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A health-care worker fills a syringe with a dose of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine for a booster shot in Zurich on Nov. 17, 2021. (Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)

Delta variant dangerous during pregnancy, CDC reports say

Updated November 19, 2021 at 5:03 p.m. EST|Published November 19, 2021 at 3:59 a.m. EST

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Once the delta variant took hold in the United States, pregnant individuals and their fetuses or babies faced increased risks from coronavirus infections, according to two new reports released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

Here’s what to know

  • A panel of experts recommended the CDC expand eligibility for booster shots to include all fully vaccinated adults, simplifying federal guidance that had confounded some consumers. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off on the recommendation as early as Friday evening.
  • In the face of rising cases across the continent, the European Union’s regulator backed an anti-viral pill for coronavirus patients ahead of the drug’s formal approval. Early data shows that the drug reduced the risk of severe infection, hospitalization and death in patients who took the pill shortly after developing covid-19 symptoms.
  • Parents can expect vaccines for children younger than 5 as early as next spring, Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with Business Insider this week.
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A panel of experts recommended the CDC expand eligibility for booster shots to include all fully vaccinated adults, simplifying federal guidance that had confounded some consumers. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off on the recommendation as early as Friday evening.
In the face of rising cases across the continent, the European Union’s regulator backed an anti-viral pill for coronavirus patients ahead of the drug’s formal approval. Early data shows that the drug reduced the risk of severe infection, hospitalization and death in patients who took the pill shortly after developing covid-19 symptoms.
Parents can expect vaccines for children younger than 5 as early as next spring, Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with Business Insider this week.

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Coronavirus: What you need to know

End of the public health emergency: The Biden administration ended the public health emergency for the coronavirus pandemic on May 11, just days after WHO said it would no longer classify the coronavirus pandemic as a public health emergency. Here’s what the end of the covid public health emergency means for you.

Tracking covid cases, deaths: Covid-19 was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States last year with covid deaths dropping 47 percent between 2021 and 2022. See the latest covid numbers in the U.S. and across the world.

The latest on coronavirus boosters: The FDA cleared the way for people who are at least 65 or immune-compromised to receive a second updated booster shot for the coronavirus. Here’s who should get the second covid booster and when.

New covid variant: A new coronavirus subvariant, XBB. 1.16, has been designated as a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization. The latest omicron offshoot is particularly prevalent in India. Here’s what you need to know about Arcturus.

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