coronavirus

Covid cases and hospitalizations are on the rise in Montana as more infectious sub-variants of Omicron are swiftly spreading in the state.

State health department director Adam Meier is stepping down. He will leave the state Department of Public Health and Human Services on August 12, citing a family health issue.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration greenlighted both Moderna and Pfizer’s shots for young children today and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to follow suit this weekend.

Montana state health officials say the delta strain of the coronavirus accounts for nearly every recent COVID-19 test screened for variants in the state.

Of the more than 12 million people who received the J&J vaccine, around 100 developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The woman had both the alpha and beta variants of the coronavirus, which were found first in the U.K. and South Africa, respectively.

On Friday, South Korea registered more than 1,300 coronavirus cases — breaking records for a second day in a row. Residents of the capital region are driving the surge.

"Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time," read a joint statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

All the data so far shows the vaccines are highly effective at preventing serious disease or hospitalization, Dr. Anthony Fauci said. Vaccination is also imperative to preventing mutations, he added.

Dr. Barbara Ferrer, LA County's public health director, describes a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations among Black residents and also county efforts to improve vaccination rates.