Mutations

Pfizer, Moderna seek authorization for updated Covid-19 boosters for younger children | CNN Younger children could soon be eligible to receive an updated Covid-19 booster shot. Naomi Thomas CNN

...

WHO warns ability to identify new Covid variants is diminishing as testing declines Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Covid-19 technical lead, said the virus is spreading rapidly and continues to evolve even as deaths from the disease decline. Spencer Kimball CNBC

...

Scientists debate how lethal COVID is. Some say it's now less risky than flu They argue the threat posed by COVID has lessened because of preexisting immunity and access to treatment. Plus, some deaths may be incorrectly blamed on COVID. Others caution it's too soon to tell. NPR.org

Has COVID-19 become no more dangerous than the flu for most people?

4.4M Americans roll up sleeves for omicron-targeted boosters U.S. health officials say 4.4 million Americans have rolled up their sleeves for the updated COVID-19 booster shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted the count Thursday as public health experts bemoaned President Joe Biden’s recent remark that “the pandemic is over.” AP NEWS

...

Health experts said it is too early to predict whether demand would match up with the 171 million doses of the new boosters the U.S. ordered for the fall.