Editor’s note: This article originally ran December 26, 2022, and was updated May 2, 2023. After waiting the longest for access to COVID-19 vaccines, children under 5 have now been able to get shots for nearly a year. And the updated bivalent COVID-19 shot is available to them now, too. Children who were vaccinated with the original…
Editor’s note: This article originally ran September 6, 2022, and was updated October 17, 2022 and May 1, 2023. In many ways, life has moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the virus is still circulating and new variants continue to emerge. One way to keep you and your family healthy and avoid disrupting your…
This article was published on May 20, 2022. Find the most up-to-date clinical information about COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for adults and kids. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, giving millions of kids the opportunity for increased protection against COVID-19. This booster dose…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends certain groups receive a second COVID-19 booster shot. This means that if someone had previously received three Moderna or Pfizer shots, they can now get a fourth shot. For those who received two Johnson & Johnson shots, or a Johnson & Johnson shot and a…
Editor’s note: This article originally ran October 26, 2021, and was updated November 22, 2021, January 10, 2022, May 2, 2022 and May 20,2022, to reflect updated public health guidance. COVID-19 booster shots remain incredibly important as the pandemic continues, with case counts ebbing and flowing and new variants expected. People who are vaccinated and…
Editor’s note: This article originally ran October 3, 2021, and was updated January 10, 2022, to reflect updated public health guidance. When you look at the scientific data—and our country’s lived reality—there is no debate: COVID-19 vaccines work. The overwhelming majority of people who have been hospitalized with or died from COVID-19 over the past…
Editor’s note: This article originally ran December 3, 2021, and was updated January 10, 2022, to reflect updated public health guidance. Pregnancy is all about timing: when you ovulate, when you conceive, your first, second and third trimesters, your due date. So when should pregnant women or women trying to conceive receive their COVID-19 booster…
Editors note: For the latest guidance on boosters, see “Simplifying Boosters: How to Know When to Get One.” A much larger swath of the population recently became eligible for COVID-19 vaccine boosters, but you need to meet certain criteria to get this supplemental third shot. First, you have to have received the second dose of…
This story originally ran May 18, 2019, and was updated June 25, 2025. Twenty-five years ago, measles was declared eliminated in the United States; today, cases are increasing and multiple states have reported outbreaks in 2024 and 2025. Since January 2025, more than 750 cases have been confirmed in Texas, with two deaths of children.…
No one wants to get sick with a respiratory virus and deal with the resulting discomfort, disruption and dirty tissues—ick. But for people at high risk of complications from the flu, COVID-19, RSV and other viruses, getting sick isn’t an inconvenience. It can result in severe illness, hospitalization or even death. “Anyone can have severe…
This story originally ran November 9, 2017, and was updated June 18, 2024. Pop quiz, just for men: What’s your doctor’s name? Wait, you do have a doctor, right? For about 18 percent of men in the United States, the answer is no. “Women start seeing an OB-GYN in young adulthood, so they have a…
Along with a dip in temperatures and a rise in pumpkin spice-flavored fare, the hallmarks of fall include respiratory illnesses such as the flu and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. Cases of COVID-19 are also increasing. This year’s flu shot is now available, and there’s a new vaccine for RSV. Plus, another COVID-19 booster is…
