Tuesday that modeling projections have shown that annual COVID-19 booster shots could prevent as many as 100,000 hospitalizations and 9,000 deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, officials have confirmed more than 94.8 million COVID-19 infections and reported over 1 million deaths nationwide, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 606 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, resulting in 6.5 million deaths, according to the university.

Updated COVID boosters are now available for anyone age 12 or older. The CDC is urging anyone who is eligible to sign up but some vaccine experts say some people might want to wait.

Omicron-specific Covid boosters were cleared by the CDC yesterday. And the shots could be available as early as this weekend or next week — here's what to know.

People can get the Moderna booster if they're 18 or older, and the Pfizer-BioNTech version if they're 12 and up. In both cases, they must wait at least two months since their last COVID vaccine.

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about the CDC's authorization of new omicron-specific booster shots.

New COVID-19 boosters that target today's most common omicron strains are set to begin soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the updated shots Thursday. They're combination or "bivalent" shots — half the original vaccine and half protection against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron versions now causing nearly all COVID-19 infections. The CDC is expected to adopt that recommendation soon, the last step before shots can begin. The new updated shots are only for use as a booster, not for someone's first-ever vaccinations. Dr. Pablo Sanchez of the Ohio State University was the only CDC adviser to vote against recommending the shots.

The CDC's vaccine advisors meet to consider new COVID-19 shots that are designed to target the BA.5 Omicron strain.

Vaccinations are expected to start next week after CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signs off.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has endorsed updated COIVD-19 boosters.

Pfizer and Moderna have released a new COVID booster shot that will target the highly contagious BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variant.

The agency I used to lead is beset by slowness, impracticality, and lack of strategic thinking.

The first shots in the Biden administration's fall booster campaign could start in days, after a vote by the CDC's advisers.

CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says new BA.5-specific Covid booster shots need to roll out quickly, even if they aren't fully tested in humans yet. Here's why.

The CDC said the drop in life expectancy was largely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rates of new cases are declining in major cities, suggesting public health campaigns are working.

New monkeypox cases are starting to fall in major cities such as New York and Chicago.

Infectious disease control may be in CDC's DNA, but the agency's capabilities have not evolved to keep up with the faster speed and higher stakes of germs in the modern world.

The first step for reform is to be transparent about what the public health agency got wrong during the pandemic.

The CDC is now changing how it releases information to the public due to recent criticism from Americans.

The U.S. has delivered more than 1 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine across the country since the outbreak started in May, according to HHS.

Monkeypox FILE - A nurse administers a monkeypox vaccine at a walk-in clinic at the North Jersey Community Research Initiative in Newark, N.J., Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022. On Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, U.S. health officials said they were making extra monkeypox vaccines available to places with events expected to draw crowds of men who have sex with men. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) (Seth Wenig)NEW YORK — (AP) — The U.S. is setting aside an extra 50,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine for places with upcoming gay pride events, health officials said Thursday. He said the effort is an attempt to “meet people where they are.”At least a dozen U.S. pride events are scheduled over the next two months, including large gatherings in Atlanta and New Orleans in early September. The vast majority have occurred in men who have sex with men, but health officials stress that anyone can get monkeypox.

U.S. health officials are making extra monkeypox vaccine available to places with upcoming gay pride events.

The organizational changes are focused on sharing data more quickly, and making public health guidance easier for people to understand.

Walensky vows changes to ensure faster release of data and practical, easy-to-understand guidance.

The head of the nation’s top public health agency is shaking up the organization with the goal of making it more nimble.

The Jynneos vaccine can now be administered between layers of skin instead of underneath layers, allowing for a smaller dose.

Sexual health clinics are facing a surge of patients seeking testing, vaccines and treatment for monkeypox.

Declaring a public health emergency can free up resources to help the administration respond to the monkeypox outbreak. So far more than 6,OOO people in the U.S. have been infected.

President Joe Biden’s administration is launching a renewed push for COVID-19 booster shots for those eligible, pointing to the enhanced protections they offer against severe illness as the highly-transmissible BA.

The two young children, believed to have gotten infected through household transmission, ‘are doing well,’ CDC director says.

The spread of monkeypox in the U.S. in 2022 could represent the dawn of a new sexually transmitted disease, or it could yet be contained. Health officials are not sure how fast the virus has spread. In the U.S. and Europe, the vast majority of infections have happened in men who have sex with men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus. When monkeypox emerged, there was reason to believe that public health officials could control it. With monkeypox so rare in the U.S., many infected men — and their doctors — may have attributed their rashes to some other cause.

The spread of monkeypox in the U.S. could represent the dawn of a new sexually transmitted disease, though some health officials say the virus that causes pimple-like bumps might yet be contained before it gets firmly established.

CDC officials said between 26 million and 37 million adults haven’t had a single dose of any COVID vaccine.

Adults who haven't gotten any COVID-19 shots should consider the new option, the agency said Tuesday. The spike protein vaccine is more typical than the mRNA types being broadly used against COVID.

Virus Outbreak Novavax Vaccine FILE - A kidney dish with syringes containing the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine sits in a refrigerator ready for use at a vaccination center in Prisdorf, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. When the delta variant emerged last summer, Novavax reported a booster dose revved up virus-fighting antibodies that could tackle that mutant. WHAT HAPPENS NEXTWalensky signed off on recommendations for adults to get the first two Novavax doses. The Novavax vaccine also is used in Europe, Canada, Australia, South Korea and other countries. The Maryland-based company likewise expects U.S. authorization of a booster dose and teen vaccinations to follow fairly soon.

Sixteen percent of unvaccinated Americans say they would "probably" or "definitely" get a protein-based vaccine like Novavax.

U.S. regulators approved a new COVID-19 vaccine shot option for adults this week.

U.S. health officials say more than 100,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine are on the way to states in the next few days.

The Biden administration is calling on people to exercise renewed caution about COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of getting booster shots and wearing masks indoors.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.