‘Complex EU’ leads Europe to diverge from US on coronavirus vaccine booster Europe’s vaccine rollout is slightly different from the US program, and this played into the broader opinion by the EMA. POLITICO

The world's two leading medicines regulators have reached different decisions on a third dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine — and it’s partly because of the complexity of the EU, according to the European Medicines Agency.

Pentagon requires COVID-19 vaccines for civilian employees by Nov. 22 All 700,000 Defense Department civilians are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 22, the Pentagon announced late Monday. Ellen Mitchell TheHill

No exceptions are given to personnel who have already contracted and recovered from COVID-19.

CDC's holiday party guidance: Window fans The agency's guidance on upcoming celebrations includes gathering outdoors and staying 6 feet apart. NBC News

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations for the upcoming holiday season include the idea of using a window fan to keep air at an indoor party as fresh as possible. ...

Masks and Respirators for the 21st Century: Policy Changes Needed Masks and respirators have played an essential role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic for both healthcare workers and the public. Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

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At a rural ICU, Covid-19’s summer surge put telehealth to the test A tele-ICU program run by the University of Alabama at Birmingham's health system has helped bolster critical care at a rural hospital. Katie Palmer STAT

On the surface, there’s little about Whitfield Regional Hospital that would make it a safety net for Alabama’s sickest Covid-19 patients. It has a small ICU with eight beds, and no critical care doctors on staff. The rural hospital has spent decades focused on caring for the community surrounding Demopolis, population 7,000, in the heart of the state’s Black Belt.