While U.S. adults have some choice into which COVID-19 vaccine they receive, options remain limited for children. More than two years into the pandemic, there’s still only one vaccine available, from Pfizer-BioNTech, for kids ages five to 17. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently reviewing data from vaccine maker Moderna to determine if its shot is safe and effective for children. The agency is also considering whether even younger children, down to six months old, should get vaccinated. With so many different age groups and timelines, it’s been a confusing period for parents trying to keep their kids safe from COVID-19.
Boosters are another complicated area. On the heels of the recent federal recommendation of Pfizer’s booster for Americans as young as five, my colleague Alice Park talked to a pediatrician to unpack the latest advice on which kids should get boosters and when.
Experts urge parents to get their eligible, vaccinated children boosted as soon as possible. Doctors recommend that eligible children get a booster shot five months after finishing their initial course of vaccines. Eligible children who are immunocompromised should receive their booster shot sooner after the primary round of vaccination—and some age groups of immunocompromised kids need more than one booster to help keep their immune systems as strong as possible.
“When there is enough virus in the community—which there is now—and the risk of getting infected becomes higher—which it is now—delaying vaccination makes no sense,” Dr. Stan Spinner, chief medical officer and vice president of Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Texas Children’s Urgent Care, tells Alice. Given that so few people routinely wear masks in public settings, and kids are at camp and with their friends, "they are going to get exposed during the summer," Spinner says.
Many expect that boosters will continue to be a part of children’s, and adults’, lives as we navigate the ever-evolving strains of SARS-CoV-2. Pharmaceutical companies are now developing new vaccines that more directly target the virus strains circulating today to see if they provide stronger protection than the currently available shots.
As for children under five: they aren’t even eligible yet to get their primary vaccinations (let alone boosters), but that could soon change. In mid-June, the FDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will review data from both Moderna and Pfizer for this age group; both companies report success in trials. Today, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said in a White House briefing that doses for this age group could be available as soon as June 21, pending authorization by the FDA and recommendation from the CDC.
More than 531.5 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 12 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 6.29 million people have died. On June 1, there were more than 1.86 million new cases and 4,750 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending, in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
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 8 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 84.4 million coronavirus cases as of 12 a.m. E.T. today. More than 1 million people have died. On June 1, more than 239,000 new cases were reported and 687 new deaths were confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
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 June 2, 12 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
At least two-thirds of everyone on the planet likely have significant levels of COVID-19 antibodies, the World Health Organization (WHO) says, suggesting that a vast majority of the global population has either been infected with or vaccinated against the coronavirus. In a report published yesterday, WHO estimates that 67% of all people had COVID-19 antibodies by October 2021—and Omicron all but ensured a substantial increase since then.
More Omicron subvariants are emerging around the world. The latest, BA.4 and BA.5, were first detected in South Africa and surfaced in the U.S. around late March; they’re now present in at least 30 countries. As of late May, these two subvariants combined accounted for 6-7% of new infections in the U.S., CNN reports.
After two months, Shanghai’s strict lockdown is over. Case numbers across China are now the lowest they’ve been since mid-February—yesterday, just 61 infections were reported—and government officials are heralding Shanghai’s reopening as a success of its zero-COVID strategy, despite the economic and social toll it has taken.
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Today's newsletter was written by Kyla Mandel and edited by Mandy Oaklander.
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