Mike Stobbe

A pharmacist prepares a syringe of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19, at Queen Anne Healthcare, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Seattle, January 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

September 24, 2021, 8:04 am

CDC endorses COVID booster shots for older Americans, those at high-risk

US health agency’s director includes recommendation rejected by experts, for those under 65 in jobs with higher risk of exposure to get an extra vaccine dose

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and Mike Stobbe

A syringe is prepared with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic at the Reading Area Community College in Reading, Pennsylvania, September 14, 2021. (AP/ Matt Rourke)

September 23, 2021, 3:05 am

FDA backs Pfizer COVID-19 boosters for seniors, high-risk

Ruling represents a drastically scaled back version of the Biden administration’s sweeping plan to give third doses to nearly all American adults

By MATTHEW PERRONE, LAURAN NEERGAARD and Mike Stobbe

A healthcare worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, July 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

August 18, 2021, 7:36 pm

US to roll out COVID booster shots for all, citing waning protection

Authorities plan to begin administering 3rd doses to Americans in September, saying it’s ‘very clear’ vaccines are less effective at preventing infection over time

By Mike Stobbe and MATTHEW PERRONE

In this March 29, 2021 file photo, a worker readies syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Metairie, LA. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

August 6, 2021, 11:28 pm

US CDC study shows vaccine gives COVID-19 survivors big immune boost

Unvaccinated survivors more than twice as likely to get reinfected, research indicates, dispelling belief that recovered are largely immune, particularly with new variants

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and Mike Stobbe

In this July 19, 2021, file photo, shoppers wear masks inside of The Cool store in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

July 28, 2021, 1:26 am

Vaccinated people will have to wear masks indoors in high-risk areas of US

Citing new information on delta variant’s ability to spread even among fully vaccinated, CDC also recommends all children and teachers wear masks in schools

By Mike Stobbe

Socially distanced and with protective partitions students work on an art project during class at the Sinaloa Middle School in Novato, California on March 2, 2021 (AP Photo/Haven Daily)

July 10, 2021, 2:05 pm

Vaccinated teachers and students in the US don’t need masks, CDC says

Changes come amid a national vaccination campaign in which children as young as 12 are eligible to get shots, as well as a general decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths

By Mike Stobbe and Collin Binkley

This 2020 electron microscope image made available by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the spherical coronavirus particles from what was believed to be the first U.S. case of COVID-19. (C.S. Goldsmith, A. Tamin/CDC via AP)

June 15, 2021, 6:36 pm

Further evidence suggests COVID-19 was in US by December 2019

CDC official says new blood sample analysis indicates there were ‘probably very rare and sporadic cases here earlier than we were aware’

By Mike Stobbe

In this Wednesday, March 3, 2021 file photo, people wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus walk through a shaft of light on a street in Philadelphia. (AP/Matt Rourke)

April 27, 2021, 11:49 pm

CDC says vaccinated Americans can now go outside without a mask

US health agency recommends people still wear face coverings in big crowds

By Mike Stobbe

In this file photo taken on March 4, 2021, a pharmacist handles a Johnson & Johnson in Boston, Massachusetts (Joseph Prezioso / AFP)

April 24, 2021, 3:40 am

US to resume Johnson & Johnson vaccinations despite rare clot risk

Scientific advisers decide vaccine’s benefits outweigh risk after finding 15 cases of blood clots, 3 deaths out of nearly 8 million people given the shot

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and Mike Stobbe

In this Wednesday, March 17, 2021 file photo, morning fog blankets a cemetery in West Virginia. The number of U.S. suicides fell nearly 6% in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic — the largest annual decline in at least four decades, according to preliminary government data. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

April 9, 2021, 6:35 am

Defying pandemic fears, US suicide numbers dropped sharply last year

Preliminary numbers show 6% decline in suicides, largest annual drop in at least four decades even as people dealt with severe isolation and economic distress

By Mike Stobbe

Vanessa Guerra (right), a special education teacher, receives a shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Kelly Mendoza, in Inglewood, California, March 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

March 8, 2021, 7:28 pm

Fully vaccinated people can gather without masks, CDC says

US health body allows meetings without face covering or social distancing, but stresses need to keep masks on in public, avoid large gatherings

By Mike Stobbe

Aman is inoculated with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination clinic in Pomona, California, March 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

March 6, 2021, 6:54 am

Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 await guidance on what to do next

Over 28 million in US are fully vaccinated and still waiting for official advice on mask-wearing, visiting family, going to restaurants

By Carla K. Johnson, Mike Stobbe and Zeke Miller

In this Feb. 2, 2021, file photo, students wear masks as they work in a fourth-grade classroom, at Elk Ridge Elementary School in Buckley, Washington (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

February 13, 2021, 8:56 am

CDC: Classroom schooling can resume safely with masks and social distancing

US public health agency cites strong evidence in-person schooling can be safe, especially for young kids; vaccination of teachers provides ‘additional layer of protection’

By Collin Binkley and Mike Stobbe

A state legislator adjusts her face masks while asking a question at the Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi, February 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

February 10, 2021, 8:10 pm

Double bind: CDC study finds two masks are better than one

US government agency says COVID-19 spread risk can be reduced by 95% with double face coverings, but stops short of recommending everyone wear them

By Mike Stobbe

People wait in line to get COVID-19 vaccine shots at a vaccination site in Los Angeles, California, Feb. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

February 10, 2021, 6:12 pm

Poll shows 1 in 3 US adults unlikely to get COVID-19 vaccine

15% of Americans say they definitely don’t want vaccine, 17% say they probably won’t take the inoculation

By Mike Stobbe and HANNAH FINGERHUT