Fauci sees vaccination for kids by summer; a look at the coronavirus vaccines in use, or getting close
The government’s top infectious disease expert said Friday he hopes to see some kids starting to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in the next few months. It’s a needed step to securing widespread immunity to the virus.
Vaccines are not yet approved for children, but testing already is underway for those as young as 12.
If those trials are successful, Dr. Anthony Fauci said they would be followed by another round of testing down to those 9 years old.
“Hopefully by the time we get to the late spring and early summer we will have children being able to be vaccinated,” Fauci said at a White House coronavirus briefing.
In other developments:
- The Biden administration says it’s taking “creative steps” to build broader public support for its $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue plan. Those efforts are happening as attempts to strike a deal with Republicans have led to concerns about delays in coronavirus relief.
- Regulators have authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
- Johnson & Johnson says its vaccine appears to protect against COVID-19 with just one shot. It’s not as strong as some two-shot rivals, but it’s still potentially helpful for a world in dire need of more doses.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing stricter restrictions on travelers in response to new, likely more contagious variants of the novel coronavirus. That includes making it mandatory for travelers to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense when they arrive in Canada.
- Hungary’s medicine and food safety regulator has approved the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, making it the first country in the European Union to do so.
- An aborted effort to vaccinate Philadelphia residents against the coronavirus raises larger questions about the health care system in the city and nationwide.
For more summaries and full reports, select from the articles below. Scroll further for the latest virus numbers.
