COVID-19: Children Should Keep Wearing Masks In School Even If Vaccinated, CDC Says COVID-19: Children Should Keep Wearing Masks In School Even If Vaccinated, CDC Says
Covid-19: Children Should Keep Wearing Masks In School Even If Vaccinated, CDC Says The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the agency will continue to recommend that children wear masks this winter while in school, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status.  CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky made the announcement on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at a news briefing.  She said once COVID-19 vaccinations are authorized for children ages 5 to 11, the CDC will work to scale up pediatric vaccinations, but she added that this will take some time. "And as I just noted, as we head into these winter months, we know we cannot be complacent,"…
CDC Urges Americans To Get Flu Vaccine, Reveals Time Frame For Highest Effectiveness CDC Urges Americans To Get Flu Vaccine, Reveals Time Frame For Highest Effectiveness
CDC Urges Americans To Get Flu Vaccine, Reveals Time Frame For Highest Effectiveness The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging Americans to get the annual flu vaccine. The CDC said everyone 6 months of age and older should get the vaccine every year "with rare exceptions." Health officials said this is particularly important for those who are at a higher risk of serious complications if they get sick. The CDC recommends September and October as good times to get vaccinated, adding that those who are best protected get the vaccine by the end of October. The public health agency said adults, especially seniors, should generally not get vaccinated in Ju…
COVID-19: FDA Expected To Authorize Booster Shots For Immunocompromised People COVID-19: FDA Expected To Authorize Booster Shots For Immunocompromised People
Covid-19: FDA Expected To Authorize Booster Shots For Immunocompromised People The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to move forward quickly with authorization of COVID-19 booster shots for some Americans who are immunocompromised, according to reports. Health officials said that the third shot of the current two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccine could be authorized within the next 48 hours, though no official timetable has been set as variants of the virus and COVID-19 mutations continue to cause a surge in new cases. Before a vaccine can be used in new ways outside existing authorization it requires new approval from the FDA. Currently, the Moderna, Pfizer…
COVID-19: Cape Cod Cluster Among Vaccinated Led To Mask Shift; 'The War Has Changed' CDC Says COVID-19: Cape Cod Cluster Among Vaccinated Led To Mask Shift; 'The War Has Changed' CDC Says
Covid-19: Cape Cod Cluster Among Vaccinated Led To Mask Shift; 'The War Has Changed' CDC Says A cluster of hundreds of COVID-19 cases on Cape Cod, many involving vaccinated people, prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to change its policy on mask-wearing this week. The July 4th outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts showed that vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant could spread the virus. A total of nearly 900 infections have been linked to the cluster. The high viral load of the Delta variant, which was first discovered in India late last year, makes it possible for vaccinated who become infected through breakthrough cases to spread the virus i…
COVID-19: Delta Variant As Contagious As Chickenpox, Internal CDC Document Says COVID-19: Delta Variant As Contagious As Chickenpox, Internal CDC Document Says
Covid-19: Delta Variant As Contagious As Chickenpox, Internal CDC Document Says The Delta variant, which now accounts for about 85 percent of new COVID-19 cases in the United States, is as contagious as chickenpox, according to internal documents by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Details of those documents were reported on Friday, July 30 by both The Washington Post and New York Times. The high viral load of the Delta variant makes it possible for vaccinated who become infected through breakthrough cases to spread the virus in some cases, the CDC now says. “We have studies that have now shown that even on the first swab on somebody with a…
COVID-19: Massachusetts Sees Record Low Numbers Amid Concerns Over Delta Variant COVID-19: Massachusetts Sees Record Low Numbers Amid Concerns Over Delta Variant
Covid-19: Massachusetts Sees Record Low Numbers Amid Concerns Over Delta Variant All eyes in America are on the more transmissible Delta COVID-19 strain that is causing concern in some parts of the country, though Massachusetts continues to see record low numbers as the number of vaccinations being administered rises. Earlier story - COVID-19: Delta Variant Expected To Be Dominant In US, Says CDC Over the weekend, the seven-day rolling average COVID-19 positivity rate dropped to 0.29 percent of those tested, with the number of active cases hovering at around 1,500, while the number of residents vaccinated statewide is climbing. In all, Massachusetts is reporting r…
COVID-19: CDC Issues Brand-New Guidance For Summer Camps COVID-19: CDC Issues Brand-New Guidance For Summer Camps
Covid-19: CDC Issues Brand-New Guidance For Summer Camps The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has just issued brand-new guidance for summer camps amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinated adolescents do not need to wear masks at camp, and younger campers who have not been vaccinated can usually shed face coverings when outdoors, the CDC said on Friday, May 28. For camps where everyone is fully vaccinated prior to the start of camp, it is safe to return to full capacity, without masking, and without physical distancing in accordance with the CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, except where requir…
COVID-19: Restrictions At Casinos Lifted By Mass Gaming Commission COVID-19: Restrictions At Casinos Lifted By Mass Gaming Commission
Covid-19: Restrictions At Casinos Lifted By Mass Gaming Commission The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has voted to lift COVID-19 restrictions at the state’s casinos. As of Saturday, May 29, Massachusetts casinos will be back to gaming full-time following Gov. Charlie Baker’s recent orders to rescind limitations that were placed on businesses. Related story - COVID-19: Massachusetts Announces Date It Will Start New CDC Mask Guidance The commission's ruling will still require casino operators to follow all state and CDC-issued COVID-19 guidance. Baker previously announced that nearly all COVID-19 restrictions were being lifted from Massachusetts busines…
COVID-19: New Time Frame Provided For When Vaccine Booster Shots May Be Necessary COVID-19: New Time Frame Provided For When Vaccine Booster Shots May Be Necessary
Covid-19: New Time Frame Provided For When Vaccine Booster Shots May Be Necessary Executives and experts at the center of COVID-19 pandemic response are now providing a more specific possible time frame for when Americans who were first to receive a vaccine dose may need to take a booster shot. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, speaking during an Axios event, said that the data he has reviewed supports the notion "that likely there will be a need for a booster somewhere between eight and 12 months" after the initial vaccination regime. That means those who were among the first to get a vaccine shot in mid to late December 2020 or early January 2021 would likely need a booster sh…
COVID-19: Results Of New Federal Study On Vaccine Effectiveness Released COVID-19: Results Of New Federal Study On Vaccine Effectiveness Released
Covid-19: Results Of New Federal Study On Vaccine Effectiveness Released A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that the COVID-19 vaccine has proven effective in preventing hospitalizations among older adults who are fully vaccinated. According to the CDC, the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines are 94 percent effective in adults ages 65 and older who have received both doses of the shot and allowed 14 days to pass after the second dose. The study, which followed more than 400 hospitalized adults across 14 states from January to March, also found that the two-dose vaccines are 64 percent effective in the elderly who have o…
COVID-19: CDC Announces Major New Guidance On Mask Wearing COVID-19: CDC Announces Major New Guidance On Mask Wearing
Covid-19: CDC Announces Major New Guidance On Mask Wearing The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has just released major new guidance on mask-wearing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the new guidance, announced Tuesday afternoon, April 27, people who are fully vaccinated and who are outdoors no longer have to wear masks if they are gathered in small groups. Masks should still be worn at heavily attending outdoor gatherings, including concerts and sports events, where social distancing is not possible, the CDC said. It is also safe for those fully vaccinated to return to several activities inside, including attending religious ser…
COVID-19: Here's Number Of Americans Who've Become Infected Despite Being Vaccinated, CDC Says COVID-19: Here's Number Of Americans Who've Become Infected Despite Being Vaccinated, CDC Says
Covid-19: Here's Number Of Americans Who've Become Infected Despite Being Vaccinated, CDC Says The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has released the first data on so-called "breakthrough" COVID-19 cases, meaning those who have become infected despite being fully vaccinated. So far, there have been about 5,800 such cases, the CDC told CNN.  At the time that data was collected, 77 million American adults had been fully vaccinated, meaning 99.992 percent had dodged the disease. The efficacy rates of the double-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both around 95 percent. "To date, no unexpected patterns have been identified in case demographics or vaccine ch…