Pfizer is planning to brief U.S. health officials this week on whether a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is needed, a company spokesperson told Axios, following the company's announcement last week that it will seek government authorization for such a shot.
Why it matters: The upcoming meeting, first reported by The Washington Post, will come after the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publicly pushed back against the claim that the booster shot will be necessary.
About one-third of U.S. states used federal COVID-19 aid to give bonuses to essential workers during the pandemic, but standards varied widely state-to-state as to who qualified for the rewards and how much they got, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: The pandemic highlighted the importance of the many underpaid and under-appreciated workers who helped keep America running, from delivering packages to stocking grocery store shelves.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Sunday urged more rapid distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally, warning that the virus' variants could hinder the worldwide economic recovery, per the New York Times.
The big picture: The comment, made following a meeting in Venice of the finance chiefs of the group of 20 nations, comes as some countries have eased restrictions aimed at curbing the virus.
Australian officials on Sunday announced the country's first COVID-related death this year, and a record 77 new daily cases of the virus in New South Wales, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: Australia has generally fared better in controlling the virus than many developed countries. But it's had a harder time combating the highly-infectious Delta variant, amid a slow vaccine rollout, Reuters writes.
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.
