In the News

As the U.S. commits to vaccine distribution, Indonesia has recorded more than 4 million COVID cases. More than 140,000 people have died. Initially, Indonesia turned to China for vaccine aid. But Nick Schifrin explores how the U.S. and its allies are trying to achieve vaccine inroads in China’s backyard.

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have climbed to an average of more than 1,900 a day for the first time since early March, with experts saying the virus is preying largely on a distinct group: 71 million unvaccinated Americans.

Rapid testing — more formally known as antigen testing — allows people to learn within minutes whether they are carrying enough of the Covid-19 virus to be contagious.

Evidence suggests that most Americans don’t yet require booster shots to bolster their defenses against the coronavirus, according to an advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration.

The tests are flying off drugstore shelves. Some schools and employers are using them in an effort to reduce transmission and quarantine times. And some people are requiring guests to use them before attending gatherings like weddings.

An FDA advisory committee overwhelmingly rejected a third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine for most adults, but in an unexpected second vote authorized its use for those 65 and older and people at high risk of contracting severe Covid-19.

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine seems to protect better against hospitalization than other US-authorized shots.

The debate over whether Americans should receive a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine moved to a panel of independent expert advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday.

It's not clear if or when boosters doses of Covid-19 vaccines will be OK'd for fully vaccinated people in the United States, but state and local health departments across the United States are moving ahead with plans for a potential rollout next week.

Doctors like Durbin are stressing the vaccines are safe and many will not need a booster.

As companies continue to ramp up vaccine mandates to combat the contagious delta variant, some institutions are giving employees a chance to opt-out of getting the vaccine if they have a medical exemption.

A week before President Biden’s plan is to roll out, scientists are at odds about whether extra coronavirus shots are needed and for whom.