About 28 million more U.S. children could be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine as early as next week, after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee yesterday endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech shot for kids aged 5 to 11. The FDA will soon make a final recommendation, and is expected to follow the panel's advice. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will then issue its own recommendations and guidelines.
As my colleague Alice Park reports, the 5-to-11-cohort would get a two-dose regimen at one-third the adult dosage. One of the biggest decisions the CDC will have to make is which specific groups of children in that age range should get the shots—for example, the agency could recommend that only kids who are at high risk of severe disease should get inoculated.
According to Pfizer's data, its vaccine was 90.7% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in a clinical trial of 5- to 11-year-olds. However, some advisory committee members raised the potential risk of side effects, including myocarditis, which is a rare condition that causes inflammation of the heart muscle in young people, and pericarditis, which is inflammation of the lining around the heart. "We decided to vote for it with a heavy conscience," said committee member Dr. Eric Rubin, editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and professor of immunology at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital. "I'm hoping this is the start of learning more about how to deploy this vaccine."
Still, many public health experts have pushed to vaccinate more children as soon as possible. As Alice points out, infections are climbing among the youngest kids: 5 to 11-year-olds made up 39% of U.S. cases among people under age 18 in August, compared to 18.5% in January. Plus, experts have said that children transmit the virus as readily as adults.
"I voted 'yes' because I want to make sure that children who really need this vaccine—mainly Black and brown children—get the vaccine," said Dr. James Hildreth, professor of internal medicine at Meharry Medical College. "There are lots and lots of children for whom the vaccine could be the difference between health and even life. I hope the [CDC's committee] will prioritize the vaccine in some way to make sure that actually happens."
About 503.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of yesterday afternoon, of which more than 414.3 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 57.4% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
More than 244.5 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 6 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 4.96 million people have died. On Oct. 26, there were 433,790 new cases and 8,854 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 45.6 million coronavirus cases as of 6 a.m. E.T. today. More than 738,800 people have died. On Oct. 26, there were 61,863 new cases and 1,535 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 Oct. 27, 6 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Pharmaceutical company Merck will allow other drug makers to produce its COVID-19 antiviral pill, which could help millions of people in poor countries. The Medicines Patent Pool, a United Nations-backed public health group, said in a statement today that the drug maker will not receive royalties for third-party production as long as the World Health Organization considers the coronavirus to be a global emergency. Merck's pill, molnupiravir, has been shown to cut hospitalizations and deaths by half among people with early symptoms of COVID-19.
A federal court yesterday denied Southwest Airlines pilots' attempt to block a Biden Administration vaccine mandate. Under the rules, employees of government contractors—including airlines like Southwest—must be vaccinated by Dec. 8. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, a union representing 9,000 of the company's pilots, asked the court to suspend the requirement so its members could negotiate with Southwest officials. The judge involved said that requiring employees to be vaccinated would "improve the safety of air transportation."
Some immunocompromised people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine may need to get a fourth shot, according to CDC guidelines updated yesterday. That includes those who are undergoing cancer treatments, have HIV or take drugs that suppress their immune systems. The fourth shot would be timed at least six months after the third dose, the CDC says. For now, the agency isn't recommending such a dose, but it's directing people to get their doctors' advice.
Fully vaccinated Australians will be able to leave the country starting Nov. 1, officials said today. Citizens were barred from international travel for more than 18 months, except for those who got a special exemption from the government. Aussies living abroad will also be able to return to the country at that time.
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Today's newsletter was written by Angela Haupt and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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