Why it matters: RSV, which usually spikes during winter months, is unexpectedly spreading, particularly in Southern states. The virus can cause severe illness in kids and older adults and kills as many as 500 children under 5 each year, per NBC.
The U.S. sent 500,000 COVID vaccine doses to Moldova, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced on Friday.
State of play: The U.S. Embassy in Moldova said the country would receive Johnson & Johnson shots, and the first 150,000 are set to arrive on Monday, AP reports.
Long-standing corruption in Latin America has hindered vaccination campaigns and health care responses.
The big picture: These scandals include inflated prices for unusable ventilators purchased by Bolivia, price gouging for N95 masks in Argentina, and a botched acquisition of emergency field hospitals that took over six months to be operational in Honduras.
Tokyo reported a total of 950 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the highest daily number since May 7.
The big picture: The world is closely watching Japan's case count, as the summer Olympics are due to begin in Tokyo on July 23.Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency in Tokyo following a surge in cases, which will begin on Monday until August 22. Restaurants and bars will be required to suspend alcohol sales during that time.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla apologized to him for not giving health officials advance notice that the company would seek an authorization for a third dose of its coronavirus vaccine.
The big picture: After Pfizer's announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration published a joint statement saying Americans do not need boosters yet.
The California Department of Public Health announced on Friday that masks will continue to be required in schools, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Driving the news: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance saying that fully vaccinated teachers and students do not need to wear masks inside school buildings when classes start in the fall.
The Dutch government on Friday announced that it will reimpose coronavirus restrictions amid a surge of new cases, largely driven by the Delta variant.
Driving the news: The government said that most "infections have occurred in nightlife settings and parties with high numbers of people," which can be a risk for the country's unvaccinated population.
Gaming events are slowly resuming as vaccinations roll out and COVID cases drop. But discrepancies between how different organizers choose to enforce safety protocols are forcing some attendees to drop out.
Why it matters: For attendees who might be immunocompromised or have loved ones who are, events still pose a significant risk.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) on Thursday rejected the Biden administration's plan to send people door to door to urge residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Why it matters: McMaster called on the state's board of health to issue a directive to prevent state and local healthcare organizations from knocking on people's doors to promote the vaccines.
FDA Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock on Friday formally asked the HHS' Office of Inspector General to "conduct an independent review and assessment of interactions between representatives of Biogen and FDA during the process that led to the approval of Aduhelm."
Why it matters: Aduhelm has been one of the most controversial drug approvals in recent memory. The rare move from the agency comes on the heels of a STAT News report that detailed how Biogen and FDA officials worked closely during the process, and possibly violated FDA rules with an "off-the-books" meeting.
Vaccinated teachers and students don't need to wear masks inside school buildings when classes resume this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated guidance on Friday.
Driving the news: The CDC urged schools to remain open and teachers and students to safely return to in-person learning. It recommended keeping prevention strategies in place to prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks in school settings, but stressed that in-person learning is a priority.
Tens of thousands of Americans who stepped up to help test coronavirus vaccines through clinical trials are now stuck without a standard vaccine card to prove it.
State of play: Two vaccine candidates — created by Novavax and AstraZeneca, respectively — have clinical trial data suggesting they're effective, but have yet to be authorized for use in the U.S. That leaves clinical trial participants in a potentially tough spot.
The gap in vaccination rates between counties that voted for Donald Trump and those that voted for President Biden in 2020 is only getting bigger with time, according to a new KFF analysis.
Why it matters: Vaccination rates provide the strongest indication of which communities are still vulnerable to outbreaks as the Delta variant rapidly spreads.
People who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus do not need a booster shot at this time, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint statement released Thursday evening.
What they're saying: "People who are fully vaccinated are protected from severe disease and death, including from the variants currently circulating in the country such as Delta," the FDA and CDC said.
The coronavirus vaccine rollout across the United States helped prevent around 279,000 deaths and avert 1.25 million hospitalizations, a new study from Yale University found.
By the numbers: The U.S. has administered 332,345,797 vaccines so far, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study found that if half as many vaccines had been given, there would have been approximately 120,000 additional deaths and at least 45,000 more hospitalizations.
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