The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that vaccinated adolescents don't need to wear face masks if they attend camps this summer, and younger unvaccinated campers can generally go maskless when outdoors.
Why it matters: This spring's evolving public health recommendations have made it difficult for camps to plan programming, the Washington Post reports. The updated guidance aims to standardize the guidance.
The federal government said Friday that it is legal for companies to require workers to get coronavirus vaccines. Companies can also offer unlimited rewards to workers to get vaccinated, as long as the employer doesn’t administer the vaccine.
Why it matters: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finally cleared legal questions tied to how employers can increase the country’s vaccination rates.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) on Friday repealed Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin's (R) executive order that banned statewide mask mandates one day earlier, calling her action an "an abuse of power."
The big picture: While Little — who is expected to seek re-election — never issued a statewide mask mandate, some were put in place in counties, cities and schools. McGeachin, who recently announced her own gubernatorial campaign, issued the order on Thursday without informing Little's office.
The European Medicines Agency on Friday recommended the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15.
Why it matters: The decision "offers younger and less at-risk populations across the continent access to a COVID-19 shot for the first time during the pandemic," AP writes.
The New York Knicks will only sell playoff tickets to vaccinated fans if they advance past round one, the team announced Friday, though it did not say how it would verify if a fan has been vaccinated.
Why it matters: The team hosted the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden for games one and two and welcomed more than 15,000 fans each game, making them the largest indoor events in New York City since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the team said.
United Kingdom health regulators on Friday authorized the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for people 18 and older.
Why it matters: The J&J is the fourth vaccine to receive approval in the U.K., which has experienced one of the world's best vaccine rollouts. 58% of people in the U.K. have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 36% are fully vaccinated, according to Bloomberg's tracker.
The Department of Homeland Security on Friday said "there will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential.”
Why it matters: Earlier Friday, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday told ABC's "Good Morning America" that the U.S. is "taking a very close look" at the possibility of requiring vaccine passports for international travel.
Driving the news: Nearly a third (32%) of unvaccinated adults polled by KFF, including 44% of those identified as being in the "wait and see" group, said they'd be more likely to get a shot it received full approval.
Taxpayer bailouts and massive gains from Wall Street investments helped Ascension — the largest tax-exempt hospital system in the country — glide through the coronavirus pandemic.
Why it matters: Dominant hospital chains like Ascension really haven't had to worry about their financial status during the pandemic, unlike smaller hospitals and safety-net systems, in part because those chains already accumulated massive rainy day funds over the years.
Only about 2% of college athletes who recovered from COVID-19 were later diagnosed with myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, according to a new study published Thursday in JAMA Cardiology.
Why it matters: The study, with some of the most comprehensive data yet on the cardiac condition connected to COVID-19, reveals its prevalence is less than previously recorded.
For those who haven't been convinced to get a vaccine yet, companies have begun offering everything from date nights to tropical vacations to coax Americans to get the shot.
Why it matters: The giveaways are just the latest examples of increasingly lucrative rewards, including Ohio's $1 million lottery prizes, aimed at luring the hesitant.
