COVID-19 updates: American Airlines to require employee vaccinations
The airline's CEO and president informed employees in a letter Friday.
The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 700,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 65% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
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FDA approval for kids' vaccinations could take longer: Source
The Food and Drug Administration's approval for the Pfizer vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years old could begin in November, possibly before Thanksgiving, a federal official with knowledge of the agency's process told ABC News.
This prediction comes after Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday kids will likely start getting vaccinated by late October.
Another official told ABC News that Pfizer has yet to complete its full submission, and that the FDA is not going to be rushed on this.
Pfizer submitted it initial data on younger children to the FDA earlier Tuesday.
The FDA already has scientists reviewing that initial data submitted by Pfizer, according to the official.
-ABC News' Anne Flaherty and Eric Strauss
Forecasters expect US pandemic to continue to improve
The COVID-19 Forecast Hub's ensemble forecast, used by the CDC, predicts that U.S. hospitalizations will continue to fall -- perhaps to as low as 4,600 per day -- by Oct. 11.
Forecasters say around 1,600 fewer people are likely to die over the next two weeks than during the past two weeks. In the two weeks ending Sept. 25, at least 27,755 people died from COVID-19 in the U.S. Over the next two weeks ending Oct. 19, just over 26,000 deaths are expected.
-ABC News' Brian Hartman
Pfizer CEO says timeline on shots for kids up to FDA
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told The Atlantic Tuesday that the timeline on shots for children ages 5 to 11 is up to the FDA.
"I think it's not appropriate for me to comment how long FDA will take to review the data. They should take as much time as they think it's appropriate for them to have high levels of comfort," Bourla said.
"If approved, we will be ready to have the vaccine available," he added.
Vaccines may be authorized and available for 5- to 11-year-olds in October or November.
Bourla said he thinks once kids get vaccinated, the U.S. will get a "strong push" toward herd immunity.
Bourla said he thinks booster protection from Pfizer vaccines will likely last one year.
-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett
More data on mixing/matching vaccines is coming within weeks, Fauci says
At Tuesday's White House briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci gave a loose timeline for when the FDA could have enough data to consider approving mixing and matching vaccines.
Moderna has already submitted data about using its shot as a booster for people who have received the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. J&J will submit data on mixing its shot with the other vaccines in the next week, according to Fauci, and then Pfizer will submit its data within the first two weeks of October. Finally, the data will be examined by the FDA.
-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett