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(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 4.9 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 736,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 67.2% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Oct 26, 9:11 am
FDA panel hours away from vote on Pfizer vaccine for kids

An independent FDA advisory panel on Tuesday will debate and vote on whether to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. The nonbinding vote is expected between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. ET.

Pfizer data submitted to the FDA has shown that this vaccine, which would be administered to children at one-third of the adult dosage, is nearly 91% effective against symptomatic COVID-19. There were no reported adverse side effects in the clinical trial group.

After the panel votes on whether or not to recommend this vaccine for children 5 to 11, the FDA will make a decision.

Then, the matter heads to the CDC’s independent advisory panel to deliberate and vote, which is scheduled for Nov. 2 and Nov. 3. Once the CDC panel votes, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to make the final sign-off.

The earliest shots could be in arms is the first week of November.

Oct 26, 8:14 am
US sees 7th straight week of drop in daily pediatric cases

The past week marked the seventh consecutive week that the United States has seen a drop in pediatric COVID-19 infections since the pandemic peak of nearly 252,000 cases in early September.

Last week, the U.S. reported approximately 118,000 new COVID-19 cases among children, compared to 131,000 cases the previous week, according to a weekly joint report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA).

But even with the decline, children still accounted for about a quarter of reported weekly COVID-19 cases. People under the age 18 make up roughly 22% of the U.S. population. Regionally, the Midwest continues to see the highest number of pediatric COVID-19 cases as the area experiences the beginnings of a viral resurgence.

The AAP and CHA wrote in the report that the case rate remains an “extremely high number” of newly diagnosed children, with over 1 million cases added over the past six weeks.

Since the onset of the pandemic, nearly 6.3 million children across the nation have tested positive for COVID-19.

In a similar trend, the rate of pediatric hospital admissions per 100,000 people also continues to decline, alongside other age groups. In the last month, the pediatric hospital admission rate fell by more 43.5%.

Currently, severe illness due to COVID-19 remains “uncommon” among children, the two organizations wrote in the report. According to the nearly two dozen states that reported COVID-19 hospitalizations among children, 0.1% to 2% of all pediatric COVID-19 infections resulted in hospitalization. ​Similarly, in states that reported virus-related deaths by age, 0% to 0.3% of all child COVID-19 cases resulted in death.

However, AAP and CHA warned in the report that there’s an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, “including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.”

Less than 45% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to federal data, and more than 48 million children under 12 remain unvaccinated. But that could soon change, should the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention green light COVID-19 vaccinations for kids ages 5 to 11 in the coming weeks.

Oct 26, 5:30 am
Moderna to supply Africa with up to 110 million doses at ‘lowest tiered price’

Moderna announced Tuesday that it will make up to 110 doses of its COVID-19 vaccine available to African nations at the company’s “lowest tiered price.”

The Massachusetts-based biotechnology firm said it is prepared to deliver the first 15 million doses by the end of this year, with 35 million doses in the first quarter of 2022 and up to 60 million doses in the second quarter.

“All doses are offered at Moderna’s lowest tiered price,” the company said in a press release Tuesday.

Africa, the world’s second-largest and second-most populous continent, remains the least-vaccinated region of the world against COVID-19, with just over 5% of its 1.3 billion people fully inoculated.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said the new agreement with the African Union, a continental bloc consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of Africa, was facilitated in part by the White House. The deal is separate from the company’s agreement with the global vaccine-sharing initiative COVAX to supply up to 500 million doses from late this year through 2022, according to the press release.

“This is the first step in our long-term partnership with the African Union,” Bancel said in a statement Tuesday. “We believe our vaccine can play an important role in addressing the needs of low-income countries given its combination of high Phase 3 efficacy against COVID-19, strong durability in the real-world evidence, and superior storage and handling conditions. We recognize that access to COVID-19 vaccines continues to be a challenge in many parts of the world and we remain committed to helping to protect as many people as possible around the globe.”

Moderna is also working on plans to allow it to fill doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Africa as early as 2023, in parallel to building an mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility on the continent with the goal of producing up to 500 million doses each year, according to the press release.

Oct 25, 8:48 pm
South Florida schools may amend mask mandates as cases decline

Two South Florida school districts may be changing their polices on mask mandates in schools as COVID-19 cases decline.

A Broward County Public Schools spokesperson told ABC affiliate WPLG that an item could be added at a school board meeting Tuesday “regarding district’s COVID-19 protocols including the use of face coverings.”

The district had said it would revisit the mask mandate when the COVID-19 positivity rate reached 3% or lower for 10 consecutive days. Broward County has reached that threshold, the county’s health department data shows.

Miami-Dade County Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho also indicated there may be a change to its mask mandate policy.

The school board is looking at several metrics including hospital admissions, community transmission and daily student cases. Carvalho said Friday would be a benchmark day.

Carvalho said last week that a new plan could entail “a mandatory mask policy but with an unrestricted, unrestricted, parent opt-out provision.”

Oct 25, 2:20 pm
European Medicines Agency approves Moderna boosters for adults

The European Medicines Agency on Monday approved the Moderna booster (which is a half dose of the initial booster) for people 18 and older.

The booster “given 6 to 8 months after the second dose led to a rise in antibody levels in adults whose antibody levels were waning,” the EMA said.

Oct 25, 2:03 pm
US releases details of vaccine, testing requirements for international travelers

The federal government on Monday released more details about how foreign tourists and other non-citizen, non-immigrant people flying to the U.S. can comply with recently-announced rules requiring them to be fully vaccinated.

These rules go into effect on Nov. 8.

People will be able to submit proof of vaccination to airlines electronically or via paper, an official said.

All vaccinated people — Americans and non-Americans — need to show proof of a negative test taken within three days before departure.

For unvaccinated people — both Americans and non-Americans — you need to show proof of a negative test within one day before. Children ages 2 to 17 must take a test but those under 2 don’t need to test.

Vaccine exemptions include: children under 18; some medical exemptions; and people traveling on non-tourist visas from countries with low availability of vaccines (signified by a country having a vaccination rate less than 10%). The U.S. will follow a list maintained by the WHO and these people will need have a “specific, compelling reason” for coming to the U.S., a senior administration official said.

The exemptions will represent a “very, very small number” of travelers to the U.S., a senior administration official said.

Oct 25, 10:23 am
Cases dropping across US but rising in some Midwest, Northeast states

In the last month, the daily case average in the U.S. has dropped by nearly 43% thanks to falling metrics in states like Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, which have all seen their case averages drop by nearly 90% or more since August, according to federal data.

But in recent weeks, cases have been creeping up in several states in the Northeast and the upper Midwest, including Minnesota and Michigan.

Alaska currently has the country’s highest infection rate, followed by Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and North Dakota, according to federal data.

About 52,000 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized across the U.S., a major drop from the 104,000 hospitalized patients in late August.

But the U.S. death toll remains persistently high, with nearly 1,300 new deaths being reported each day, according to federal data.

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(NEW YORK) — A nor’easter is pummeling New Jersey and the New York City area, drenching roadways with up to 4 inches of rain.

Flash flooding was reported early Tuesday in the Metuchen, New Jersey, area, prompting a flash flood warning. Water rescues were reported in New Jersey from Union Beach to Middletown.

The bulk of the heaviest rain and flooding will shift Tuesday morning to New York City, Long Island and Connecticut.

The governors of New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency.

Flood and wind alerts have been issued from North Carolina to Maine.

The nor’easter is expected to sit off the coast all day Tuesday and strengthen, blowing gusty winds to the coastline, including in major cities like New York City and Boston.

Damaging winds gusting to 40 to 60 mph are possible Tuesday night in the Northeast.

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(WASHINGTON) — An advisory panel at the Food and Drug Administration will vote Tuesday on whether to move forward with authorizing vaccines for children ages 5-11.

The vote will be the first step in a regulatory process for the two-shot Pfizer vaccine for kids. If the panel votes in favor of the vaccine after reviewing Pfizer’s data from clinical trials, the process will move to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If both agencies support the data, kids could be able to get their first shots in early November.

“If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval, and the recommendations from the CDC, it’s entirely possible, if not, very likely, that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser for the White House, said in an interview on Sunday on ABC’s This Week.

Many parents are desperate to protect their children after the delta surge over the summer led to increased cases and hospitalizations among kids. Though the variant is not more deadly, it is more transmissible — and because kids are unvaccinated, the variant rocketed through schools and camps.

The most recent data from Pfizer’s clinical trials found that the vaccine for 5-11 year olds was nearly 91% effective against symptomatic illness.

The vaccine also appeared safe. None of the children in the clinical trials experienced a rare heart inflammation side effect known as myocarditis, which has been associated with the mRNA vaccines in very rare cases, mostly among young men.

The Pfizer vaccine, if authorized for kids, will be given at a smaller, one-third dose.

The White House has purchased enough pediatric doses to vaccine all 28 million children ages 5 to 11. If authorized, it will be distributed to thousands of sites, including pediatricians, family doctors, hospitals, health clinics and pharmacies enrolled in a federal program that guarantees the shots are provided for free.

Some states are planning to provide the vaccine through schools as well.

The 5-11 age group would be the youngest and latest to receive eligibility. The Pfizer vaccine has already been authorized for adolescents 12 and up, and everyone 18 and older is eligible for all three vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna and J&J.

Whether parents will embrace the vaccines for their kids is still a question. In a September poll, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that about a third of parents with kids ages 5-11 were willing to vaccinate their kids right away, while another third wanted to “wait and see.” The figures represented a slight uptick in vaccine acceptance among parents of elementary-school-aged kids since July.

Although children are less likely to die of COVID-19 than older adults, pediatricians say there is still an urgent need for a safe vaccine for children. Children can still become very sick and spread the virus to others. So far, more than 6 million children have tested positive in the United States, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Trials for children 2 years and up, the next age group that could become eligible, are ongoing. Data from the clinical trials is expected sometime this winter.

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(BOISE, Idaho) — Six people, including a Boise police officer, have been injured in a shooting at a mall in Boise, Idaho, police said.

One person is in custody, Boise police said.

Police responded to reports of shots fired at the Boise Towne Square Mall on N. Milwaukee Street, authorities said.

The roads leading to the mall were closed as the investigation continued.

Officers were working to clear each business in the mall, police said, adding that there’s no information about additional threats.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

 

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(NEW YORK) — Lawyers for the drug kingpin known as El Chapo argued Monday for a new trial, insisting “breathtaking jury misconduct” and an “unparalleled set of stifling defense restrictions” marred his conviction.

Joaquin Guzman, 64, was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty in February 2019 of running an industrial-sized drug trafficking operation, the Sinaloa cartel, one of the world’s largest, most profitable and most ruthless drug smuggling organizations.

Guzman’s attorney, Marc Fernich, argued El Chapo did not get a fair trial because his solitary confinement in what the lawyer called a “modern dungeon” impaired his “cognitive, emotional and mental” faculties.

“The combination of unprecedented restrictions made it impossible to meaningfully prepare a defense,” Fernich said in court Monday.

Under questioning from a three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals, Fernich conceded the defense made no specific objections during trial. Prosecutors said the strict conditions of El Chapo’s confinement were deemed necessary.

“This judge was presented with a defendant who had already escaped from prison twice in Mexico in dramatic fashion, who had a history of intimidating and killing perceived rivals and who had previously run his criminal enterprise while incarcerated,” the Justice Department’s Brett Reynolds said in court Monday.

Guzman’s appeal also argued the trial judge should have more forcefully questioned whether jurors disobeyed repeated instructions to avoid information about the case that was not included as evidence.

An anonymous juror told Vice News that five jurors consumed news coverage or followed the trial on social media. Fernich called them “5 jurors who don’t know the meaning of an oath” and urged the appellate court to pursue an inquiry.

“It’s very disquieting in a case like this to do an end-around and let it go,” Fernich said. “This guy is going to be in a box for the rest of his natural life. I’m not asking you to play violins for him and I’m not playing any violins for him either. This is very, very serious business for everybody concerned.”

Prosecutors argued the Vice article was insufficient to merit an inquiry.

“The evidence here is not competent. It’s just not. It’s anonymously sourced. It’s non-corroborated. It is hearsay and double hearsay,” the Justice Department’s Hiral Mehta said in court Monday.

There was no immediate ruling.

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