Schools May Be Closing Due To COVID-19 New Strain!

'Vaccination and boosting will be critical'

The United States has seen significant improvements recently in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. As of Friday, cases were down 44% from the prior week, hospitalizations dropped 26%, and deaths were 13% lower, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

"Vaccination and boosting will be critical in maintaining that downward trajectory, particularly when you're talking about the red curve of severe disease leading to hospitalization," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a White House COVID-19 Task Force briefing Wednesday.

The "potential future requirement" for an additional boost or a fourth shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines or a third dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine "is being very carefully monitored in real time," Fauci said. "And recommendations, if needed, will be updated according to the data as it evolves."

The CDC has no recommendation of fourth doses of coronavirus vaccine for the general public, but the agency updated its guidelines in October to note that certain people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may receive a fourth dose of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.