COVID-19 updates: 70% of American adults fully vaccinated

Case rates are falling in the South, according to federal data.

In Florida, which was reporting high transmission in every county during the summer, is now only reporting high transmission in two of its 67 counties. Cases in Louisiana, Georgia, Texas and Mississippi are also improving.

Although new fatalities are down by approximately 36.4% since mid-September, when about 1,800 deaths were reported daily, the death toll still remains high, with nearly 1,200 deaths reported each day.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

The CDC has updated its website urging parents of children ages 5 and older to get the vaccine "as soon as you can."

The CDC is also reminding parents not to give kids a pain reliever before the vaccination to try to mitigate side effects. The CDC says pain relievers prior to a shot are not recommended because it’s not known how it might affect the vaccine.

Instead, the agency urges parents to talk to their doctor about a non-aspirin pain reliever after the shot if needed.

In general, the CDC also recommends that people who have recovered from COVID-19 still get the shot. (Waiting 90 days is only necessary if the person received monoclonal antibodies.)

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

"We've taken the time to get this right," CDC director Rochelle Walensky told "Good Morning America" Wednesday, the day after she signed off on the Pfizer vaccine for young kids. "It's taken us almost a year compared to where we had a vaccine for adults."

Parents should have peace of mind with the vaccine's safety, she argued. "We reviewed the evidence, we reviewed the safety profile," she said.

"You may have questions, and we are here to answer your questions," she said. "Go talk to your pediatrician, your trusted health care provider, your pharmacist, and get the information that you need."

President Joe Biden called Tuesday's move by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to allow Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations for children 5 to 11 years old "a turning point."

"It will allow parents to end months of anxious worrying about their kids, and reduce the extent to which children spread the virus to others," he said in a statement. "It is a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus."

The president said his administration has secured enough pediatric vaccines for every child in America and has begun shipping out doses.

"The program will ramp up over the coming days, and fully up and running during the week of November 8," he said.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty