As COVID-19 continues to grip the United States, parents need to plan ahead to keep their children safe on Halloween, experts say. Kids aged 12 and older are eligible for COVID shots, but many haven’t been vaccinated. Those under 12 aren’t yet eligible for vaccination. “Some families organized a family movie night, held virtual costume…  read on >  read on >

Gun violence sky-rocketed by more than 30% across the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost 39,000 injuries and deaths nationwide involved a gun in the year starting in February 2019 — and that number shot up to more than 51,000 between March 2020 and March 2021, according to nationwide figures…  read on >  read on >

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine booster restored close to full protection against COVID-19 in a late-stage trial involving 10,000 people, the company announced Thursday. They said the booster was 95.6% effective and that they plan to submit the latest data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and regulators in other nations. “These results provide further evidence…  read on >  read on >

Requiring COVID-19 shots for work, school or travel will boost vaccination rates without the backlash and mass walkouts that many have predicted, new research predicts. The findings come as growing numbers of U.S. states, cities and private companies start to enforce COVID-19 vaccine mandates. High-profile refusers like Brooklyn Nets’ guard Kyrie Irving and Washington State…  read on >  read on >