Source Articles: USA Today – Latest on COVID this week & RFK Jr.’s FDA approves new COVID vaccines with restrictions

COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for fall by the Food and Drug Administration with restrictions on who can access the vaccines.  On August 27th the approvals were announced, and the emergency-use authorizations were terminated. 

Approvals by manufacturer vary:

• Pfizer – approved for use in all adults 65 and older and people older than 5 with at least one underlying condition.
• Moderna/Spikevax – approved for everyone over 65 and people 6 months and older with at least one underlying condition
• Moderna/mNEXSPIKE – approved for everyone over 65 and people 12 years and older with at least one underlying condition

The American Academy of Pediatrics released its own schedule.  Those who follow the AAP guidance for children that are not approved within the FDA guidelines will run the risk of having difficulty accessing the vaccine and will most likely have to pay out of pocket to receive it. 

The latest positivity rates show increases that vary by state and region according to the CDC.  The CDC continues to provide updates on cases, hospitalizations and deaths despite the fact that reporting has slowed nationwide.  As of the week ending August 16th, 9.9% of the 32,998 Americans who were tested received positive results. This was an increase of 1.4% from the week prior.  For weekly updates see the CDC COVID-19 tracker page.  

To see positivity rates by state click to download.

Below is a map displaying the positivity rates by HHS region: