The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved updated Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, putting the new shots on track to reach most Americans in the coming days amid a summer surge of the virus. 

The jabs target a strain called KP.2, a descendant of the highly contagious omicron subvariant JN.1 that began circulating widely in the U.S. earlier this year. KP.2 was the dominant Covid strain in May, but now only accounts for roughly 3% of all U.S. cases as of Saturday, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Still, Pfizer and Moderna have said their KP.2 vaccines can produce stronger immune responses against other circulating subvariants of JN.1, such as KP.3 and LB.1, than last year’s round of shots targeting the omicron strain XBB.1.5 can.

Read more at CNBC.

Little coughs, feverish naps and runny noses.

Nothing tugs at the heartstrings more than a sick child. And it’s all the more troubling to contend with that when classes are in session. To best prepare, doctors are urging parents to check that kids’ routine vaccines are up to date before their first day of school.

Children should begin vaccinations against 15 potentially serious diseases before they turn 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That includes annual shots against influenza and COVID-19.

Read more at USA Today.

As concerns mount about a type of mpox spreading across Africa that’s believed to cause more serious illness, infectious disease experts expressed cautious optimism that this branch of the virus would not spread as broadly in the U.S. or cause health impacts as severe.

The risk of this subtype of mpox to the U.S. could be mitigated by a number of factors, including immunity from vaccination and previous infection from the outbreak of a different variant that began in 2022; the lack of viral circulation in wild animals; and better health care access, living standards and public health.

Read more at NBC.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health emergency as a deadly new strain of mpox is spreading through parts of Africa.

The big picture: This is the second time in just over two years that the WHO has declared mpox — previously known as monkeypox — to be a global emergency.

The latest: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Friday raised its risk assessment level for the new mpox strain, saying it is “highly likely” Europe will see new cases crop up.

Read more at Axios.

The federal program that funds free COVID-19 vaccines for people without health insurance is ending several months earlier than expected — and uninsured people are now being told it could be their last chance to seek out a free shot before the money runs out for good.

The Bridge Access Program was launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in September 2023 to provide free COVID-19 vaccinations to the estimated 25 million to 30 million adults in the U.S. without health insurance. The funds were previously forecast to last until December and would have made COVID-19 vaccines accessible to uninsured people through the brunt of another winter respiratory virus season.

However, after March negotiations in Congress resulted in $4.3 billion being withdrawn from the Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 fund, the program is instead ending this month, months ahead of schedule.

Read more at KQED.

If it seems like a lot of people are getting COVID right now, you’re not imagining it.

We’re in the middle of a worldwide summer COVID-19 wave.

A high or very high level of COVID-19 virus is being detected in wastewater in almost every state, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 10 other states have a high amount of COVID in the wastewater.

Read more at NPR.

As schools are getting ready for students to return, it’s important for parents to think about their children’s back-to-school vaccination checklist.

Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases at Mayo Clinic’s Children’s Center, says that parents should check with their primary health care team to make sure their children’s regular vaccinations are up to date before school starts.

After a summer of fun, kids are returning to the classroom and that means close contact with each other.

Read more at Medical Xpress.

Despite historic successes, gaps remain for children living below the poverty level and those without health insurance.

When the Vaccines for Children (VFC) legislation was passed 30 years ago, it was a historic step in improving children’s lives by providing recommended vaccines at no cost to eligible children.

Routine vaccinations are the best defense against illnesses. The VFC program was established to ensure that children below the federal poverty level and those without health insurance have access to critical, lifesaving vaccines that can protect their health throughout their lives.

Read more at CDC Newsroom.

In findings that offer compelling evidence of the power of childhood vaccines, a new government report shows the routine shots have prevented hundreds of millions of illnesses, tens of millions of hospitalizations and more than 1 million deaths among Americans born in the past 30 years.

The new data, published Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, analyzed the benefits of the CDC’s Vaccines for Children Program, which was launched in 1994 to make childhood immunizations more affordable and accessible.

Read more at U.S. News.

How many kindergartners are vaccinated against measles at your son’s school? How many are vaccinated against whooping cough at your daughter’s child care center?

These are the kinds of questions parents can answer quickly using a state database created by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The database lets users search vaccination and exemption rates for child care centers, schools, and colleges statewide, and look at trends over time.

State health officials say the database can help parents make informed decisions about where to send their children to school or child care.

Read more at Chalkbeat Colorado.