BALTIMORE —

The extent of potential damage COVID-19 can cause on the lungs and long-term damage can depend on whether a person is vaccinated.

A Maryland radiologist wants people to see what he sees in COVID-19 patients, hoping to move the unvaccinated to get vaccinated.

Dr. Omer Awan, who is the associate vice chair of education in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, wants the public to understand and see the difference for themselves.

"There is a dramatic difference in chest X-rays we see in patients that have been fully vaccinated who test positive for COVID-19 and those who are not vaccinated," Awan said.

Awan showed sister station WBAL computed tomography images of a vaccinated COVID-19 patient and compared it to images showing unvaccinated lung damage.

"You can see in the vaccinated individual, much of the lung is black, and that's a good thing because the black demonstrates air," Awan said.

It was a much different story in the lung of an unvaccinated person.

"The burden of disease or the burden of infection is much more pronounced in an unvaccinated individual versus a vaccinated individual," Awan said.

Tracking the omicron surge

Awan said the symptoms of a vaccinated person are milder than in an unvaccinated person.

"Oftentimes, those that are unvaccinated will have full-blown shortness of breath. They may require oxygen therapy. There's a higher propensity for them to go into the ICU," Awan said.

Awan said he hopes the images will change minds.

"If you see images, you can see clearly the proof in vaccination and how effective the vaccines are by looking at a chest X-ray. Oftentimes, that's more helpful from a visual standpoint than just hearing people spit out statistics," Awan said.

FLORENCE, Ky. — If you’re having trouble finding a vaccine for your child, check their school.

Less than a week after receiving CDC approval, Boone County Schools began offering the Pfizer vaccine to students.

The clinics happening this week are targeting the latest group of kids who are now eligible for the vaccine, those 5-11. The afternoon and evening clinics are open to older students as well.

Boone county schools have seen a dramatic reduction in COVID-19 cases.

On Monday, the district reported 19 students who tested positive, just one positive staff member and 45 total students in quarantine.

At one point, the district had hundreds of kids in quarantine each day.

It’s a relief and point of protection for many parents, like Emily Rombach. She brought her 11-year-old son, Davey, to Cooper High School to get his vaccine.

"I'm a supporter of vaccines in general so I didn't have too many reservations about it,” Rombach said. “I was concerned about it for my children just because it's new, but I'm more concerned about what would happen if they got the COVID so I was more interested in getting the vaccine than rolling the dice.”

Many children are understandably fearful of shots, but Davey said he was going to encourage his friends to get vaccinated because of how easy it was.

“It only takes a second, it doesn't even hurt. It feels like somebody just walked up and put a piece of ice on you for a second, it's kind of cold,” Davey said. “It doesn't hurt. It can't make you sick really, well it can for a few days, but then you're going to get over it….better than getting COVID and dying."

Other districts will be following suit, some as early as this week.

Kenton County Schools spokesperson Jess Dykes said they are planning on hosting vaccine clinics and are working to get them setup ASAP.

Campbell County Schools do not have any vaccine clinics scheduled at this time.

The Cincinnati Public School District has worked with the local health department to set up vaccine clinics and although none are schedule at this time, it’s likely they’ll be popping up in the coming weeks for students and staff.

Parents can sign-up for an appointment in Boone County by going to: https://kyvax.wildhealth.com

Here are when and where clinics are available:
Tuesday (November 9, 2021): Ryle High School from 3:00pm to 7:00pm
Schools Invited to Event:
Ryle High School
Gray Middle School
New Haven Elementary School
Mann Elementary School
Steeplechase Elementary School
Kelly Elementary School

Wednesday (November 10, 2021): Conner High School from 3:00pm to 7:00pm
Schools Invited to Event:
Conner High School
Conner Middle School
Goodridge Elementary School
Thornwilde Elementary School
Stephens Elementary School
North Point Elementary School

Thursday (November 11, 2021): Boone County High School from 3:00pm to 7:00pm
Schools Invited to Event:
Boone County High School
Ockerman Middle School
Ockerman Elementary School
Yealey Elementary School
Florence Elementary School

Friday (November 12, 2021): Jones Middle School from 3:00pm to 7:00pm
Schools Invited to Event:
Jones Middle School
Collins Elementary School
District Office
Learning Support Services
Maintenance Services
Transportation Services

Millions more Americans can get a COVID-19 booster and choose a different company's vaccine for that next shot, federal health officials said Thursday.

Certain people who received Pfizer vaccinations months ago already are eligible for a booster and now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says specific Moderna and Johnson & Johnson recipients qualify, too. And in a bigger change, the agency is allowing the flexibility of "mixing and matching" that extra dose regardless of which type people received first.

The Food and Drug Administration had already authorized such an expansion of the nation's booster campaign on Wednesday, and it was also endorsed Thursday by a CDC advisory panel. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky had the final word on who gets the extra doses.

"These past 20 months have taught us many things, but mostly to have humility," she told the panel. "We are constantly learning about this virus, growing the evidence base and accumulating more data."

There still are restrictions on who qualifies and when for a booster. Starting six months past their last Pfizer or Moderna vaccination, people are urged to get a booster if they're 65 or older, nursing home residents, or at least 50 and at increased risk of severe disease because of health problems. Boosters also were allowed, but not urged, for adults of any age at increased risk of infection because of health problems or their jobs or living conditions. That includes health care workers, teachers and people in jails or homeless shelters.

Moderna's booster will come at half the dose of the original two shots.

As for recipients of the single-shot J&J vaccine, a COVID-19 booster is recommended for everyone at least two months after their vaccination. That's because the J&J vaccine hasn't proved as protective as the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer options.

The CDC panel didn't explicitly recommend anyone get a different brand than they started with but left open the option — saying only that a booster of some sort was recommended. And some of the advisers said they would prefer that J&J recipients receive a competitor's booster, citing preliminary data from an ongoing government study that suggested a bigger boost in virus-fighting antibodies from that combination.

"We're at a different place in the pandemic than we were earlier" when supply constraints meant people had to take whatever shot they were offered, noted CDC adviser Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University.

She called it "priceless" to be able to choose a different kind for the booster if, for example, someone might be at risk for a rare side effect from a specific vaccine.

About two-thirds of Americans eligible for COVID-19 shots are fully vaccinated, and the government says getting first shots to the unvaccinated remain the priority. While health authorities hope boosters will shore up waning immunity against milder coronavirus infections, all the vaccines still offer strong protection against hospitalizations and death, even as the extra-contagious delta variant burned through the country.

And CDC's advisers wrestled with whether people who didn't really need boosters might be getting them, especially young, otherwise healthy adults whose only qualification was their job.

Dr. Sarah Long of Drexel University voiced concerns about opening those people to rare but serious side effects from another dose if they already were adequately protected.

"I have my own concerns that we appear to be recommending vaccines for people who I don't think need it," added Dr. Beth Bell of the University of Washington.

But she stressed that the vaccines work and that moving forward with the recommendations makes sense for the sake of being clear and allowing flexibility when it comes to boosters.

Despite the concerns by some members, the panels' votes ended up being unanimous.

The vast majority of the nearly 190 million Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have received the Pfizer or Moderna options, while J&J recipients account for only about 15 million.

___

The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Scientists are reporting that the antibodies people make to fight the new coronavirus do not fade quickly.

The new study is the most extensive work yet on the immune system’s response to the virus and is good news for efforts to develop vaccines. The report published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. It was based on tests on more than 30,000 people in Iceland. It found antibodies lasted for at least four months after diagnosis.

The study also found that more severe cases of the coronavirus led to a stronger immune response to the virus.

"Among recovered persons, antibody levels are higher in older persons and in those more severely affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection," according to the research.

Independent experts say if a vaccine can spur production of long-lasting antibodies like that, it gives hope that immunity may not be fleeting. That's what some smaller studies previously suggested.

While the research was promising, it did also find that Icelanders are vulnerable to a second wave of the coronavirus even with the number of potentially immune citizens.

GRAFTON, Wis. —

Police have arrested a fired pharmacist who is accused of intentionally spoiling more than 500 COVID-19 vaccines at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, Wisconsin.

The FBI and the Food & Drug Administration are investigating the person who left 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine out of a pharmacy refrigerator at Aurora Medical Center-Grafton.

The person's name is not being released until formal charges are filed.

Advocate Aurora Health now says it was an intentional act. The person in question Wednesday admitted they intentionally removed the vaccine from refrigeration.

After an internal investigation, it was first believed to be human error.

The vials were discovered outside the refrigerator Dec. 26. Aurora Health President Dr. Jeff Bahr spoke about the incident Thursday during a news conference.

"Over the subsequent days, as we continued our internal review, we became increasingly suspicious of the behavior of the individual in question," Bahr said. "The individual was suspended and after multiple interviews over the course of the week, admitted yesterday to intentionally removing the vaccine from refrigeration."

The Moderna vaccine can be out of refrigeration for 12 hours.

"We are more than disappointed that this individual’s actions will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine. This was a violation of our core values, and the individual is no longer employed by us," Advocate Aurora Health said.

Grafton police said Aurora Corporate Security called them at 6:18 p.m. Wednesday about an employee tampering with the vials of COVID-19 vaccine.

It said it was investigating, along with the federal agencies.

"This matter is being actively investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Food and Drug Administration and the Grafton Police Department," Grafton police said.

Officers said the value of the spoiled vaccines was between $8,000 and $11,000.

"Grafton detectives indicate that the individual knew the spoiled vaccinations would be useless and that people who received the vaccinations would think they had been vaccinated against the virus when in fact they were not," police said in a statement to sister station WISN-TV.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said before any facility becomes a COVID-19 vaccine provider, they require extensive registration and training for storing and handling the vaccine.

"DHS requires any wasted vaccine to be reported, investigated and addressed through a written plan of improvement," the department said.

State health officials said they were now working with Aurora to make sure an incident like this never happens again.

"We feel strongly that our processes are sound, but again, this fell more to this being a bad actor involved than a bad process," Bahr said.

He added that 57 doses were able to be administered after they were found outside the refrigerator.

But Bahr said hospital officials also learned the vials were left out longer than originally reported and may not be as effective in combating the virus.

Those vaccine recipients have been notified of the situation, Bahr said.

Police said the pharmacist could be charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety, adulterating a prescription drug and criminal damage to property.

He was being held in the Ozaukee County Jail.

The remaining doses of the vaccine that were left out of the refrigerator were discarded.

Bahr said the doses were not tampered with.

"Immediately upon notification, DHS followed up with Aurora and has worked closely with them as they have investigated the situation, reviewed their processes and implemented improvements," Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm said in response to the incident. "We will continue to work with our healthcare partners to get as many shots in arms as quickly and safely as possible."

Investigators have not released a motive in the case.

CNN contributed.

With the arrival of fall and another round of seasonal allergies, doctors are again warning about confusing an allergic reaction with a COVID-19 infection.

Dr. Casey Mabry, with Ascension St. Agnes Health in Maryland, said irritating allergy symptoms may linger, but the causes behind them -- summer vs. fall -- differ.

"It's hard to prevent allergies, but you can definitely limit your exposure," Mabry said. "Spring and summer allergies tend to be grass and flowers while the trees are blooming. The fall is a little bit different. It tends to be dust and mold."

Now, add to the mix COVID-19 with symptoms like coughing, congestion and feeling generally under the weather all crossing over.

But there's one key difference.

"Allergies will never cause a fever. If you have a fever, you can't blame that on your allergies. Please get COVID tested," Mabry said.

Mabry said another way to tell is to be honest with yourself: Are the symptoms you're experiencing something you've seen before or something new?

"If you have brand new allergies this year, it's probably not allergies. If you, all of a sudden, are getting congestion and sore throat, and you're not feeling well in the fall, but you've never had that before, maybe get tested," Mabry said.

Also, keep in mind that itchiness often goes with allergies, just as a loss of taste or smell goes with COVID-19.

"It's tricky because we're not seeing as much loss of smell with the delta variant, but still, definitely if you lose your sense of smell, it's definitely much more concerning," Mabry said.

Mabry said to stay hydrated and wear face masks to stop the spread of COVID-19. Also, be sure to wash the masks to prevent more allergies this fall.

Watch the video above for the full story.

The Department of Homeland Security announced this week that it will not conduct immigration enforcement activities at or near coronavirus vaccine sites.

The announcement comes as federal officials continue to encourage the public, regardless of legal immigration status, to get vaccinated from the virus.

The DHS says that it has a long-standing practice of not conducting immigration-related arrests at health care facilities and similar places except in extreme circumstances.

“DHS and its Federal government partners fully support equal access to the COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine distribution sites for undocumented immigrants,” DHS said in a statement. “It is a moral and public health imperative to ensure that all individuals residing in the United States have access to the vaccine. DHS encourages all individuals, regardless of immigration status, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once eligible under local distribution guidelines.”

In a paper released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, it showed that the spread of the coronavirus is of particular concern for undocumented immigrants. Nearly 44% of undocumented immigrants in the US lack health care insurance.

“Many noncitizen immigrants work in essential jobs that are likely to be included in initial priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination, but they face a variety of potential barriers to obtaining the vaccine, including access-related barriers, confusion about eligibility and potential costs, concerns about health and economic impacts of side effects, and immigration-related fears,” KFF said. “Given these barriers, efforts to minimize access barriers and targeted outreach and information will be important for facilitating access to vaccination for immigrant families.”

Grocery chain Kroger announced Friday that it will give employees $100 once they have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Hourly front-line grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy and call center associates will be eligible for the payment, Kroger said.

For employees getting the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, that means they’ll receive their $100 payment after taking two doses of the vaccines. Several other one-dose vaccines are expected to hit the market in the coming weeks.

Kroger says employees who cannot take the vaccine for medical or religious purposes will have the option of completing an educational health and safety course to receive the payment.

"We know that the most effective defense against this pandemic comes in the form of the COVID-19 vaccine and the continuation of the rigorous safety precautions we've established across our stores, manufacturing facilities and supply chain," said Dr. Marc Watkins, Kroger's chief medical officer. "We are strongly encouraging all customers and associates to receive the vaccine to curb the spread of COVID-19, and we'll do all we can to ensure they have access as soon as it's available."

Grocery store employees are listed in the CDC’s “Phase 2” of coronavirus vaccine distribution. There are nearly 30 million essential workers listed in Phase 2. It could take several more months to get this group fully vaccinated.

In addition to the $100 payment in exchange for getting vaccinated, Kroger said that employees will also receive $100 in store credit regardless whether they are vaccinated. Kroger said employees should expect to receive their $100 store credit on Feb. 11 on their loyalty cards.

Justin Boggs is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @jjboggs or on Facebook.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, projected on Thursday’s NBC “Today” it will be “open season” for coronavirus vaccines in April.

While coronavirus vaccines have been limited to high-risk groups, the number of Americans who qualify for vaccinations has steadily risen in recent weeks. It is his hope the US will get to a point where all groups can begin getting vaccinated by April.

Fauci cautions that with limited supply, it could still take months for everyone who wants a vaccine can get a vaccine.

“If you look at the projection, I would imagine by the time we get to April, that will be what I would call, for better wording, open season, virtually anybody and everybody in any category could start to get vaccinated,” Fauci said. “From then on, it would likely take several more months, just logistically, to get vaccine into people’s arms, so that hopefully as we get into the middle and end of the summer, we will have accomplished a goal of what we’re talking about, namely the overwhelming majority of people in this country having gotten vaccinated.”

Meanwhile on Thursday, Biden announced that the US has purchased enough coronavirus vaccines for every American.

As of Thursday, roughly 1 in 10 Americans have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, representing more than 34 million people. Of those people, 11 million have been fully vaccinated.

There are currently two vaccines that have emergency use authorization from the FDA. Both are two-shot vaccines, which require patients to return three to four weeks later for a booster. Other one-shot vaccines, such as Johnson and Johnson’s candidate, could soon be administered throughout the US if given authorization. Johnson and Johnson applied for an emergency use authorization last week.

Meanwhile on Thursday, Fauci told ProPublica that he projects that children can start getting vaccinated before the fall. While data indicates young children do not spread the virus nearly as efficiently as adults, there is evidence that teenagers are spreaders of the virus.

Fauci said getting children vaccinated for the coronavirus would come in phases.

“We’re in the process of starting clinical trials in what we call age de-escalation, where you do a clinical trial with people 16 to 12, then 12 to 9, then 9 to 6,” Fauci told ProPublica. “I would think by the time we get to school opening, we likely will be able to get people who come into the first grade.”

There are ongoing vaccine trials for children as young as 12. Fauci expects that data to be available in the coming months.

“It is critical that pediatric patients of all ages be included in trials as quickly as possible,” said American Academy of Pediatrics President Lee Savio Beers in a statement last week. “We are especially concerned about children who belong to racial, ethnic, and cultural groups that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic or who have underlying conditions that place them at increased risk for developing severe COVID-19 infection.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday warned people who are immunocompromised that the COVID-19 vaccine may not have been effective for them and encouraged them to take precautions as if they were not vaccinated."People who are immunocompromised should be counseled about the potential for reduced immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines and to follow current prevention measures (including wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others staying they don't live with, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces) to protect themselves against COVID-19 until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider," according to the CDC's website.The CDC did not go so far as to tell the millions of immunocompromised people in the U.S. to get an additional shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, noting that "the safety, efficacy and benefit of additional doses for COVID-19 vaccines in immunocompromised persons continues to be evaluated."A federal official told CNN that "CDC is looking into ongoing research exploring the possibility that immunocompromised could benefit from an additional dose."Some immunocompromised people have, on their own, received additional doses of the vaccine, and a study last month by Johns Hopkins researchers suggested that an extra shot may help increase COVID-19 antibody levels for some organ transplant recipients who did not have a full response to their original vaccinations.On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, acknowledged the reality that some people are acting ahead of official recommendations, noting that there are individual physicians "right now that are saying, 'I want to go the extra mile with someone who might have a lower level of immunity.'"On Friday, the CDC said data suggest the response to the vaccines might be reduced for several groups, including organ transplant recipients, people who are receiving chemotherapy for cancer, people who have certain blood cancers, and people receiving dialysis or taking certain medications that suppress the immune system.The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to discuss additional doses for immunocompromised individuals during its meeting on July 22.

New York held a ticker-tape parade Wednesday for the health care workers and others who helped the city pull through the darkest days of COVID-19, while authorities in Missouri struggled to beat back a surge blamed on the fast-spreading delta variant and deep resistance to getting vaccinated.

The split-screen images could be a glimpse of what public health experts say may lie ahead for the U.S. even as life gets back to something close to normal: outbreaks in corners of the country with low vaccination rates.

"We've got a lot to appreciate, because we're well underway in our recovery," declared New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who rode on a parade float with hospital employees down the Canyon of Heroes, the skyscraper-lined stretch of Broadway where astronauts, returning soldiers and championship teams are feted.

In Missouri, meanwhile, the Springfield area has been hit so hard that one hospital had to borrow ventilators over the Fourth of July weekend and begged on social media for help from respiratory therapists, several of whom volunteered from other states. Members of a new federal "surge response team" also began arriving to help suppress the outbreak.

Missouri not only leads the nation in new cases relative to the population, it is also averaging 1,000 cases per day — about the same number as the entire Northeast, including the big cities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

California, with 40 million people, is posting only slightly higher case numbers than Missouri, which has a population of 6 million.

Northeastern states have seen cases, deaths and hospitalizations plummet to almost nothing amid widespread acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Vermont has gone 26 days with new case numbers in single digits. In Maryland, the governor's office said every death recorded in June was in an unvaccinated person. New York City, which was the lethal epicenter of the U.S. outbreak in the spring of 2020, when the number of dead peaked at over 800 a day, regularly goes entire days with no reported deaths.

The problem in Missouri, as health experts see it: Just 45% of the state's residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared with 55% of the U.S. population. Some rural counties near Springfield have vaccination rates in the teens and 20s.

At the same time, the delta variant is fast becoming the predominant version of the virus in Missouri.

Epidemiologists say the country should expect more COVID-19 outbreaks in areas with low vaccination rates over the next several months.

"I'm afraid that that is very predictable," said Dr. Chris Beyrer, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins University. "If politician seize on this and say, 'Who could have predicted this?' The answer is every licensed epidemiologist in the country."

Republican Gov. Mike Parson said Wednesday that his administration has done "everything possible" to fend off outbreaks.

"Right now, the vaccine's out there," he said. "I mean, people walk past it every day, whether they're in a pharmacy, whether they're in a Walmart, whether they're in a health center."

Mercy Hospital Springfield reported Tuesday that it had more than 120 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 — the highest total since the pandemic began. Seventeen people died in the latest two-week reporting period in the county that surrounds Springfield, the most since January. None were vaccinated, authorities said.

Erik Frederick, Mercy's chief administrative officer, said staff members are frustrated knowing that "this is preventable this time" because of the vaccine.

"We try to convince people, but it is almost like you are talking a different language," he lamented. "There is no way they are going to get a vaccine. Their personal freedom is more important."

The Mercy system announced Wednesday it is requiring vaccinations among staff at the hospital in Springfield, as well as at its hundreds of other hospitals and clinics in Missouri and neighboring states. It said about 75% of its more than 40,000 employees are vaccinated.

Missouri also never had a statewide mask mandate. The sentiment against government intervention is so strong that Brian Steele, mayor of the Springfield suburb of Nixa, is facing a recall vote after imposing a mask rule, even though it has long since expired.

At Springfield's other hospital, Cox South, several patients are in their 20s and 30s, said Ashley Kimberling Casad, vice president of clinical services. She said she had been hopeful when she eyed the COVID-19 numbers in May as she prepared to return from maternity leave.

"I really thought when I came back from maternity leave that, not that COVID would be gone, but that it would just be so manageable. Then all of a sudden it started spiking," she said, adding that nearly all the virus samples that the hospital is sending for testing are proving to be the delta variant.

Citing the rise in cases, the Springfield school district reinstated its mask requirement for its summer program starting Wednesday.

The contrasting scenes in the U.S. came as the worldwide death toll from COVID-19 closed in on 4 million, by Johns Hopkins University's count. COVID-19 deaths nationwide are down to around 200 per day from a peak of over 3,400 per day in January.

In New York, those honored at the parade included nurses and doctors, emergency crews, bus drivers and train operators, teachers and utility workers. The crowds along the route were thin, in part because many businesses are still operating remotely.

"What a difference a year makes," said parade grand marshal Sandra Lindsay, a nurse who was the first person in the country to get a COVID-19 vaccine shot.

"Fifteen months ago, we were in a much different place, but thanks to the heroic efforts of so many — health care workers, first responders, front-line workers, the people who fed us, the people who put their lives on the line, we can't thank them enough."

——

Tom Murphy contributed to this report from Indianapolis.

The global death toll from COVID-19 eclipsed 4 million Wednesday as the crisis increasingly becomes a race between the vaccine and the highly contagious delta variant.The tally of lives lost over the past year and a half, as compiled from official sources by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the number of people killed in battle in all of the world's wars since 1982, according to estimates from the Peace Research Institute Oslo.The toll is three times the number of people killed in traffic accidents around the globe every year. It is about equal to the population of Los Angeles or the nation of Georgia. It is equivalent to more than half of Hong Kong or close to 50% of New York City. Even then, it is widely believed to be an undercount because of overlooked cases or deliberate concealment. With the advent of the vaccine, deaths per day have plummeted to around 7,900, after topping out at over 18,000 a day in January.But in recent weeks, the mutant delta version of the virus first identified in India has set off alarms around the world, spreading rapidly even in vaccination success stories like the U.S., Britain and Israel. Britain, in fact, recorded a one-day total this week of more than 30,000 new infections for the first time since January, even as the government prepares to lift all remaining lockdown restrictions in England later this month.Other countries have reimposed preventive measures, and authorities are rushing to step up the campaign to dispense shots.At the same time, the disaster has exposed the gap between the haves and the have-nots, with vaccination drives barely getting started in Africa and other desperately poor corners of the world because of extreme shortages of shots. The U.S. and other wealthy countries have agreed to share at least 1 billion doses with struggling countries.The U.S. has the world's highest reported death toll, at over 600,000, or nearly 1 in 7 deaths, followed by Brazil at more than 520,000, though the real numbers are believed to be much higher in Brazil, where President Jair Bolsonaro's far-right government has long downplayed the virus.The variants, uneven access to vaccines and the relaxation of precautions in wealthier countries are "a toxic combination that is very dangerous," warned Ann Lindstrand, a top immunization official at the World Health Organization. Instead of treating the crisis as a "me-and-myself-and-my-country" problem, she said, "we need to get serious that this is a worldwide problem that needs worldwide solutions."

HONG KONG — Hong Kong has suspended vaccinations using Pfizer shots after the Chinese distributor informed the city that one batch had defective bottle lids.

The government says the suspension is immediate while the matter is investigated by Fosun Pharma and BioNTech, the German company that created the vaccine with American pharmaceutical firm Pfizer.

Government officials say they haven't found any evidence the shots were unsafe but suspended their use as a precaution.

The semi-autonomous territory of Macao also says its residents will not receive the Pfizer vaccinations from the same batch.

More than 150,000 people in Hong Kong have received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

The suspension leaves only China's Sinovac vaccine for use in Hong Kong.

Sixty-two percent of Americans say they have either received a COVID-19 vaccine or are seeking one as soon as possible, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).

Since December, the poll has found more Americans are eager to get vaccinated. In December, just 34% said they were seeking a vaccine as soon as possible. In January, the number was up to 47%, and last month, 55% said they would get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The March 2021 poll found that 17% would wait and see, which is down significantly from past polls.

Roughly one-fifth of those polled said they would definitely not get a vaccine or only get one if required, which is consistent with recent polls.

The KFF poll also found that one-third of Americans who say they’re eligible for a vaccine have attempted to schedule a shot, but nearly half of them have been unsuccessful.

As of Tuesday, 28.9% of the US population is partially or fully vaccinated, and 16.1% are fully vaccinated, according to a CDC database.

How many Americans needing to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity is a question scientists are still trying to grapple with. The threshold for herd immunity varies based on the transmissibility of a disease. For instance, measles requires 95% vaccination rates to achieve herd immunity, according to the World Health Organization, however for a disease like polio, only 80% need to be vaccinated for herd immunity.

The Biden administration on Monday announced more details regarding its commitment to donate 80 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the rest of the world by the end of June.

On Monday, the White House announced the distribution list of 55 million doses of vaccine.

According to the White House, 41 million doses will be shared with COVAX and be delivered to the following countries.

• Approximately 14 million for Latin America and the Caribbean to the following: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Costa Rica.
• Approximately 16 million for Asia to the following: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Cambodia, and the Pacific Islands.
• Approximately 10 million for Africa to be shared with countries that will be selected in coordination with the African Union.

The other 14 million doses will be shared with Colombia, Argentina, Haiti, other CARICOM countries, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Tunisia, Oman, West Bank and Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova, and Bosnia.

The White House previously announced the destination of the remaining 25 million vaccine doses of its initial 80 million dose pledge earlier this month.

During a White House press briefing on Monday, press secretary Jen Psaki noted that officials have made "Herculean logistical effort" in sharing vaccine doses. She noted that in addition to the typical storage and shipping challenges that come along with transporting vaccines, the White House is also attempting to overcome language barriers and other international shipping issues.

During a foreign trip last week, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. had committed to providing the world with an additional 500 million vaccine doses through COVAX within a year. Other G-7 nations also agreed to provide 500 million doses of their own for a total of 1 billion doses.

President Joe Biden on Friday celebrated the U.S.'s accomplishment in distributing 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in his first 150 days in office, calling it a "truly American accomplishment."

In remarks from the White House, Biden celebrated the fact that the mass vaccination program has delivered real-world results — COVID-19 infections and deaths are at their lowest points since the virus arrived in America in March 2020.

"Folks, we're heading into a very different summer from last year. A bright summer, one filled with hope," Biden said.

In a statement released Friday, the White House noted that the rate of vaccination has exploded since Biden took office on Jan. 20. As of Friday, 87% of seniors and 74% of adults over 40 have received at least one shot, and 15 states have partially vaccinated 70% of their adult population.

However, time is running short on Biden's current vaccination goal. He has said he hopes to have 70% of U.S. adults partially vaccinated by July 4 — with 16 days remaining, the CDC says 65% of adults have gotten at least one shot.

According to Bloomberg, the daily rate of distributed doses fell steadily between mid-April and early June. However, the daily vaccination rate has been on the rise in recent weeks.

The recent rise in vaccinations comes as the Biden administration has partnered with several large businesses to incentivize Americans to get a shot. The White House has partnered with chain retailers to offer sweepstakes to those who get vaccinated in-store, sports teams to offer free tickets to fans who present proof of vaccination and brewers to offer free beers when the U.S. reaches the 70% goal.

Several states have launched their own incentive programs, like Ohio's vaccine lottery that offers grand prizes of $1 million or free college scholarships.

In addition to offering incentives, the Biden White House has partnered with pharmacy chains to extend their hours of operation to make vaccinations more convenient, partnered with childcare centers to offer free drop-in care for those who are getting the vaccine and offered tax credits to small and medium-sized businesses that allow employees to take a day off work to get vaccinated.

Vaccine maker Novavax says its shot is highly effective against COVID-19 and also protects against variants.

The Maryland-based company on Monday announced results from a large, late-stage study in the U.S. and Mexico that found its vaccine was about 90% effective. Preliminary data also showed it was safe.

"Today, Novavax is one step closer to addressing the critical and persistent global public health need for additional COVID-19 vaccines. These clinical results reinforce that NVX-CoV2373 is extremely effective and offers complete protection against both moderate and severe COVID-19 infection," said Stanley C. Erck, the president and CEO of Novavax in a statement. "Novavax continues to work with a sense of urgency to complete our regulatory submissions and deliver this vaccine, built on a well understood and proven platform, to a world that is still in great need of vaccines."

Novavax previously released results from smaller studies in Britain and South Africa.

The company plans by the end of September to file for emergency use authorization in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere.

Novavax's vaccine is made by growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory.

Currently, the U.S. has more supply of COVID-19 vaccines than demand. The Biden administration has said it currently has enough vaccines on hand to vaccinate every American who wants a shot. However, Bloomberg reports that the U.S.'s rate of daily vaccinations has fallen significantly since its peak in mid-April.

While the U.S. market is already saturated with COVID-19 vaccines, the Novavax vaccine could have a significant impact abroad, where many countries have struggled to obtain doses.

William 'Bill' Shakespeare, one of the first people in the U.K. to receive Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine upon its emergency approval, has died of a stroke, the country's National Health Service confirmed to the BBC.

According to local politician Jayne Innes, Shakespeare died last week.

"Greatly saddened and upset to hear our friend, the very lovely Bill Shakespeare, has passed away," Innes tweeted, according to USA Today. "Bill will be remembered for many things, including a taste for mischief. He became an international sensation as the first man to receive a COVID vaccine."

Shakespeare, 81, was the second person to get a Pfizer shot in England on Dec. 8. He was second in line at University Hospital in Coventry, England on Dec. 8 when vaccine distribution opened to the general public. According to the BBC, Shakespeare was a patient in the hospital's "frailty ward" at the time of his vaccination.

A few days after England began public vaccinations, the U.S. formally approved the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use.

"It could make a difference to our lives from now on, couldn't it?" Shakespeare said at the time, according to CBS News. "It's started changing our lives and our lifestyle."

Following his vaccination, Shakespeare's famous name prompted the New York Post to run the headline "TAMING OF THE FLU" — a play on the famous Shakespeare play "The Taming of the Shrew."

According to the BBC, Shakespeare leaves behind his wife of 53 years, two sons and several grandchildren.

WASHINGTON —

A smiling crowd of unmasked people filling the largest room in the White House.

A visiting head of state welcomed with pomp, circumstance and handshakes. A 94-year old Medal of Honor recipient receiving a joyous hug from Vice President Kamala Harris.

The White House is springing back to life.

Thanks to growing availability of the coronavirus vaccine and a recent relaxation of federal guidance on masks and distancing, the Biden administration is embracing the look and feel of pre-pandemic days on Pennsylvania Avenue. More West Wing staffers are turning up there for work and more reporters will be doing so as well, as the White House spreads the message that a return to normal is possible with vaccinations.

There are lingering concerns about safety and mixed messaging — the same contradictions and confusions that are popping up across a nation that is gingerly re-opening. But the images of a reopened, relaxed White House stand in striking contrast to the days when it was the site of several COVID-19 outbreaks last year, a sign of just how far the pandemic has begun to recede in the United States.

"We're back," White House press secretary Jen Psaki declared at Friday's daily briefing. "I can confirm we're a warm and fuzzy crew and we like to hug around here."

The changes within the White House over the past week were swift and sweeping. Hugs were in, masks were (mostly) out. There was no need to stand six feet apart. And no one seemed to enjoy the shift more than Biden, the most back-slapping and tactile of politicians.

The president had been happy to announce the relaxed mask guidance when he appeared in the Rose Garden on May 13 without a mask, just hours after the CDC said those who are fully vaccinated don't need to wear masks in most settings. That cheerfulness carried over this past week into a series of larger public events that would have been out of bounds earlier in Biden's presidency.

For the second straight day, the White House on Friday opened the East Room — the executive mansion's largest room — to scores of outside guests. Smiling broadly, Biden awarded the Medal of Honor for the first time as commander in chief, giving it to 94-year-old retired Col. Ralph Puckett Jr. for acts of bravery during the Korean War some 70 years ago.

The White House timed Friday's ceremony to coincide with the visit of South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, who joined Biden at the event before their policy meetings. Both world leaders repeatedly clasped Puckett's hands and crowded in for a photo with the war hero's extended family.

A day earlier, an even larger group of lawmakers and other guests were on hand to witness Biden sign legislation to counter an alarming spike in crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, were among the lawmakers trading hugs and kisses.

"The nicest part is being able to shake hands again and to see people's smiles," Collins marveled at one point.

Afterward, lawmakers who helped shepherd the legislation through Congress surrounded Biden as he signed the measure into law. The president also engaged in an act that had largely disappeared from official Washington during the pandemic: He shook hands with a few guests before leaving.

Earlier that day, he had welcomed the newest Kennedy Center honorees to the White House for a visit that marked the return of celebrity wattage to the property.

By multiple accounts from Kennedy Center Honors recipients, the White House event was high-spirited, with Biden seemingly thrilled to have visitors.

Debbie Allen called the president, "so engaging and open. He spent a lot more time with us than I expected."

Joan Baez said the official visit "turned into a jolly romp," included a tour of the Rose Garden and culminated in Baez singing for Biden.

Due to social distancing guidelines, the number of journalists allowed inside the White House shrunk once the pandemic hit, with the briefing room only about a quarter full for Psaki's daily question-and-answer sessions.

Capacity is slated to go to 50% soon, with the goal of a full return by summer. The daily COVID-19 testing requirement for staff and most journalists was also expected to soon be waived for the fully vaccinated. And the parking spaces around the West Wing and Eisenhower Executive Office Building have been fuller as of late.

Psaki said the effort to return to a more normal vibe was part of "continuing to open the White House up, the people's house up to the American people."

But questions remain about protocol.

Abiding by the safety guidelines is a matter of the honor system. And Psaki acknowledged Friday that the White House did not have plans to verify vaccination status. Members of the administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have continued, at times, to offer confusing guidance on exactly when, and by whom, a mask should still be worn.

Yet in most ways, the mood has changed dramatically.

The first image that Americans saw of Biden at the White House as president was on Inauguration Day, as he sat behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office wearing a mask. Aiming to draw a stark contrast with the Trump White House, which took a cavalier attitude toward the virus within the building, the Democratic administration consistently erred on the side of caution, at times exceeding precautions recommended by the CDC.

For months, Biden had privately groused that the pandemic prevented him from having face-to-face meetings with lawmakers and world leaders alike, and he chafed at having to conduct diplomacy by Zoom.

On Friday, the White House unfurled all of its traditional in-person pageantry for Moon's visit and the two men were able to sit across from each other in the State Dining Room and, later, answer questions before a mask-free audience of diplomats, officials and reporters.

Moon had opened his day with a visit to Harris' office in the White House complex, where the two stepped out on a balcony for a quick wave. The sun was shining. Smiles were everywhere. There wasn't a cicada in sight.

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Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writer Ashraf Khalil contributed to this report.

Children ages 12 and older can now roll up their sleeves for COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S., offering parents and schools a chance to relax their pandemic precautions and bringing the country a step closer to controlling the virus.

A government advisory committee recommended Pfizer's vaccine for children 12 and older on Wednesday, after the Food and Drug Administration expanded authorization of the shots to the age group earlier in the week.

Here's what you need to know:

ARE THE SHOTS THE SAME AS THOSE FOR ADULTS?

Yes. The dose and the schedule are the same; the two shots are given three weeks apart.

WHERE CAN KIDS GET THE SHOTS?

Pharmacies, state sites and other places that are already vaccinating people 16 and older with the Pfizer vaccine should be able to give the shots to all authorized ages in most cases.

"All those sites can simply extend down to the younger age group," Dr. Janet Woodcock, the FDA's acting commissioner, said in a call with reporters after the agency expanded authorization.

Video: Teens come out in droves for coronavirus vaccinations

School districts are also preparing to host vaccination clinics to speed up the campaign. And since parents might feel more comfortable with their pediatricians and primary care doctors, health officials are working to make the shots more widely available at private practices.

WILL KIDS NEED A GUARDIAN?

Parental consent will be needed, but exactly how it's obtained could vary.

For vaccinations at school-based clinics, for example, parents might be able to give consent by signing a form, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and president of Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

Walgreens said a parent or guardian will need to be present and sign a consent form, but noted guidelines on parental consent vary by jurisdiction.

In Pennsylvania's Montgomery County, anyone under 18 needs to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Proof of guardianship and the child's age aren't being checked, said Kelly Cofrancisco, a spokeswoman for the county, which began vaccinating younger teens Tuesday.

HOW WAS THE VACCINE VETTED FOR KIDS?

Pfizer's late-stage vaccine study tested the safety and efficacy of the shots in about 44,000 people 16 and older. The study then enlisted about 2,200 children ages 12 to 15 to check for any differences in how the shots performed in that age group.

"This is just extending it down from 16 and 17 year olds, and getting further information," Woodcock said.

None of the children who got the real shots in the study developed COVID-19, compared with 16 who got the dummy shots. That confirmed previous finding among adults that the shots are highly effective.

Children were also followed for two months after the second shot as part of the study.

Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, said there's no reason the shots would be less effective or have any unique safety issues in children compared with adults.

WHY ONLY THE PFIZER VACCINE?

Because only Pfizer, which developed the vaccine with its German partner BioNTech, has completed studies in younger teens. Moderna recently said preliminary results from its study in 12- to 17-year-olds show strong protection and no serious side effects, but regulators still need to review the results before it can be offered to younger people.

WHAT SIDE EFFECTS ARE EXPECTED?

Common side effects were similar to those experienced by adults, and included fatigue, headache, muscle pain and fever. Except for pain in the arm where the needle is injected, the effects were likelier after the second shot.

Dr. Michael Smith, medical director of the Duke Children's Health Center Infectious Diseases Clinic, noted that younger people tend to have more robust immune systems that respond better to vaccines. That explains why side effects were more common in the 12 to 15 age group than among adults, he said.

It's also why trials for children younger than 12 are testing different doses.

"You need to find that dose that is enough to give a good immune response, without giving too many side effects," Smith said.

Dosages for children and adults are the same for many other vaccines, he noted.

CAN KIDS GET OTHER ROUTINE VACCINATIONS AT THE SAME TIME?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it's updating its guidance to say other routine vaccinations can be given at the same time as the COVID-19 shots. It previously advised against other vaccinations within a two-week window so it could monitor people for potential side effects.

The American Academy of Pediatrics said it agrees with the position.

WHEN WILL YOUNGER KIDS BE ELIGIBLE?

It's unclear how long the ongoing trials or regulatory reviews will take. But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, recently suggested it could happen this year.

"We think by the time we get to the end of this year we will have enough information to vaccinate children of any age," he said.

WHY SHOULD KIDS GET VACCINATED?

Even though children are far less likely to get severely ill if infected, health officials note the risk isn't zero.

Vaccinating children is also key to ending the pandemic, since children can get infected and spread the virus to others, even if they don't get sick themselves.

About 20% of the U.S. population is younger than 16, according to Census data. That included about 16.7 million children ages 12 to 15 in 2019.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.