FDA advisers endorse Merck's COVID antiviral drug in narrow vote
The vote paves the way for the agency to authorize molnupiravir for emergency use in American adults.
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.
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.
Merck and Pfizer are pursuing emergency authorization for pills to treat COVID-19.
Emergent BioSolutions says it will continue making COVID-19 vaccine for Johnson & Johnson under a separate deal.
The pace of first doses has climbed for eight straight days, the longest stretch since August.
The decision follows a unanimous vote by the agency's outside vaccine experts to recommend Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for younger children.
Children ages 5 and up now get vaccinated — but younger kids still have to wait.
New data from the U.K. suggests vaccines remain effective against the coronavirus variant sometimes called "Delta plus."
Scientists analyzed data from patients hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms through the Delta variant's surge.
Millions of teens are now eligible for boosters, and younger adolescents are expected to be included soon.
The fourth "booster" dose is recommended for six months after the third "additional" dose for people with organ transplants, cancer or other conditions.
The CDC must also weigh in before younger children can be vaccinated.