COVID booster shots

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Kennedy's Panel Adds Dose of Confusion on COVID Shots

Advisers drop recommendation for annual vaccination but recommend checking with doctor first

(Newser) - Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new vaccine advisers on Friday muddied the picture on this fall's COVID-19 vaccinations. The CDC panel declined to recommend the vaccines for anyone, leaving the decision on whether to have the shot up to Americans, the AP reports. At the same...

COVID Vaccine Season Just Got More Complex

Not as many people can automatically go to pharmacies to get their shots anymore

(Newser) - Will you get a COVID-19 vaccine? That's become a complicated question for many people, with the answer depending on one's age, insurance coverage, health, and finding a health care professional to give the shot. A once-straightforward seasonal vaccine process has become muddled this year due to new federal...

CDC Director Ousted After Vaccine Clash With RFK Jr.
New CDC
Director Is
Out Already
Aug 27, 2025 7:11 PM CDT

New CDC Director Is Out Already

Administration ousts Susan Monarez after clashes with RFK Jr. as it announces restrictions on COVID shots

(Newser) - One month after she was confirmed by the Senate, the Trump administration announced Wednesday that Susan Monarez has been removed as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—a brief tenure that included a fatal attack on the agency's Atlanta campus. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr....

It's Summertime, and the Sneezing Is Easy
COVID Isn't Taking
the Summer Off
Aug 14, 2025 6:15 PM CDT

COVID Isn't Taking the Summer Off

Here's what to know about summer colds and the COVID-19 variant called stratus

(Newser) - Summer heat, outdoor fun ... and cold and flu symptoms? The three may not go together in many people's minds: partly owing to common myths about germs and partly because many viruses really do have lower activity levels in the summer. But it is possible to get the sniffles—or...

'Hypervaccinated' Man Floors Scientists
'Hypervaccinated' Man
Floors Scientists
in case you missed it
Mar 10, 2024 3:45 PM CDT

'Hypervaccinated' Man Floors Scientists

German patient was vaccinated 217 times against COVID, seemingly with no ill effects

(Newser) - Well, we know this guy definitely isn't afraid of needles. A German man has been found to have received 217 vaccinations for COVID-19, and he doesn't seem to be any worse for it. The BBC reports on the "bizarre" case of the 62-year-old out of Magdeburg, whose...

Experts: Numbers on Updated COVID Shots Are 'Abysmal'

Per CDC, only 7% of adults, 2% of children have received most recent coronavirus vaccine

(Newser) - A month after federal officials recommended new versions of COVID-19 vaccines, 7% of US adults and 2% of children have gotten a shot. One expert called the rates "abysmal," per the AP . The numbers, presented Thursday at a meeting held by the CDC, come from a national survey...

Biden Leads With His Arm in Encouraging Vaccinations

Doctor says president encourages everyone to catch up on shots

(Newser) - President Biden caught up on vaccinations before urging everyone else to do the same. The White House announced Saturday that the president received a COVID booster vaccination and a flu shot on Friday, USA Today reports. Biden recently was vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the presidential...

Updated COVID Shots Part of Plan to Avoid 'Tripledemic'

Approval of updated vaccines expected within days, just in time for flu and RSV season

(Newser) - Updated COVID-19 vaccines are coming soon, just in time to pair them with flu shots. Doctors hope enough people get vaccinated to help avert another "tripledemic" like last year, when hospitals were overwhelmed with an early flu season, an onslaught of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and yet another winter...

As School Year Kicks Off, a 'Rude Reminder' From COVID
Think We're Done
With COVID? It's
Not Done With Us
THE RUNDOWN
Aug 29, 2023 9:25 AM CDT

Think We're Done With COVID? It's Not Done With Us

Illness is more manageable now, but late-summer wave shows our 'new normal' will include the virus

(Newser) - If you're seeing a sudden uptick in people around you contracting COVID, more than three years after the start of the pandemic, and more than three months after the pandemic public health emergency was declared over , you're not imagining it. Per the New York Times , there's been...

COVID Vaccines Likely Getting a Big Update

FDA advisers endorse updating the shots

(Newser) - The COVID-19 vaccines are on track for a big recipe change this fall, the AP reports. Today’s vaccines still contain the original coronavirus strain, the one that started the pandemic—even though that was long ago supplanted by mutated versions as the virus rapidly evolves. Thursday, the Food and...

FDA Clears COVID Booster for Seniors This Spring

Also for people with compromised immune systems

(Newser) - US regulators on Tuesday cleared another COVID-19 booster dose for older adults and people with weak immune systems so they can shore up protection this spring—while taking steps to make coronavirus vaccinations simpler for everyone else, per the AP . The FDA said anyone 65 or older can opt to...

FDA Clears Bivalent COVID Boosters for Kids 5 and Up

The CDC now has to sign off

(Newser) - The US on Wednesday authorized updated COVID-19 boosters for children as young as 5, seeking to expand protection ahead of an expected winter wave. Tweaked boosters rolled out for Americans 12 and older last month, doses modified to target today's most common and contagious omicron relative. While there wasn'...

Coming Soon to Americans' Arms: a New Bivalent Booster

This one also targets omicron versions BA.4 and BA.5

(Newser) - The US on Wednesday authorized its first update to COVID-19 vaccines, booster doses that target today's most common omicron strain. Shots could begin within days. The move by the FDA tweaks the recipe of shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna. Until now, COVID-19 vaccines have targeted the original...

Wait for the Next Booster, Officials Tell Adults Under 50

Moderna, Pfizer assure government updated omicron version will be ready for fall

(Newser) - Federal health officials have decided against approving a second booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine this summer for adults under 50, because a retooled version is so close to being ready. Pfizer and Moderna have assured the government their new boosters will be rolled out no later than September, the...

Pfizer Wants FDA to OK Boosters for 5- to 11-Year-Olds

3rd dose among this set appears to offer significant antibody boost, even against omicron

(Newser) - Pfizer said Thursday it wants to expand its COVID-19 booster shots to healthy elementary-age kids. US health authorities already urge everyone 12 and older to get one booster dose for the best protection against the newest variants—and recently gave the option of a second booster to those 50 and...

FDA Authorizes Second Booster for Ages 50 and Older

CDC will weigh in next on the extra COVID shots

(Newser) - Update: The FDA on Tuesday authorized a second booster shot for people ages 50 and older, reports the Washington Post . The Pfizer or Moderna shots won't be made available until the CDC weighs in, and the agency is expected to quickly back the extra booster for those whose first...

Moderna to FDA: Authorize 4th Dose for All Adults

Drugmaker's reasoning: provide flexibility for providers to determine who needs one

(Newser) - Drugmaker Moderna asked the FDA on Thursday to authorize a fourth shot of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for all adults, the AP reports. The request is broader than rival pharmaceutical company Pfizer's request earlier this week for the regulator to approve a booster shot for all...

Yes, Pfizer Recipients Will Need 4th Dose: CEO
Pfizer CEO
Says 4th Dose
'Is Necessary'
UPDATED
Mar 16, 2022 12:44 AM CDT

Pfizer CEO Says 4th Dose 'Is Necessary'

But he's hoping company will soon have a shot that works against all variants

(Newser) - Update: Pfizer, along with its partner BioNTech, on Tuesday asked US regulators to authorize an additional COVID vaccine booster for seniors. The pharmaceutical company says data from Israel as well as an ongoing study of healthcare workers suggest those 65 and older would benefit from a fourth dose, the AP...

Studies Find No Rush for Next Booster Shot

Antibodies produced after third dose appear to do well against variants

(Newser) - It's reasonable to assume health officials will soon recommend a second booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine to maintain protection against COVID-19. Israel has made fourth shots available, per CNN . The UK plans to do so this spring for people over 75. In the US, the FDA said that...

FDA Slows Down Push for Shots to Young Kids

Also, effectiveness of boosters appears to wane after 4 months

(Newser) - Friday saw two notable developments on the vaccine front:
  • Young kids: The FDA is putting the brakes on its rush to approve Pfizer shots for children 5 and younger, reports the Wall Street Journal . At this point, it looks like April at the earliest. On Friday, the agency reversed course
...

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