People looking to boost their COVID-19 vaccinations have surpassed the number of people looking to begin them and the additional doses may soon be made available to a greater proportion of the U.S.

According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 1.3 times as many boosters administered each day than first shots.

And the number could grow, as the CDC's vaccine advisory committee meets Wednesday to weigh approval for mixing and matching boosters as well as booster doses for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Up until this week, only the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for use as a booster for certain high-risk groups who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago.

But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday authorized booster doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and said any of the three authorized vaccines could be used as a booster in a "mix and match approach" for eligible individuals.

Thursday's meeting will decide which groups the CDC recommends the boosters for. Typically, shots can be administered once the CDC director signs off on the recommendation.

The FDA could also soon lower the age range on its emergency use authorizations for booster shots for coronavirus vaccines once more safety data comes in, officials told reporters Wednesday.

"We want to make sure that if we deploy the boosters in all of the age ranges, that we truly are making a benefit outweigh any risk," Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's vaccine arm, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said. "We will not hesitate to drop this age range as we see this benefit outweigh the risk, and because of the EUA authority that we have, we can do that in a relatively quick amount of time."

Health experts have said that vaccination is the key to controlling the spread of COVID-19, and many are still encouraging more Americans to get their first doses.

But evidence suggests that immunity from full vaccination can wane, which drove the need to authorize booster doses of coronavirus vaccine, acting FDA commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said Wednesday.

"To date, the currently available data suggest waning immunity in some populations of fully vaccinated people," Woodcock told reporters during a telephone briefing.

"And the availability of these authorized boosters is important for continued protection against COVID-19 disease," she added. "The actions we have taken ... help address this waning immunity."

Vaccinating children will play a "major role" in controlling the pandemic

Young children are still not eligible for even their first doses, but experts say their protection will be key to bringing the pandemic under control.

Currently, only adolescents as young as 12 are eligible for vaccines, but data has been submitted to the FDA for doses for children 5-11.

About 28 million children 5-11 could soon become eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if the FDA authorizes shots for this age group and if the CDC recommends it.

Getting most children vaccinated against COVID-19 will "play a major role" in slowing the spread of disease and pushing the nation closer to herd immunity, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday.

"In the era of delta, children get infected as readily as adults do. And they transmit the infection as readily as adults do. We may not appreciate that, because about 50% of the infections in children are asymptomatic," Fauci told a White House COVID-19 briefing.

"If we can get the overwhelming majority of those 28 million children vaccinated, I think that would play a major role in diminishing the spread of infection in the community," said Fauci, who is chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"That's one of the reasons why we want to do as best as we can to get those children from 5 to 11 vaccinated."

And when they do roll out, the U.S. surgeon general said he wants to make vaccines available to children as soon as possible.

"That preparation takes planning, it takes time, and that's why we've been working very hard to do a few things over the last several weeks to months," Dr. Vivek Murthy said on NBC's Today.

Pandemic plummeted attendance rates for homeless students

Although children have not had the highest rates of infection, they have faced many of the pandemic's impacts. And for children without homes, there have been even more barriers.

Attendance rates of homeless students in New York City public schools have dropped significantly amid the pandemic, according to a study released this week by the Advocates for Children of New York.

The study, which used attendance data from the NYC Department of Education (DOE), documented that the average attendance rate of students in shelter during the first couple of weeks of the winter semester was only 73%. The year-to-date attendance rate for students in shelters is 78.5%, according to the DOE.

There are especially high rates of absenteeism at the high school level, according to the study. Tenth graders "missed more than one out of every three school days in winter and spring 2021, while 9th, 11th, and 12th graders in shelter were absent more than 25% of the time," according to the advocacy group.

The study shows that even prior to the pandemic, the average attendance rate for New York City students living in shelters during the 2019-20 school year was only 83.2%, compared to 92.2% for permanently housed students. COVID-19 only added new barriers.

"High rates of absenteeism in winter and spring 2021 point to a particular need for support for students living in shelter as schools reopen this year," the study says.

The non-profit organization recommended that the DOE should use federal COVID-19 relief funds to hire 150 shelter-based DOE community coordinators as a start to "overhaul the education support system in shelters." Community coordinators are typically responsible for providing support and resources to help students get to school.

"If we want to break the cycle of family homelessness, the city must address barriers to attendance for students in shelter," Jennifer Pringle, Director of Advocates for Children's Learners in Temporary Housing project said. "Fortunately, the DOE is in a position to tackle barriers to attendance for students in shelters with the tens of millions of dollars in federal American Rescue Plan Act — Homeless funds it is poised to receive."

According to the New York City DOE, it is in the process of planning for the use of federal money to expand staffing. There are currently 324 DOE personnel in direct contact with homeless students and their families daily, according to the department.

Throughout August, the risk of dying from COVID-19 was 11 times higher for unvaccinated adults than for fully vaccinated adults in the United States, according to new data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Unvaccinated adults faced a six times higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19 throughout the month, and in the last week of August, the risk of being hospitalized was nearly 19 times higher for unvaccinated adults than fully vaccinated adults.

Related video above: FDA panel endorses booster for Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Some states and local jurisdictions have recently started publishing COVID-19 case, death and hospitalization rates by vaccination status on their own dashboards, and the CDC has been working with health departments to link case surveillance data with immunization information systems for their own analysis.

While the CDC analysis is not fully comprehensive, the data published late Thursday is the first federal look at COVID-19 risks by vaccination status made publicly available with plans for regular updates.

Case data by vaccination status is available from 14 states in all regions of the United States, as well as New York City and Seattle's King County, representing about 30% of the total U.S. population. Death data is available from all but one of those jurisdictions, and hospitalization data is from a different set of 13 states.

The CDC data shows that the risk of death from COVID-19 for unvaccinated adults has dipped in recent weeks as the pace of new cases drops across the country. By the last week of August, COVID-19 death rates among unvaccinated adults were about 30% lower than they were in the first week of the month, dropping from an incidence rate of 13 deaths per 100,000 people to about 9 deaths per 100,000 people.

But since April, the risk for fully vaccinated adults has never been higher than 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people.

Last week, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky noted that there are still pockets of unvaccinated people in the U.S. who are not protected against the virus.

"The virus isn't stupid," she said. "It's going to go there."

While the risk of cases and deaths have dropped, the CDC data also shows that the rate of hospitalizations among unvaccinated adults has continued to climb, up more than 80% from the first week in August to the last.

Risk ratios vary by age group. For example, the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations among adults under the age of 50 is about 15 times higher for unvaccinated people than for fully vaccinated people. For those aged 50 to 64, the hospitalization rate is 31 times higher for unvaccinated people, and for those aged 65 and older, the hospitalization rate is 16 times higher for unvaccinated people.

"Getting vaccinated for COVID-19 reduces the risk of getting COVID-19 and helps protect you from severe illness even if you do get COVID-19," according to the CDC. The agency is leading studies to continue to monitor vaccine effectiveness and breakthrough cases over time.

A Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) analysis from Wednesday estimates that there were more than 90,000 preventable COVID-19 deaths among unvaccinated adults over the past three months, with more than half of them occurring in September alone.

After falling to the seventh leading cause of death in July, COVID-19 surged back to the second leading cause of death in September, according to KFF. Only heart disease killed more people than COVID-19 in the U.S. in September, and COVID-19 was the top cause of death for adults age 35 to 54 in both August and September.

"With the rapid uptake in vaccinations in the months when vaccines first became widely available, COVID-19 deaths fell sharply," according to KFF. "However, with the more infectious COVID-19 Delta variant, insufficient vaccination rates, and local and state governments easing up social distancing restrictions, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths increased again."

As the public information point person for dozens of hospitals throughout Greater Cincinnati, Christa Hyson understands why people who are not medical experts are questioning the way COVID-19 vaccines are being administered."I know it can be kind of confusing to receive the information where it's, like, well this many doses were given to you, but only this many were administered. Why is that? Well, it is such a complex process," Hyson said. "We are making sure we are hitting the right people in the right phase in the right time."While critics at the national level complain about vaccine promises versus reality, Hyson, public information officer for The Health Collaborative, and others involved in the vaccination planning process are comfortable with where things currently stand."So far, so good. So, some of the shipments that came in were more than we expected. And some of the shipments were less than we expected. But here's the good thing - In our southwest Ohio region, we're good at sharing," Hyson said."You can always look after the fact and say, 'Hey, you now, maybe a different structure would have been better.' But that was what the federal government created and Ohio is simply implementing that. And it seems, you know, a lot of people are getting vaccinated quickly," said Peter Van Runkle, executive director of the Ohio Health Care Association.Speaking Monday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Ohio can only distribute the doses of vaccine that the state receives. While he called that a "supply problem," DeWine sang the praises of UC Health for getting shots into the arms of front line health care workers as quickly as possible."It's nice to see that what we're doing is recognized," UC Health Dr. Dustin Calhoun said. "Obviously, the most important thing is that we help everyone to be as efficient as we've managed to be. ... Managing to make the right decisions at the right time in a quick manner is really what makes the difference."Calhoun knows it's easy to be critical of the rollout, but he said the process is so incredibly complex that if it's not done the right way, then that would create even more consternation.

Members of the White House COVID response team say vaccinations are ramping up with six million people getting a shot in the past seven days. 

But while vaccinations are up, so are COVID case numbers and hospitalizations 

Officials are urging local leaders and private companies to enact more vaccine mandates now that the Pfizer vaccine has received full FDA approval.

Dr. Anthony Fauci has said we could see the beginning of the end of the pandemic next spring – but added vaccines are the best way to get there.

"Rather than focus on the situation of getting a specific timeline, I would like to appeal to this country – to the people in the country who are not vaccinated – to realize that we have the capability among ourselves to essentially cut down the time frame to getting the end of this pandemic very, very clearly by just listening to everything you have heard on this press conference," he said. "Get vaccinated and the time frame will be truncated dramatically."

This story was originally reported on Newsy.com.

Some good news about COVID-19 vaccinations. The number of Americans who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is more than the total number of Americans who have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic started.

As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 26.44 million people in this country had gotten at least one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Those are the two vaccines approved by the FDA for emergency use right now.

At the same time, Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 tracker reports that 26.377 million people in this country have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last year.

The number of Americans getting vaccinated each day is increasing, while at the same time, there is a plateau or even decline in some areas, in the number of new COVID-19 infections each day.

Soon there could be a third vaccine option for people in this country, as Johnson & Johnson plans to apply for FDA’s emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine this month.

BOSTON, Mass. — On any given winter day on any other year in this country, being homeless is difficult enough. But in the middle of a pandemic, this has been a winter like none for those, with no place to call home.

And the effort to inoculate the more than 500,000 people in this country who are homeless is proving to be difficult.

Across the country, the burden of vaccinating the homeless is falling on nonprofits and shelters. Health officials say it's critical those who are homeless get the shot, because so many who live on the streets often survive in tightknit groups, giving the virus a perfect opportunity to spread.

"They are a tight community. Social distancing is not easy. They rely on each other. It’s critical we get as many as we can to get them vaccinated, so that begins to spread out as a network," said Larry Mayes with Catholic Charities of Boston.

On a recent Thursday morning, Mayes' group was working to distribute 30 doses of the vaccine they had received from the State of Massachusetts. It’s a seemingly small number, but a monumentally large step forward in ending the pandemic.

However, the process of vaccinating those who are homeless is not without challenges. Simply letting the homeless know about vaccination sites is difficult. Even more challenging is making sure they come back to get their second shot.

"The more people who get vaccinated from all walks of life, whether they’re homeless or not, that it’s the thing to do, it helps all of us as a whole," Mayes said.

On any given night in this country, more than a half million people experience homelessness. Those who are homeless are more susceptible to catching communicable diseases. Poorer access to health care in general also typically translates to fewer opportunities for vaccinations.

"We have to be proactive. It’s not waiting for them to come to us. We have to go to them, and you have to keep going out," Maye added.

This group and others across the country are relying on networks and nonprofits who have already built relationships with those who are homeless to encourage them to come in and get vaccinated.

"You have to look at it as a super charged campaign to encourage people to be vaccinated."

NEW YORK —

Broadway theatergoers will need to prove they've been vaccinated for COVID-19 and masks will be required when theaters reopen in the coming weeks, producers announced Friday.

Audience members will have to wear face coverings and show proof they are fully vaccinated by an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine when they enter the theaters, the Broadway League said in a news release.

There will be exceptions to the vaccine rule for children under 12, who are not yet eligible for any of the approved shots, and for people with a medical condition or religious belief that prevents vaccination, the theater operators said. Those individuals will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Masks are required for the audience except while eating or drinking in designated locations.

"As vaccination has proven the most effective way to stay healthy and reduce transmission, I'm pleased that the theatre owners have decided to implement these collective safeguards at all our Broadway houses," Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin said.

The move comes a day after Actors' Equity Association, the union which represents nearly 52,000 actors and stage managers, said it would require cast and crew members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Company members who are not vaccinated, including those under the age of 12, must continue to wear masks, practice physical distancing when possible and undergo testing at least twice a week. The protocols apply to both Broadway productions and Equity-backed shows across the nation.

Bruce Springsteen's one-man show is the only performance currently running on Broadway. Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu's "Pass Over" is set to open Wednesday at the August Wilson Theatre. Most other theaters will open in September or October after being shuttered since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020.

Ticket holders for performances scheduled through Oct. 31 will be notified of the vaccination policy, Broadway League officials said. For performances in November 2021 and beyond, the theater operators will review the policy and made changes if science dictates, they said.

CLEVELAND — As the COVID-19 vaccine has become widely available to all Americans, the head of the CDC has stated that the coronavirus outbreak "is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated." Statistics just released by the Ohio Department of Health validate that claim.

Of the 6,846 total deaths caused by COVID-19 that occurred in Ohio from Jan 1., 2021 to July 21, 2021, 6,812 of them have been among individuals who were not reported to be fully vaccinated, according to data provided to News 5 by the ODH. That means that 99.5% of the people who died from COVID-19 in Ohio this year were unvaccinated.

The CDC is now recommending people who are vaccinated against COVID-19 wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging.

"The vaccines were intended to keep people out of the hospital and to keep people from dying, and that they do remarkably well," said Dr. Claudia Hoyen the medical director of infection control for University Hospitals. "They keep people safe from very serious infection, but that isn’t to say that even if you’re vaccinated you might not get a mild case of COVID. When there are so many people that are still unvaccinated, those people will be at risk for all of those other things in term of hospitalizations and mortality."

Of the 17,129 total COVID-19 hospitalizations in Ohio over the same period, 16,924 were among individuals who were not reported to be fully vaccinated, ODH said. Out of everyone who was hospitalized for COVID-19 so far this year, 98.8% of them were not vaccinated.

Viewed another way, there were 205 “breakthrough” hospitalizations and just 34 breakthrough deaths among the population of 5.3 million fully-vaccinated Ohioans as of July 21, meaning just .0039% of fully vaccinated Ohioans were hospitalized for the disease, and about .0006% died.

To put that in perspective, your odds of dying from COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated in Ohio are about 1 in 166,666. Your odds of being struck by lightning at some point in your life are about 1 in 15,300, according to the National Weather Service. So you’re about ten times more likely to be struck by lightning than to die from COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated. How many people do you know who have been struck by lightning? Statistically speaking, you’d meet 10 people who have been struck by lightning before knowing a vaccinated Ohioan who died from COVID-19.

Bear in mind that is merely a statistical exercise from generalized, statewide COVID-19 data, and an individual’s risk for contracting the disease will vary widely based on numerous factors, such as their age, their health, where they live and their exposure to the virus.

But the numbers are clear: as more and more Ohioans got vaccinated over the course of this year, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths dropped, even as more of the state was opening up and there were more chances for community spread.

Below are up-to-date charts showing the number of COVID-19 cases in Ohio:

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Ohio:

COVID-19 deaths in Ohio:

And a county-by-county timeline of vaccinations:

But as the Delta variant has gained footing in the United States and Ohio, cases have gradually been trending up in the last few weeks.

“After a period of steady decline, we continue to see a pattern of COVID-19 cases rising again in Ohio,” said ODH Medical Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff Monday. The statewide average of cases per 100,000 residents over two weeks is 45.8, as of Thursday, July 22, he said. This is an increase from the two-week average of 27 per 100,000 reported on July 15, and a significant increase from the low of 17.6 on July 7.

Recall that the threshold for lifting the health mandates in Ohio was to be 50 cases per 100,000, indicated by the red line on the chart above. While Vanderhoff said the average as of July 22 was 45.8, data from the ODH that includes cases in incarcerated individuals puts the average slightly above that threshold as of Tuesday.

“All signs point to this increase in cases being a result of the Delta variant, which is even more contagious than the B117 or alpha variant that preceded it, and which itself was more contagious than the virus that caused our winter surge,” Vanderhoff said. “It simply takes less of this virus to spread from the mouth or nose of an infected person to that of another non infected person.”

Fortunately, Vanderhoff said, the vaccines continue to provide a strong protection against even the new Delta variant.

“As a result, COVID-19 remains a threat primarily for unvaccinated Ohioans,” Vanderhoff said. “As a result, those who aren't yet vaccinated are encouraged to wear a mask in indoor spaces and outdoors in crowded spaces. And when social distancing simply isn't possible, if you aren't yet sure about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, we ask you to talk to your doctor or other trusted health care provider about the safety of covid-19 vaccines and side effects, which are mostly mild and short duration.”

Visit our Vaccinating Ohio page for the latest updates on Ohio's vaccination program, including links to sign up for a vaccine appointment, a map of nearby vaccination sites, a detailed breakdown of the state's current vaccine phase, and continuing local coverage of COVID-19 vaccines in Northeast Ohio.

Download the News 5 app for free for your Apple or Google device for the latest vaccine and COVID-19 news, and for limited and timely news alerts on vaccines, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other important local news and weather.

CINCINNATI —

Ohio doctors are holding their breath as vaccinations start to stall out.

They said Tuesday the dangerous delta variant is gathering more steam, so they are watching what they called a troubling trend that could carry the pandemic into the fall and winter months.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned about it Tuesday

Rochelle Walensky, the director, said, "The delta variant now represents 83% of sequenced cases. This is a dramatic increase from, up from 50% the week of July 3rd. In some parts of the country, the percentage is even higher, particularly in areas of low vaccination rates."

Just since last night, hospitalizations in the Cincinnati region spiked 20%.

Kate Schroder of the Health Collaborative said, "35% of the cases in Ohio are driven by the delta variant."

But those figures were three weeks old, so she fully expected a much higher percentage now.

"Probably the majority of cases," she said.

Currently, southwest Ohio is vaccinating roughly 600 people a day. Medical doctors said they understood how people are riding a wave of COVID burnout at concerts, ball games and gatherings despite what is fast becoming a variant-fueled pandemic.

"There will be a fourth wave," said Dr. Carl Fichtenbaum of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. "The question is how big will it be?"

Dr. Robert Frenck, who conducts clinical trials at Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, advised those who are reluctant to get the shot to think of it this way: you are at war with your daily environment, exposed to viruses and bacteria.

So, he said when a vaccine starts killing off a virus, "then the virus changes, it mutates because that's the way it can then continue."

That's what delta is doing.

Just as in a ball game, it is adjusting to the defense. It matters not if you're rural, urban, male, female, black, white, whatever.

The variant is an equal opportunity danger that is simply looking for a host.

"And the best way we have to keep the virus from finding people to infect is to have immunity through vaccination," Frenck said.

For the moment, Ohio is better off than bordering states like Kentucky and Michigan. But with fewer vaccinations and more hospitalizations, the concern about delta increases as the school year approaches.

Dr. Fichtenbaum said the question of whether to vaccinate or not vaccinate children will likely leave parents drawing very strong battle lines.

Medical experts believe delta is 50% more efficient at passing from person to person and that it can make youth sicker and leave one out of every three with chronic symptoms like brain fog and heart disease.

We're told the clinical trials for children under twelve could produce a vaccine by December. They're using lower doses and getting good results.

"We're getting the same immune response using about one-third of the amount of vaccine that we're needing in even young adults," Frenck said. "So, I would say that's very encouraging."

According to local doctors, 99% of the deaths in recent months have been people who were unvaccinated. The same for 97% of the hospitalizations.

Right now, we benefit from the airy summer weather, which will give way to fall, flu season and more indoor activity in a couple of months.

"It's going to be even harder to protect ourselves," Schroder said. "So, this really is the moment to make a difference and to continue to push up our community vaccination rate."

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice didn't mince words Tuesday in urging his constituents to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

During a televised press conference, Justice, a Republican, told West Virginians who are choosing not to get vaccinated that they "part of the problem," adding that their actions could cause more people in the state to die of the virus.

"If you're not vaccinated, you're part of the problem rather than part of the solution. You know, that's all there is to it," Justice said. "If we had you vaccinated, less people would die. That's all there is to it."

West Virginia is among a handful of states that are lagging behind the national average when it comes to vaccine distribution. Just 47% of West Virginians are fully vaccinated, compared with 55% of the entire country.

According to Bloomberg, West Virginia ranks 45th out of 51 U.S. states (plus D.C.) for the number of vaccines distributed per capita.

Young people are among the groups holding the state back from reaching herd immunity. Just 54% of West Virginians above 12 have been vaccinated, compared with 77% of people older than 65.

Justice has tried to incentivize young people to get vaccinated with $100 saving bonds and cash lotteries. However, West Virginia continues to lag behind other states when it comes to vaccine distribution.

"When it really boils right down to it, they're in a lottery to themselves," Justice told ABC News in an interview that aired Sunday. "We have a lottery, you know, that basically says, 'if you're vaccinated, we're going to give you stuff.' Well, you've got another lottery going on, and it's the death lottery."

Across the country, vaccine distribution has slowed in recent months. According to Bloomberg, the U.S. has distributed an average of 800,000 vaccine doses a day in the past week, down from a peak of 3.3 million a day in April.

Officials fear that places like West Virginia — where large swaths of people remain unvaccinated — could soon be the site of new COVID-19 outbreaks as the dangerous delta variant quickly spreads around the world.

TAMPA, Fla. — Tracie Wiechmann has taken every precaution during the pandemic, especially for her adult son, Christopher.

She said though the whole family got vaccinated, they aren’t sure how much protection he has since he has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

“For him, we don’t know how protected he is, he’s in a medically fragile state,” Wiechmann said.

She said when the pandemic started, Christopher stayed home from work and they stopped visits from caregivers to reduce risk. But once he was vaccinated, they decided to see a doctor for back pain.

“We were in for a bit of a rude awakening when we went because we kind of had that assumption that healthcare providers would certainly be vaccinated and we discovered that wasn’t the case,” Wiechmann said.

Wiechmann said she learned some staff were not vaccinated and later learned a wheelchair technician and respiratory therapist who arrived for home visits weren’t either.

“I spoke to a lot of people after our experience and they were all shocked and I would say 99% of the people I talked to assumed healthcare workers were vaccinated because they had access to it before the rest of us did,” Wiechmann said. “And I just want people to know if you’re in that situation and you do have a compromised immune system — before you go anywhere, you call and you ask those questions before you go anywhere.”

According to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, as of June 4, 58.2% of current hospital staff in the state have received the vaccine. The information is self-reported by health facilities.

“It’s not going very well overall pending on the location," said Jay Wolfson, a senior associate vice president at the Morsani College of Medicine. "Some large healthcare institutions have had 70-80% success in getting at least one shot some cases two, others are sometimes lower than 20%. The highest risk place appears to be long-term care facilities.”

Wolfson said mandating vaccines is a tricky issue since none of the COVID-19 vaccines have been approved beyond an emergency use authorization.

“In Florida, you cannot mandate it yet though the employment lawyers and the occupational safety health administration are indicating that you can," Wolfson said. "A very recent — just this past week — federal court in Texas for the Methodist Hospital in Houston said that the hospital may mandate that its employees get vaccinated even without the final approval by the FDA beyond the EUA. So this is a very significant decision by a federal court."

Johns Hopkins Medicine, which includes Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, announced it would require clinical and nonclinical personnel to be fully vaccinated by September.

Other hospital systems in the Tampa area are not requiring vaccinations, but encouraging it for all employees.

Daycare said it’s not requiring the vaccine but highly encourages it for team members and community members eligible to receive it.

“The Delta variant is just one more reason people should get vaccinated. To reduce risk of exposure, masks are required inside all of our hospitals and patient care areas,” a Daycare spokesperson said.

HCA Healthcare said they strongly encourage it, but don’t require it.

“While in our hospitals, our employees are masked, regardless of vaccine status. We have provided 23,900 COVID-19 vaccines to date, which includes vaccinations provided to our caregivers and the community,” an HCA spokesperson said.

AdventHealth said while the vaccine is not currently required, they strongly encourage their team members to get the COVID-19 vaccination.

A spokesperson for Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System said approximately 70% of their employees and more than 90% of their physicians and medical staff members have been vaccinated.

“We want everyone to get vaccinated, but at this time we are not mandating the shot, primarily because the vaccines are currently approved by the FDA for emergency use only. We continually monitor the data, expert guidance and regulatory changes, and like most hospitals will re-evaluate vaccination requirements in the weeks ahead, especially once the vaccines receive full FDA approval,” the spokesperson said.

In the meantime, Wiechmann is hoping to see more shots in arms and people help protect those who are vulnerable.

“Just have some compassion, if you could — wear a mask if you’re not vaccinated, just to protect other people,” she said.

According to the Florida Department of Health’s weekly COVID-19 report, 55% of Floridians are vaccinated.

A USF statewide survey showed of adults who haven’t been vaccinated more than 35% said they will "probably not" or "definitely not" get vaccinated, while nearly a quarter are still undecided.

This story was originally published by Haley Bull on Scripps station WFTS in Tampa, Florida.

Video above: COVID-19 Delta variant spread contingent on number of people vaccinated, doctor says

As pediatricians vaccinate newly eligible children and teens against COVID-19, some of them say they are giving just as many shots to adults.

When the Biden administration kicked off a "month of action" this June, aimed at vaccinating 70% of the adult population with at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by July 4, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy acknowledged it wouldn't be an easy task.

"Because we had so much success early on, we are now getting to the part of the campaign which is tougher," Murthy said. "We've got to look further, if you will — convince more people, get to the right information, increase access even further."

With CDC data showing 64.6% of the adult population vaccinated with at least one dose and vaccines available to Americans 12 and older, pediatricians are now working to fill in some of the gaps in vaccine coverage.

One month after Sandhills Pediatrics in Southern Pines, North Carolina started offering the COVID-19 vaccine, the practice administered 940 doses of the Pfizer vaccine — 268 went not to patients, but adults over the age of 23.

Dr. Christoph Diasio, a pediatrician at the office, said he offers the vaccine to most patients and their family members.

"I've seen every reaction from arms crossed, basically jumping away from me; 'There's no way I'll get that,' to 'I've been meaning to — I just haven't been able to get it scheduled yet with work,'" Diasio told CNN.

His office has been offering other routine vaccinations, like the flu shot, to family members of patients for years. He says the practice is fairly common among pediatricians nationwide and can provide some protection for babies who are too young to receive the vaccine themselves, like three-week-old James Thomas.

His parents, Amanda and Wayne Thomas, each received their first shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Sandhills Pediatrics last week. Amanda had a high-risk pregnancy, during which both she and Wayne tested positive for COVID-19.

She said her obstetrician recommended getting vaccinated during her pregnancy.

"Even with that recommendation, it was hard to know what to trust with all the information out there — especially at that time because it was so new," Amanda said. "I was kind of at the point where, with my pregnancy, I didn't really want to rock the boat."

After James was born, Amanda said the decision was easier. "You want to do the best for your baby. Covid's part of our world now, so how can I best protect him against this virus that's not going away?"

Amanda said she still had plenty of questions. "When and how do we get it done?" she asked.

"You don't want to go to the pharmacy. You don't want to go to another doctor's office, because you now have a baby that — even in a non-Covid world — you don't really want to take out and about, especially to places that potentially might have sick people."

At James' check-up, Diasio answered the family's questions and gave them the vaccine on the spot.

Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, a pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University, said it's no surprise that pediatricians are extending their vaccination efforts beyond their immediate patients. She said it's a natural progression of their role within the communities they serve. She's seen several families who come in to get vaccinated, with plans to celebrate together afterward.

Dr. Lourdes Pereda, a pediatrician in Angier, North Carolina, said she has been vaccinating adult community members against COVID-19 at almost the same rate as pediatric patients.

Her office recently vaccinated Maria Erika Reyes alongside her 13-year-old son, Kevin, when he came in for a routine physical.

Reyes told CNN she was not interested in getting the COVID-19 vaccine at first until the staff at Pereda's office spoke to her about the protection it could provide both her and Kevin. Maria mainly speaks Spanish, and her 18-year-old-daughter, Brenda, helped translate for her.

"Now we're encouraging my dad to get it as well since he's the one working outside the house," Brenda Reyes said.

Pereda's office, Kidz Pediatrics, caters to many rural and Hispanic families. She says some family members have yet to get vaccinated because they are concerned it will lead to unwanted attention around their immigration status.

When she tells them they can get vaccinated on the spot at her office, "they smile with relief — you have no idea how satisfying that is," she said. "They've known us for years, and we've known their kids for years, and they really trust us. That helps a lot."

Bracho-Sanchez says she's also seen this firsthand. "When we think about that trust we have built, that also includes with families who might be fearful for other reasons — not just fearful of the vaccine itself," she said.

Pereda said she's asked her patients to spread the word to their friends and neighbors that the vaccine is available at her office — and they have.

"The first week or so, I saw patients and their parents. Then I started seeing grandparents and neighbors," said Pereda. "Then there were people I've never seen in my life, and I was happy because that means we're vaccinating more of the community."

Powerful messengers

With about 44% of the total U.S. population fully vaccinated, Bracho-Sanchez said the effort to fill in the remaining gaps should include "places where families already go and where they already feel comfortable getting their information," such as community organizations. "I've just been really fortunate to be able to do it in my office," she said.

Pediatricians across the country say they're now regularly having conversations about the COVID-19 vaccine with families in their offices, at schools and other community settings. Murthy says these grassroots efforts are helping move the needle on the nationwide vaccination effort.

"The most powerful and important messengers in this effort to protect our countries, or patients in our communities are you," Murthy said to pediatricians at an event hosted by the American Pediatric Association last week.

"Local action in communities that know you and trust you — that matters tremendously," he added. "That's where we're seeing the real movement happen."

Murthy encouraged pediatricians to continue building on the trust they've established in their communities, and taking the time to have these one-on-one conversations.

"When we do that together, when we do that in large numbers, then we can reach millions and millions and millions of people," he said.

More than 61% of people 12 years and older in the U.S. have now received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and more than 51% have been fully vaccinated, according to data published Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

NEWPORT, Ky. —

Al Watts was one of many to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at Newport Intermediate School.

Medical complications possibly linked to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine forced a change in administration.

“I just wanted the one-shot, so I don’t have to worry about it anymore. Now I have to take the second shot and that’s fine, I just want the shots and get it over with.” Watts said.

Linda Bates of Well Care Health Plans coordinated the clinic.

“The health department was very responsive in switching medications, so now we are scheduling the second appointment when we finish today,” Bates said.

That flexibility has in part defined the response to COVID-19.

“One of the most important things is bringing services to people where they are and serving them the best way we can in their communities and their comfort zones.” Bates said.

This vaccine clinic operated in partnership between the Northern Kentucky department of Health and the school district.

Jennifer Stewart of Newport Independent Schools said the district sees this as a move forward.

“This puts us one step closer to putting our kids back to school 5 days per week. We are looking forward to coming back in August and having a normal school year for our families.”

Getting his shot, Watts puts today’s shot in a familiar perspective.

“I’ll just be glad when things get back to normal. I’m tired of wearing the mask and want people can see my pretty smile. I’ve got a pretty smile. and you can’t see it.”

BATAVIA, IL — It’s been a lonely year. Travel warnings, social-distancing guidelines, and the risk of infection have kept families apart. But as millions get vaccinated, mini-reunions are happening around the country.

At the outset of the coronavirus outbreak, Jim and Kathy Freedlund, both 69, decided they wouldn’t take any chances with their health.

“We were, pretty much, for lack of a better term, sequestered in the house for the better part of a year,” said Jim Freedlund, a retired mailman.

The Freedlunds have two children and three grandchildren.

“The most difficult thing was not being with our kids and grandkids,” said Kathy Freedlund, a yoga instructor.

The safety measures meant the Illinois couple had to cancel or postpone all their trips to see their youngest granddaughter, Joy.

“The first year she was born, her first year, we flew out to Utah six times. They came up once,” said Kathy.

The last time they had visited with the toddler in Utah was Christmas of 2019. Since then, they’ve only been able to see her and their son, JJ, through a screen.

“It was really hard to know that Joy was growing and changing so much,” said JJ Freedlund from Utah. “And for them to just see little snippets here and there and not actually get to be around it and be excited.”

“It was 16 months,” said Jim Freedlund.

But once they were fully vaccinated and waited the two weeks for immunity to kick in, Kathy booked the first flight out to see their granddaughter, who is now a bubbly 2-year-old.

“It was just such a happy feeling to get that stick in the arm and know we're on our way to being able to see the kids again,” she said.

“We weren't even sure if she would actually remember them or know who they were because there's a difference, especially for a kid, between someone that's on a screen and someone that's right in front of you,” said JJ Freedlund.

But Joy had not forgotten them.

Kathy shot a cellphone video of the reunion. In the video, she can be seen talking to Joy through a car window.

“I can’t wait to spend some time with you,” said Kathy in the video.

“It was just I wanted to cry,” said Kathy Freedlund. “I could hardly talk. And then Megan, the daughter-in-law, came to get her out of the car seat, and it was the most darling thing she said: ‘Where’s grandpa?’”

“It's about as close as I've ever come to crying from being happy because I knew we were going to get to see part of our family again,” said Jim Freedlund.

The shared experience of isolation is beginning to be replaced by reunions like this.

They’re happening across the country, as family and friends try to catch up on missed time.

The Freedlunds are filled with gratitude. With so many lives lost, they know they’re fortunate.

“It was nothing short of just a wonderful feeling to be able to have that connection again.”

DAMASCUS, Md. — For Adina Crawford and Suzanne Webb, an afternoon spent on their bicycles is more than just a bike ride.

“Everybody’s friendly; they’re open,” Webb said. “It’s a real family, real community.”

The duo is part of the cycling group Black Girls Do Bike.

“I’ve been cycling for a long time,” Crawford said. “More women of color are coming out to ride for the sense of enjoyment, fellowship, connection and learning and growth.”

It wasn’t always that way. Cycling, like some other sports, still struggles with diversity. Black Girls Do Bike wants to shift gears.

“Their goal is to get more women of color on the bike, right?” Crawford said, “And to get them more engaged in a community where they're familiar with and people that look like them that they're familiar with.”

It’s a familiarity people are looking for now, more than ever, since the pandemic began. According to a study published in the journal Nature, when the pandemic started, 82% of people in the U.S. reduced their daily interactions with others. That number gradually declined during the country’s first (74%), second (68%) and third (60%) surges of COVID-19.

“I think part of socializing and socialization is people who are like-minded flock together,” said Hedwig Lee, a sociology professor and co-director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. “So, we know the term ‘birds of a feather flock together,' I think it's definitely reflected in how people interact.”

Lee said people from similar backgrounds often come together because of shared adversity.

“In certain kinds of social settings, they have been not always accessible to African Americans and biking is one example,” Lee said. “In those cases, I think it's really important for people to see other people who look like them, to feel comfortable, to feel welcome in those spaces.”

The pandemic limited those spaces for everyone, isolating people in ways they’re only just starting to roll out from under.

“The fact that there are women like me out riding and saying, ‘Hey, you know, if you need help, I’m here to help you change a tire,’ it’s just a real community,” Webb said.

Crawford sees the benefits of that, too.

“It’s important to share your story, your experience, your downfalls, your uphills, all of those things to share, so to let the person know that's coming in, they're not alone,” Crawford said.

It’s a way to stand together, as they ride on their journeys.

CNN —

Video above: Moderna CEO discusses vaccine boosters, COVID-19 varriants

As experts grow concerned about a possible COVID-19 surge in the winter, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may roll out seasonal vaccine boosters.

"We want to hope for the best, and prepare for the worst," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told actress Jennifer Garner in an interview streamed on Instagram.

More than a third of the U.S. is fully vaccinated against coronavirus, but it's still short of the benchmark of 70% to 85% of the total population that needs to be immune -- through vaccination or previous infection -- to control its spread.

And many yet to receive the vaccine are those who have not decided whether they want it or have decided against it.

Meanwhile variants have been spreading, threatening to mutate to a point where current vaccines may not offer enough protection against them, experts warn.

Researchers at the CDC are looking into whether a booster specific to variants that are already in the U.S. will be needed as well as if protection from the virus fades over time, Walensky said.

"We are doing the studies on boosters to see if we will need them, and that is six months, one year, two years -- we don't really know," Walensky said. "But we want to be prepared for them should we need them."

If the U.S. does need them, officials have processes already in place to get them out.

"The vision would be that we would do it in the same way that we do flu vaccine," she said. "We hope we don't have to do it every season, but we're preparing in case we do."

Conflict over asking about vaccination status

Health experts have hailed vaccination as the ticket back to a sense of normalcy, but officials have come up against conflicts over who can monitor vaccination decisions.

Wyoming is the latest state to prohibit state agencies from asking people whether they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Under a directive signed Friday by Gov. Mark Gordon, the state boards and agencies are ordered to "provide full access to state spaces and state services, regardless of a constituent's COVID-19 vaccination status."

"Vaccine passport programs have the potential to politicize a decision that should not be politicized," Gordon said in a written statement. The press release notes that the governor has been vaccinated and encourages the residents of his state to voluntarily be vaccinated.

Unlike a similar order signed by the governor of Florida, the Wyoming directive is only mandatory for the state government.

However, it says local governments and private businesses "are encouraged" to follow Gordon's directive.

Florida's law prohibits businesses from asking whether employees or customers have been vaccinated.

The CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. said Thursday it could cause the company to suspend Florida departures and move its ships elsewhere.

"At the end of the day, cruise ships have motors, propellers and rudders, and God forbid we can't operate in the state of Florida for whatever reason, then there are other states that we do operate from, and we can operate from the Caribbean for a ship that otherwise would have gone to Florida," CEO Frank Del Rio said during the company's quarterly earnings call.

"In Florida, your personal choice regarding vaccinations will be protected and no business or government entity will be able to deny you services based on your decision," Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Expanding vaccine authorization

Meanwhile, vaccine manufacturers are preparing for the long haul.

Pfizer/BioNTech, whose vaccine currently has an emergency use authorization, announced the initiation of its application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for full FDA approval for people ages 16 and older.

This would be the first COVID-19 vaccine to be assessed for full approval from the FDA.

"We are proud of the tremendous progress we've made since December in delivering vaccines to millions of Americans, in collaboration with the U.S. Government," Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer, said in a statement. "We look forward to working with the FDA to complete this rolling submission and support their review, with the goal of securing full regulatory approval of the vaccine in the coming months."

The FDA is already poised to authorize the company's vaccine in children and teens ages 12 to 15 by early next week, a federal government official told CNN.

The vaccine also has been undergoing a safety and efficacy study in children ages 6 months to 11 years, and the company said it expects to submit for FDA emergency use authorization for children ages 2 to 11 in September.

CDC warns of airborne risk

On Friday, the CDC updated it explanations on how coronavirus is transmitted to stress that inhalation is the main way the virus is spread and placing less emphasis on the risk of picking it up from surfaces.

"COVID-19 spreads when an infected person breathes out droplets and very small particles that contain the virus. These droplets and particles can be breathed in by other people or land on their eyes, noses, or mouth. In some circumstances, they may contaminate surfaces they touch. People who are closer than 6 feet from the infected person are most likely to get infected," the agency says on its updated website. The CDC also updated its scientific brief on how the virus spreads.

"This is not new guidance. This is the beginning of how, perhaps, guidance will begin to evolve," Dr. John Brooks, chief medical officer for the CDC's COVID-19 response, told CNN.

It doesn't change what people need to do, but might help the public better understand how the virus spreads, Brooks said.

The guidance remains the same -- wear a mask when near other people or inside and sharing air with others, keep a distance from others when possible and wash hands frequently.