CDC recommends Pfizer or Moderna over J&J's COVID vaccine
A rare side effect is linked to nine deaths out of more than 16 million people vaccinated with the J&J shot.
Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers the Biden administration's public health agencies, including the federal response to infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19. Previously, he was a campaign reporter for CBS News based out of Las Vegas, where he was raised. He covered presidential, Senate and House candidates for the 2020 election cycle in Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico. He has also worked in Washington for "Face the Nation" and in New York for the "CBS Evening News." Tin graduated from Columbia University in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in political science.
A rare side effect is linked to nine deaths out of more than 16 million people vaccinated with the J&J shot.
Fauci pointed to early lab data showing that "our booster vaccine regimens work against Omicron."
The Kaiser Family Foundation estimated COVID-19's avoidable toll since June, when vaccines became widely available.
Early data from the company's experiments suggest the pill will be effective against all variants, including Omicron.
Less than a third of Americans 16 to 17 years old will initially be eligible to receive the additional dose.
Officials say boosters are needed to shore up protection against the highly contagious variant.
Officials say the Omicron variant is driving a "steep rise" of cases across the country.
New York, California, Hawaii, Minnesota and Colorado have now all reported cases.
One case involves a man who traveled to New York City for a convention attended by over 50,000.
The CDC expanded their variant surveillance over the weekend to four airports.
The vote paves the way for the agency to authorize molnupiravir for emergency use in American adults.
But currently authorized tests cannot measure how much protection you actually have from a prior infection.
Many states have already moved to allow all adults to receive a COVID vaccine booster shot, ahead of the official CDC decision.
Several states have formally moved to expand eligibility to all adults for a booster six months after receiving Pfizer or Moderna vaccination.
Activists have been pushing the Biden administration to "reclaim" ownership over the vaccine, in hopes of increasing global access.