COVID-19 updates: Classes in Chicago canceled for 4th day
Chicago Public Schools has been in talks with teachers over COVID-19 safety.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 837,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 62.5% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Israel approves 4th vaccine dose for people 60 and over
Israel's Ministry of Health approved a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine for health care workers and people over 60 years old, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.
"Israel will once again be pioneering the global vaccination effort," Bennett said at a press conference in Jerusalem. "Omicron is not Delta -- it’s a different ball-game altogether."
Fourth doses will be administered four months after booster shots, Bennett said.
ABC News' Jordana Miller
FDA shortens Moderna booster waiting period to 5 months
The Food and Drug Administration authorized shortening the waiting period Friday for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booster shot to five months.
Previously, fully vaccinated adults had to wait six months before receiving a booster.
Recently, the FDA made similar changes to the Pfizer-BioNTech booster after early data showed the omicron variant was able to -- at least partially -- evade the protection offered by two doses.
“The country is in the middle of a wave of the highly contagious omicron variant, which spreads more rapidly than the original...virus and other variants that have emerged,” Dr Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
The statement continued, “Vaccination is our best defense against COVID-19, including the circulating variants, and shortening the length of time between completion of a primary series and a booster dose may help reduce waning immunity."