1. Vaccines: FDA approves Pfizer boosters for high-risk individuals, people 65 and up — Team USA to mandate vaccine for Winter Olympic hopefuls — U.S. to buy 500 million more Pfizer doses to share with the world.
2. Health: Some experts see signs of hope as cases fall — WHO: Nearly 1 in 4 Afghan COVID hospitals shut after Taliban takeover — D.C. goes further than area counties with vaccine mandates.
3. Politics: Bolsonaro isolating after health minister tests positive at UN summit — United Airlines says 97% of U.S. employees fully vaccinated — Mormon Church to mandate masks in temples.
4. Education: Asymptomatic Florida students exposed to COVID no longer have to quarantine — Education Department investigating Texas mask mandate ban — D.C. schools to require teachers, staff to receive vaccine without testing option.
5. Variant tracker: Where different strains are spreading.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro and members of his delegation that were in New York for the UN General Assembly were put in isolation after the country's health minister tested positive for coronavirus, according to the state health regulator.

Why it matters: Bolsonaro, who tested positive for COVID-19 back in July and has regularly railed against pandemic measures, has not been vaccinated against the virus.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot will not take the blame for Chicago Public School's COVID-19 problems. She told Axios Chicago she's "deeply disappointed" in CPS leadership for its botched rollout of COVID protocols so far this year.

Why it matters: Since Mayor Daley took over CPS from the state in 1995, Chicago mayors have effectively run Chicago Public Schools, appointing CEOs and board presidents.

D.C. is cracking down on vaccine mandates for some workers, going further than surrounding counties by getting rid of test-out options for public employees. 

Why it matters: With the region's rate of partially vaccinated individuals hovering around 70%, government mandates are a key tool in fighting COVID-19. 

New coronavirus cases are continuing to decline, and some experts are cautiously optimistic that the virus will continue to wane even into the fall and winter.

The big picture: The next few months are highly uncertain, and some localized outbreaks are all but guaranteed. But the U.S. is at least moving in the right direction again.

Afghanistan's health system is "on the brink of collapse" due to international funding cuts since the Taliban took over the country, World Health Organization officials said Wednesday.

The big picture: Nine of Afghanistan's 37 COVID-19 hospitals have closed and "all aspects" of the country's pandemic response have declined, including testing and vaccination, per a statement from WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus following his visit to the capital, Kabul, where he met with Taliban leaders.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday an emergency order allowing parents to decide whether their children should quarantine or stay in school if they're exposed to COVID-19, provided they're asymptomatic.

Why it matters: People infected with COVID-19 can spread the coronavirus starting from two days before they display symptoms, according to the CDC. Quarantine helps prevent the virus' spread.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson was released from a Chicago rehabilitation hospital on Wednesday after receiving treatment for Parkinson's disease following a breakthrough COVID-19 case, per CBS News.

The big picture: Shirley Ryan AbilityLab had treated the civil rights leader for occupational and physical therapy after Jackson was transferred on Aug. 27 following a week in a hospital with COVID-19. Both he and his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, were hospitalized with the virus in August.

American athletes looking to compete in the Winter Olympics in Beijing must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, according to updated guidelines posted on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) website.

Details: Employees, athletes and contractors must be vaccinated by Nov. 1 to use USOPC facilities or attend events hosted by the committee. On Dec. 1, the mandate extends "to all Team USA delegation members or hopefuls for future Games."

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus booster shots for people at high risk of severe COVID-19 and people 65 years and older.

Driving the news: The approval comes just days after an FDA advisory panel recommended boosters for the two groups but overwhelmingly voted against the third shots for younger Americans.