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Kids may not be able to get Pfizer shots until November; vaccination rates among pregnant people low: Today's COVID-19 updates

While Pfizer and BioNTech submitted data this week to the Food and Drug Administration on the safety and efficacy of their COVID-19 vaccine in younger children, kids may not be able to get the shots until November, reports say.

The Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed source, said the companies would submit their application for emergency use authorization in the coming weeks even though they had targeted the end of September. Reuters also reported the companies had not started the official process.

That may mean authorization could be delayed until November, the Journal reported. Reuters reported it could come as early as the end of October.

The companies Tuesday submitted their clinical trial data to the FDA, which showed their vaccine is safe and effective in children ages 5 to 11 at one-third the dose used in adolescents and adults.

Once the emergency use authorization application is submitted, regulators with the FDA and CDC will review the data and consult independent advisory committees in the same process that occurred with the authorization of vaccines for adults and older children.

Also in the news:

► San Diego Unified School District, the second-largest district in California, is mandating vaccination for all staff and students 16 and older. They will be required to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 20.

► The World Health Organization said global COVID-19 cases and deaths dropped by about 10% in the past week, continuing an ongoing decline for the past several weeks. Compared with the week ending Aug. 26, the week ending Monday had 30% fewer cases and 21.2% fewer deaths, a USA TODAY analysis shows. 

►New York’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical workers prodded about 55,600 people into getting shots over the past week, raising the partial vaccination rate at hospitals and nursing homes to 92%, according to statistics released by Gov. Kathy Hochul. About 35,600 workers were still poised to leave jobs at hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities to avoid getting vaccinated.

►New polling found older Americans who are vaccinated were far more worried about COVID and taking extra precautions compared to unvaccinated older Americans. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll also found older adults worried about the virus were more likely to say they've felt social isolation or a lack of companionship in the past month.

► Families at an Iowa school district who are angry over a new mask mandate are threatening to unenroll their students ahead of the school's student count date to artificially lower enrollment numbers, potentially costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding. 

► California's Department of Public Health will require all workers in adult care facilities and in-home care workers to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 30.

📈Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 43.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 694,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 233 million cases and 4.7 million deaths. More than 185 million Americans – 55.8% of the population – are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

📘 What we're reading: The restaurant industry is struggling to hire. Ex-servers, bartenders and cooks share why they left during COVID-19 and won't be returning. Read about why here.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY's Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox and join our Facebook group.

'Her name is Teresa Makenzie Sperry': Mom pays homage to daughter, 10

The mother of a 10-year-old Virginia girl who died this week of COVID-19  criticized Suffolk Public Schools for releasing a "sorry excuse of a letter" announcing the death without talking to her or naming her child.

"Her name is Teresa Makenzie Sperry," Nicole Sperry wrote on Facebook. "My beautiful girl was taken from me because people are too damn selfish to care about what could happen to others."

Terry died Monday, just days after her symptoms appeared. Sperry wrote that those wishing to honor Teresa should get vaccinated, wear masks and socially distance.

"And most importantly stop complaining and keep your sick kids at home," Nicole Sperry wrote. "Because in the end you will still get to hug yours."

Beijing Olympics to allow Chinese spectators

The International Olympic Committee has released a first glimpse of the COVID-19 protocols that will be in place at the upcoming 2022 Winter Games in Beijing – including lengthy quarantines for unvaccinated participants, daily COVID-19 testing and the absence of international spectators. Unlike in Tokyo, where athletes mostly competed behind closed doors, Beijing 2022 organizers said some Chinese fans will be permitted to attend their Games, as long as they follow to-be-determined protocols.

Foreign spectators, including athletes' family members and friends, will once again be barred from attending. The IOC and International Paralympic Committee said in the news release that they support local organizers' decision to sell tickets to Chinese residents.

– Tom Schad

Alaska sees soaring COVID case count since summer

COVID-19 cases in Alaska have soared since the end of July, state data shows. On July 31, the seven-day average of new daily cases was under 230. On Monday, it reached 1,250. While the data this week includes Friday, in which 1,700 cases were reported, including some backlogged cases state health officials were only just now reporting, the surge has strained hospitals in the state.

The state epidemiologist said Alaska was in the biggest surge it had experienced during the pandemic, and a weekly report from the department last week said the state had more people hospitalized with COVID-19 than it did at the peak of a prior surge late last year.

NBA issues new, strict protocols for unvaccinated players

While pro basketball players are not mandated to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, unlike coaches, trainers and referees in the NBA, the league on Tuesday sent to teams its 61-page health and safety protocols for the upcoming season, which make clear it wants players vaccinated and plans to institute greater restrictions for unvaccinated players.

Unvaccinated players will be subject regular testing, they won't be allowed to eat indoors in the same room as their vaccinated teammates, and their lockers will be "as distant from other players as possible and not next to another non-fully-vaccinated player."

Over 90% of players are vaccinated, said players' union executive director Michele Roberts, but NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the union rejected any vaccination mandate.

– Jeff Zillgitt

YouTube to crack down on vaccine misinformation

YouTube unveiled new guidelines to crack down on medical misinformation about vaccines being shared in videos on its platform. The company said the new rules were intended to cover misinformation about vaccines in general, not just COVID-19 vaccines. The platform said it had seen false claims about COVID-19 vaccines lead to misinformation about other approved vaccines in recent months.

"Specifically, content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines will be removed," the company said in a blog post. The false claims that vaccines are tied to autism or infertility or that vaccines contain some sort of tracking material are also included in this crackdown, the company said.

Pregnant people have low vaccine rates despite 'severe risk' of COVID

Vaccination rates among people who are pregnant have been low, despite evidence that vaccines can prevent the "severe risk of severe disease" posed to pregnant people from COVID-19. Only 18% of pregnant people have received a dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Women giving birth while having COVID-19 had “significantly higher rates” of ICU admission, intubation, ventilation and death, according to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. In August alone, 21 pregnant people died of COVID-19, according to the CDC.

Scientists have said vaccines are safe to be taken at any time while pregnant or breastfeeding for both mother and baby.

– Nada Hassanein

COVID quarantine? Some colleges say students are on their own after positive tests

Even among college campuses, the divide across America around how to address the COVID-19 pandemic is widening. A growing number of U.S. universities are trying to return to normal operations, eschewing quarantine spaces, COVID-19 tests, flexible online classes and remote work for staffers, even as the coronavirus remains an active presence on campuses. Other universities are taking aggressive stances to reduce case counts on campus, including daily testing requirements for unvaccinated students.

Some institutions, such as the University of Wisconsin, are still providing housing for those who need to quarantine or isolate. Others, such as the University of Delaware, have some space for students to isolate but encourage students with positive cases to return home if possible.

It's still too early to know whether one approach is wrong as the delta variant surges and cooler temperatures are on the way, said Gerri Taylor, a co-chair of the American College Health Association’s COVID-19 task force. 

– Chris Quintana

Follow official guidance amid booster craze, experts say

COVID-19 boosters are now available to millions of Americans who fall into certain broad categories and want greater protection from the coronavirus. While many are relieved boosters are finally here, there’s little policing to ensure third shots go to the intended people. Health experts say some people who don’t meet the requirements are ignoring official guidelines and seeking third shots. 

“Right now, it’s been the Wild West. I know people are going out and helping themselves to all kinds of things and basically lying to do so,” said Dr. Camille Kotton, an infectious disease expert at Massachusetts General Hospital and a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a CDC advisory group.

Following CDC guidance, hospitals and pharmacies are relying on patients to “self-attest” their eligibility as defined by the guidelines to help “reduce barriers to access for these select populations.” While it may improve access to vaccines, it also leaves room for people to be dishonest. Read more here.

– Adrianna Rodriguez

Michigan's new definition of school 'outbreak' will mean fewer reported

The Michigan state health department is increasing the threshold for the number of COVID-19 cases that would constitute an outbreak at a K-12 school. The move will result in fewer reported outbreaks and inconsistent state data, coming at a time when school outbreaks are on the rise and local health leaders are pleading for a statewide mask mandate. As of Monday, an outbreak at a school must have three or more associated cases. For the past 18 months, an outbreak consisted of two or more cases. The new definition will not be applied to older outbreaks.

If this change had been implemented at the start of September when many students returned to classrooms, the state could have excluded almost 25% of new school outbreaks reported in that time frame. 

– Dave Boucher and Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press

Contributing: Mike Stucka, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

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