In the News

The number of states enacting school requirements pales in comparison with those that have preemptively banned mandates.
 

Federal regulators on Friday authorized Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccine boosters for all adults, a one-size-fits-all strategy designed to shore up Americans’ defenses against a tenacious virus and reduce confusion over guidelines that have varied based on people’s age, occupation and where they live.

Montgomery County, Md., will reinstate its indoor mask mandate on Saturday, less than a month after lifting it and days before neighboring D.C. is set to relax its own masking rules. Most of Northern Virginia has recommended but not mandated masks since May.
 

A steep rise in Covid-19 cases in Europe should serve as a warning that the US could also see significant increases in coronavirus cases this winter, particularly in the nation’s colder regions, scientists say.
Rupali Limaye and David Dowdy are quoted. 

As you’re deciding what precautions to take, or whether to travel at all, keep in mind the people you’re trying to protect.
 

Fewer Americans this year plan on taking precautions against Covid-19 when hosting or attending holiday gatherings compared with last year, signaling some return to normalcy now that 59% of the country is vaccinated against the virus.
 

Cases of the flu are starting to pick up across the country. Experts expect influenza to make a comeback after it was virtually extinct last year. But COVID-19 could muddy the waters as far as the accurate reporting of those cases.
 

The antiviral drugs have helped inspire hope among senior administration officials that the United States will be able to curb the devastating toll from the Delta variant.
David Dowdy and Amesh Adalja are quoted. 
 

Clearly, not all consumers are willing or ready to return to the cinemas again. Part of that may have to do with latent fears related to gathering in crowded spaces. But as vaccination rates continue to rise, are such fears grounded in science?
 

During a Washington Post Live forum on children's health, Kawsar Talaat raises concerns about the increase in pediatric vaccine hesitancy.
 

More people who were originally vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson are "mixing and matching" for their booster.
 

As tens of millions who are eligible in the United States consider signing up for a Covid-19 booster shot, a growing body of early global research shows that the vaccines authorized in the United States remain highly protective against the disease’s worst outcomes over time, with some exceptions among older people and those with weakened immune systems.