For millions of American parents with children younger than 12—myself included—the past few months have been an agony-inducing wait for news on the pediatric vaccine front. While it's true that younger kids generally don't suffer serious illness from COVID-19, anything we can do to protect our kids—and help prevent them from spreading the virus to others—is a good thing. So far, about 5 million U.S. children have tested positive, per the American Academy of Pediatrics, while nearly 500 have died.
Some of that long-awaited good news arrived this morning: Pfizer said today that the vaccine it makes alongside BioNTech is safe and effective in kids aged 5-11, and it will soon seek approval from U.S. regulators to start doling out shots for that age group. The pediatric version of the shot contains just one-third the dose of the adult version, but still generates a strong antibody response with only minor, if any, side effects, Pfizer Senior Vice President Dr. Bill Gruber told the Associated Press. "I think we really hit the sweet spot," Gruber said. (Vaccine maker Moderna is also testing its shot in children, and data from studies on kids as young as six months could be available before year's end.)
There are limitations to Pfizer's data. For one thing, the company only studied about 2,300 kids. That's enough to show vaccinated kids were producing similar antibody levels as inoculated teens and adults—which is seen as a decent proxy for performance—but there weren't enough cases among the participants to judge performance directly. Furthermore, the data has yet to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
Still, Pfizer plans to formally submit its 5-11 year-old vaccine for U.S. approval by the end of September. It will then take regulators at least a few weeks to make a decision. But if all goes well, kids aged 5-11 could be eligible for their first dose by Halloween—a treat, indeed.
About 466.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of this morning, of which more than 386.2 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 54.7% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
More than 228.5 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 9 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 4.6 million people have died. On September 19, there were 357,809 new cases and 6,000 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 4.5 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 42 million coronavirus cases as of 9 a.m. E.T. today. More than 673,700 people have died. On September 19, there were 36,794 new cases and 291 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Sept. 20, 9 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
The Biden Administration will allow fully vaccinated foreign travelers to visit the U.S. again starting in November, officials announced today. Visitors must show proof of vaccination as well as a negative test result before boarding a U.S.-bound flight. The U.S. had restricted travel from many countries for over a year in an effort to prevent viral spread, but critics said such rules made little sense given the relatively high rate of spread already happening within the U.S.
India will once again begin exporting vaccine doses abroad starting next month, health officials there said today. The country—the world's most prolific vaccine-maker—suspended exports in April amid a catastrophic rise in domestic cases, which has since ebbed. "We will help other countries and also fulfil our responsibility towards COVAX," Indian health minister Mansukh Mandaviya told reporters, referencing the global vaccine distribution effort . However, India will only be exporting excess doses for now, and given that just 15% of its 1.3 billion-person population is fully vaccinated, it may take some time for Indian exports to make a dent elsewhere.
Coronavirus restrictions will be slightly eased after midnight local time tonight in Auckland, New Zealand, which has been pursuing a strict "COVID Zero" strategy. Starting tomorrow, up to 10 people will be allowed to attend funerals and weddings, while restaurants can once again offer pick-up and delivery service. However, schools and offices will remain closed. While New Zealand has been praised for avoiding major outbreaks, some locals are growing weary of the lockdowns.
Actor and comedian Chris Rock has COVID-19, he said yesterday, and is now begging others to get their shot. "Hey guys I just found out I have COVID, trust me you don’t want this," Rock wrote on Twitter. "Get vaccinated.” Rock was among the first celebrities to champion vaccination. "You know, I skipped the line. I didn’t care. I used my celebrity, Jimmy,” he joked with late-night host Jimmy Fallon in May.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Alex Fitzpatrick and edited by Angela Haupt.
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