Why it matters: If approved, it would be the first booster accessible to children of this age group, who have been hit hard in recent months. Infections rose most sharply among children and adolescents during the Omicron surge, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Around 190 unexplained cases of severe hepatitis have been reported in children in at least a dozen countries, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control announced on Tuesday.
Driving the news: Last week, the CDC reported that there were nine cases of hepatitis in children between the ages of 1 and 6.
A majority of Americans, including 3 in 4 children, have had COVID-19 as a result of the Omicron variant surge this past winter, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Driving the news: The overall U.S. seroprevalence, or the prevalence of a disease in a population, went from 33.5% to 57.7% from December 2021 to February 2022, according to the report.
Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday tested positive for COVID-19, according to her office.
The big picture: Harris, who is fully vaccinated and has received twobooster shots, has no symptoms, the White House said. She is the highest-ranking administration official to contract the virus.
Wimbledon said Tuesday that it won't have a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for this year's tournament, clearing the way for Novak Djokovic to defend his title in London.
Driving the news: Djokovic wasn't allowed to play in the Australian Open in January because he wasn't vaccinated for COVID-19 and received a three-year visa ban from Australia.
The Biden administration is attempting to address its latest COVID problem: There are plenty of oral treatments, but only a fraction of the available federal supply is reaching patients.
Why it matters: A large part of the justification for dropping pandemic precautions is that we now have effective COVID treatments available for people at risk of severe illness. The question is how easily patients can get them.
Deborah Birx, the former White House coronavirus response coordinator, told ABC News Monday that then-President Trump's suggestion at a 2020 news conference that disinfectants might be used to treat COVID-19 was a "tragedy on many levels."
Driving the news: Trump insisted later he was speaking "sarcastically" when he said, "I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute ... is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning?"
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday said it expanded the approval of the COVID-19 treatment Veklury, also known as remdesivir, for children 28 days and older.
Why it matters: The Omicron variant hit little kids hard, causingfive times as many hospitalizations of children ages 4 and younger than during the previous COVID peak. Monday's move makes Veklury the first approved COVID treatment for children under 12, many of whom remain unable to access vaccines.
The Biden administration is preparing to announce plans this week to make Pfizer's COVID-19 pill available at almost any pharmacy in the U.S. after early shortages.
Why it matters: The drug, Paxlovid, was called a potential "game-changer" for its ability to treat infections at home and keep individuals at risk of severe illness out of the hospital.
