Insider Paper: US authorizes Pfizer booster for kids as young as 12

US health authorities on Monday approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 booster shot for children as young as 12, and reduced the wait time between initial vaccination and an extra dose from six months to five, for all ages.

The decision by the Food and Drug Administration comes as the pandemic, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, flares up and as schoolchildren return by the millions to class following the holiday break.

The FDA also approved a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for immunocompromised children between the ages of five and 11, including for example individuals who have received an organ transplant.

The agency said it relied in particular on data from Israel, where thousands of children age 12 to 15 have already received the booster dose. more...

Epoch Times: Federal Judge Blocks New York State Health Care Worker Vaccination Mandate

A federal judge on Tuesday granted an emergency injunction blocking the state of New York from enforcing a new CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. more...

epochtimes: Oregon Police and Firefighters Sue Governor Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

A coalition of Oregon police officers and firefighters have sued Gov. Kate Brown over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state employees. The plaintiffs—including the Oregon Fraternal Order of Police and the Kingsley Firefighters Association—argued in a lawsuit filed Friday in a Jefferson County court (pdf) that Brown’s executive order violates a number of laws and want it blocked. more...

Epoch Times: University in Connecticut to Fine, Block Internet Access to Unvaccinated Students

Students at Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University will be fined up to $2,275 and lose internet access if they fail to comply with the university’s COVID-19 vaccination policies.
The private liberal arts college in New Haven County announced the new penalties on Aug. 16 in an email sent to some 600 students who haven’t yet provided proof of COVID-19 vaccination or requested an exemption. more...