But for millions of Americans who got sick with COVID, life is still anything but.

Long COVID is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but not everyone qualifies.

The World Health Organization chief on Wednesday said a nearly 90% drop in recent COVID-19 deaths globally compared to nine months ago provides “cause for optimism,” but still urged vigilance against the pandemic as variants continue to crop up.

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated poor children's well-being, not just by closing their schools, but also by taking away their parents' jobs, sickening their families and teachers, and adding chaos and fear to their daily lives.

The scale of the disruption to American kids' education is evident in a district-by-district analysis of test scores shared exclusively with The Associated Press. The data provide the most comprehensive look yet at how much schoolchildren have fallen behind academically.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday received his updated COVID-19 booster shot on Tuesday, unveiling his administration’s latest efforts to encourage Americans to do the same and calling for the country to "start fresh" in this new phase of the pandemic.

Biden painted the shots as Americans' best bet to stay safe from the virus this fall and winter, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

The COVID-19 pandemic spared no state or region as it caused historic learning setbacks for America's children, erasing decades of academic progress and widening racial disparities, according to results of a national test that provide the sharpest look yet at the scale of the crisis.

Across the country, math scores saw their largest decreases ever. Reading scores dropped to 1992 levels. Nearly four in 10 eighth graders failed to grasp basic math concepts. Not a single state saw a notable improvement in their average test scores, with some simply treading water at best.

ATLANTA (AP) — The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tested positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who is up to date on her vaccinations, tested positive Friday night and had mild symptoms, the CDC said in a statement.

OHIO — Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff warned Ohioans to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 ahead of the holiday season as new variants emerge across the world.

More specifically, Vanderhoff pointed to two subvariants that could evade antibody protections: BQ.1.1. and XBB.

Driven by politics, Trump administration officials repeatedly interfered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s efforts to provide the public with information about the COVID-19 pandemic, a report released Monday by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis found.

The Democratic-led panel charged that the Trump White House blocked the CDC from conveying accurate information to the public in the early months of the pandemic, installed political operatives who sought to downplay the risks of the coronavirus and retaliated against CDC scientists who contradicted the administration’s talking points.

CLEVELAND — While the pandemic is not quite over, scientists are already investigating how coronavirus works and the best ways to treat it.

University Hospitals recently received a $200,000 grant from the American Lung Association to study COVID-19's long-term consequences and outcomes.

COVID-19 vaccines saved the lives of more than 300,000 seniors and other Americans enrolled in Medicare last year, according to a report released Friday by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Vaccines also were credited for more than 650,000 fewer COVID hospitalizations and a savings of $16 billion in direct medical costs, the report found.

More than four out of five American adults who are living with long COVID say they’re experiencing some level of disability as a result.

According to CDC data released Wednesday, 81.4% of U.S. adults with long COVID, or roughly 18.5 million people, reported having their ability limited by the condition. Twenty-five percent of those adults describe those limitations as significant.

Amid concerns about another COVID-19 surge this fall and winter, a trio of new omicron subvariants are becoming more prevalent in the United States.

The BA.5 subvariant has been the dominant strain since early July and at one point accounted for 87% of new infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At 82%, it remains the most common version of the virus, but cases involving a handful of other subvariants are on the rise, leaving scientists wondering if one will emerge as the next dominant strain.

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government announced Monday it will no longer require people to wear masks on planes to guard against COVID-19.

Transport Canada said the existing rules for masks will come off Oct. 1

Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday morning they have applied for emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 booster shots that target the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants in children ages 5 to 11.

U.S. regulators earlier this month approved updated boosters by Pfizer and BioNTech as well as Moderna. Both of the shots are bivalent, targeting the original 2019 strain as well as BA.4 and BA.5, which today account for 96% of new COVID-19 infections in the United States. The Pfizer shot is authorized for people ages 12 and older, while the Moderna booster is approved for 18 and older.

U.S. health officials say 4.4 million Americans have rolled up their sleeves for the updated COVID-19 booster shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted the count Thursday as public health experts bemoaned President Joe Biden's recent remark that "the pandemic is over."

The White House said more than 5 million people received the new boosters by its own estimate that accounts for reporting lags in states.

TORONTO (AP) — Canada will likely drop the vaccine requirement for people who enter Canada by the end of September, an official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Canada, like the United States, requires all people to be vaccinated when entering the country. It is not immediately known whether the U.S. will make a similar move by Sept. 30.

In an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday, President Joe Biden declared that "the pandemic is over."

“We still have a problem with COVID,” the president added. “We’re still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over.”

The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that the number of coronavirus deaths worldwide last week was the lowest reported in the pandemic since March 2020, marking what could be a turning point in the years-long global outbreak.

At a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world has never been in a better position to stop COVID-19.

OHIO — Samantha Leszkowicz takes meticulous notes of everything, every day.

“I won’t remember if I took my supplements, or I don’t remember if I turned the stove off, or just day-to-day basic tasks that I was once able to remember is just very difficult for me now," she said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced last week that it has distributed over $2.7 billion to help Americans pay for the funerals of more than 441,000 who have died from COVID-19.

More than one million Americans have died from COVID-19. FEMA has helped pay funeral and cemetery costs for the families of more than 441,000 people who have died from COVID-19.

The number of American adults seeking mental health treatment has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and younger adults appear to be struggling the most, according to new federal data.

Nearly one in four Americans — 23% — ages 18 to 44 reported in a survey they had received mental health treatment in the previous 12 months, according to a study published Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The United States has likely entered a new phase in which receiving a COVID-19 vaccine is recommended annually, much like a flu shot, federal health officials said Tuesday.

That was the message from Biden administration officials during a COVID-19 news briefing, just days after the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on new Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus booster shots that target both the original 2019 strain as well as the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized Pfizer’s and Moderna’s updated COVID-19 booster shots that target the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variants.

On Thursday, an advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommended the vaccines. The CDC signed off on the panel's recommendation shortly after, meaning shots could be available as soon as Friday.

On Monday, the White House announced it would pause sending out free at-home COVID-19 tests this coming Friday.

According to COVID.gov, every home is eligible to order a third round of free at-home tests before the looming deadline.

The Department of Defense on Monday announced it is now offering Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine to service members a little over a month after U.S. health regulators approved the shot for adults aged 18 years and up.

The Food and Drug Administration updated the emergency use authorization to include individuals aged 12 and older. Novavax is the third vaccine to be approved for individuals 12 and up after the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna jabs; the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says should “only be considered in some cases,” is authorized for those aged 18 and older.

Moderna is suing Pfizer and BioNTech, accusing the companies of infringing on Moderna’s patents when they partnered to develop their own COVID-19 vaccine.

Moderna claims it spent years developing the mRNA technology used in the shots, that Pfizer and BioNTech had limited experience with the technology when the pandemic began and that the companies followed Moderna’s lead in developing their vaccine, marketed under the name Comirnaty.

Updated COVID-19 booster shots are a step closer to being available in the United States after Pfizer and Moderna applied this week for emergency use authorizations.

Both of the shots are bivalent, targeting the original 2019 strain of the virus as well as the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants, which today account for 99.5% of COVID-19 infections in the country.

First lady Jill Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 again in an apparent "rebound" case, after she initially tested negative for the virus over the weekend.

President Joe Biden, three days with his wife at their Rehoboth Beach, Del. vacation home, continues to test negative, the White House said. He also suffered a rebound case earlier this month after an initial recovery from the virus.

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — First lady Jill Biden left COVID-19 isolation on Sunday after twice testing negative for the coronavirus and reunited with President Joe Biden at their Delaware beach home.

She had been isolating in South Carolina, where she tested positive for the virus as the couple wrapped up a vacation there last week. The president made a brief stop at the White House before going to Wilmington, Delaware. He arrived in Rehoboth Beach on Saturday night.

CLEVELAND — To get people vaccinated against COVID-19, a church in Cleveland’s Slavic Village is hosting “Dollars for Doses,” where participants can get paid to be vaccinated.

Elizabeth Baptist Church, at 6114 Francis Avenue, is hosting a clinic on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters are expected to be rolled out “in a few short weeks,” the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator said Wednesday.

In June, the Food and Drug Administration directed vaccine manufacturers to change their designs to start targeting the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

First lady Jill Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, her communications director said Tuesday.

Biden, 71, tested negative during a regular screening Monday but began to experience symptoms later in the day. She then initially tested negative on a rapid antigen test before testing positive on a PCR test, Communications Director Elizabeth Alexander said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday streamlined its COVID-19 guidance in an attempt to make it easier for people to know what to do if they’re exposed or test positive for the virus.

The agency also updated its guidance for people who are not up to date on their vaccines and are exposed to COVID-19. They are no longer advised to quarantine at home for at least five full days.

KENT, Ohio — Kent State University joins other Ohio universities in requiring facemasks indoors as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

According to the university's Coronavirus Updates page, several campuses will be requiring masks as the county levels rise.

President Joe Biden tested negative for COVID-19 Sunday for the second day in a row, allowing him to leave isolation at the White House and travel to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

“I’m feeling great,” Biden told reporters before leaving the White House and boarding Marine One.

President Joe Biden continued to test positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, but he "continues to feel well" and even completed a "light workout," his physician said in an update.

Dr. Kevin O'Connor wrote in a memo Wednesday that Biden "is still experiencing an occasional cough, but less frequently than" Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 for the second straight day, in what appears to be in a rare case of “rebound” following treatment with an anti-viral drug.

In a letter noting the positive test, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the White House physician, said Sunday that the president “continues to feel well” and will keep on working from the executive residence while he isolates.

U.S. regulators said Friday they are no longer considering authorizing a second COVID-19 booster shot for all adults under 50 this summer, focusing instead on revamped vaccines for the fall that will target the newest viral subvariants.

Pfizer and Moderna expect to have updated versions of their shots available as early as September, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. That would set the stage for a fall booster campaign to strengthen protection against the latest versions of omicron.

As Sen. Rand Paul is reiterating his intention to investigate him if Republicans win back the Senate this fall, Dr. Anthony Fauci, arguably the face of the federal government’s COVID-19 response, said Tuesday he has nothing to hide.

Paul, R-Ky., told The Hill this week, “One way or another, if we are in the majority, we will subpoena his records and he will testify in the Senate under oath.”

Sen. Joe Manchin tested positive Monday for COVID-19, the West Virginia Democrat said on Twitter.

Manchin, 74, said he’s fully vaccinated and boosted and is experiencing mild symptoms.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden continues to “improve significantly” despite a lingering sore throat from his coronavirus infection, according to an update Sunday from his doctor.

“The president is responding to therapy as expected,” wrote Dr. Kevin O’Connor in his latest note. Biden has been taking Paxlovid, an antiviral drug that helps reduce the chance of severe illness.

In an update on Saturday, President Joe Biden's physician said that his symptoms "continue to improve," though he now also has sore throat and body aches.

Dr. Kevin O'Connor wrote in a letter to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre that the president was "most likely" infected by the BA.5 variant, currently the most common strain in the United States, based on preliminary sequencing.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, told Spectrum News on Friday that President Joe Biden is "doing fine" after his COVID-19 diagnosis.

“The good news is that [Biden is] in generally good health," Dr. Fauci told Spectrum News' Kevin Frey, mentioning he spoke with President Biden's physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor on Friday morning. "He's been vaccinated, he's been doubly boosted. And he's on an antiviral drug, Paxlovid, which clearly has a very positive impact in preventing people from progressing to severe disease.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Public Health issued a mask advisory for Franklin County on Friday because of an increase in COVID-19 transmission levels.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved Franklin County to the “high” level on its COVID-19 data tracker. It is one of more than 40 counties in Ohio to be labeled as high transmission.

President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced on Thursday.

In a video posted to social media Thursday afternoon, President Biden gave an update on his condition.

CINCINNATI — There are currently more than 2.8 million COVID-19 cases across Ohio, according to the latest data from the Ohio Department of Health. At-home COVID-19 tests are in high demand, with covid cases continuing to rise across the state.

Hamilton County is one area where these tests are in high demand, according to Hamilton County Public Health. As of Sunday, the county is at the “medium” COVID-19 community level- meaning people should be more cautious about protecting themselves against the virus.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For Ohioans, COVID-19 vaccinations are available as walk-in appointments at pharmacies and local health clinics.

Vaccines are now recommended for children between six-months-old to four-years-old. Everyone age five and older is eligible for a booster shot.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health updates the latest coronavirus case count on a weekly basis.

The graphics below are updated with information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 25 million children worldwide have missed out on routine immunizations against common diseases like diptheria, largely because the coronavirus pandemic disrupted regular health services or triggered misinformation about vaccines, according to the U.N.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday issued an emergency use authorization for Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine for adults 18 and older, giving Americans an additional option to choose from to get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus.

The two-dose vaccine is now the fourth COVID-19 inoculation available for use in the United States.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson for Schumer said in a statement.

According to Schumer's office, the majority leader is fully vaccinated and is experiencing mild symptoms, and will quarantine this week and work remotely.

Nearly 90% of U.S. public schools say the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt the socio-emotional development of their students, according to federal data released Wednesday.

In a May survey of 846 public schools conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, part of the Education Department, 87% of schools said the pandemic negatively impacted socio-emotional development during the past academic year, and 83% agreed that students’ behavioral development also has been stunted.

Pharmacists can prescribe the leading COVID-19 pill directly to patients under a new U.S. policy announced Wednesday that’s intended to expand use of Pfizer’s drug Paxlovid.

The Food and Drug Administration said pharmacists can begin screening patients to see if they are eligible for Paxlovid and then prescribe the medication, which has been shown to curb the worst effects of COVID-19. Previously only physicians could prescribe the antiviral drug.

The fast-changing coronavirus has kicked off summer in the U.S. with lots of infections but relatively few deaths compared to its prior incarnations.

COVID-19 is still killing hundreds of Americans each day, but is not nearly as dangerous as it was last fall and winter.

U.S. health officials said they have agreed to purchase another 105 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in anticipation of a fall booster campaign.

The $3.2 billion deal announced Wednesday by the Biden administration comes as federal scientists consider how to update the vaccines to better protect Americans from the rapidly evolving virus. Federal officials said the purchase agreement includes the option to purchase a total of 300 million doses, including a mix of doses for both adults and children.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, says he’s experiencing the mysterious phenomenon known as “COVID rebound,” which has been linked to the oral treatment Paxlovid.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recurrence of COVID-19 symptoms or a new positive test after testing negative have been reported two to eight days after a patient initially recovers from the coronavirus following Paxlovid treatment.

Pfizer announced Saturday that tweaking its COVID-19 vaccine to better target the omicron variant is safe and works — just days before regulators debate whether to offer Americans updated booster shots this fall.

The vaccines currently used in the U.S. still offer strong protection against severe COVID-19 disease and death -- especially if people have gotten a booster dose. But those vaccines target the original coronavirus strain and their effectiveness against any infection dropped markedly when the super-contagious omicron mutant emerged.

FLORENCE, Ky. — An organization that has been one of the leaders in COVID-19 testing in northern Kentucky announced the closing of some of its testing sites.

While there is still a demand for getting tested, one Gravity Diagnostics leader said that demand is far less than it has been in the past, and the company is ready to move on, at least for now.

Over the weekend, the Centers for Disease Control officially recommended the COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of five. The CDC recommends all children receive this vaccine, even if they have already had COVID-19. The health organization maintains that the vaccine has undergone the "most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history."

Joining us to discuss this recommendation is Dr. Shelly Senders, the founder and CEO of Senders Pediatrics.

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan tested positive on Saturday for COVID-19, according to the White House.

Sullivan typically has frequent contact with President Joe Biden but last was in contact with the president early in the week, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Sullivan had been keeping his distance from Biden after “a couple” of people he had been in close contact with had tested positive for the virus, the official said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended COVID-19 shots for children as young as six months old, clearing the way for the youngest Americans to begin getting vaccinated next week.

Director Rochelle Walensky quickly signed off on the vaccines for children under five just hours after a panel of advisers to the CDC unanimously voted to recommend them.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden, has tested positive for COVID, the National Institutes of Health announced Wednesday.

Dr. Fauci, who was also one of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force under former President Donald Trump, tested positive on a rapid antigen test and is experiencing "mild symptoms."

A government advisory panel Tuesday endorsed a second brand of COVID-19 vaccine for school-age children and teens.

AKRON, Ohio — Summit County dropped a level in the Center's for Disease Control Prevention's latest update for COVID-19 community spread.

Summit County is now reporting a Community Level Low/Green following a decrease in cases, dropping from the yellow level indicating moderate spread.

HEBRON, KY — As of June 12, 2022, international airline passengers heading to the U.S. will no longer be required to present a negative COVID-19 test.

The CDC and the Biden administration decided to lift the rule that has been in place in January 2021.

DURHAM, N.C. — Years into the pandemic, doctors and nurses are reporting symptoms that resemble those experienced by men and women in the military after tours of duty. And thirteen North Carolina counties are reporting a high risk of COVID-19 as the virus shows no signs of giving health care professionals a break.

Top U.S. health officials on Thursday sounded the alarm on how their need to divert COVID-19 funding for things like test manufacturing and vaccine research could put the country in a dire position in the fall, as they continue to urge Congress to pass legislation to pay for future vaccine doses and other critical response measures.

The Biden administration had announced Wednesday that they were forced to reallocate more than $10 billion in coronavirus relief as it tries to come up with money to secure the next generation of vaccines and treatments for some high-risk Americans.

Millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been ordered for small children in anticipation of possible federal authorization next week, White House officials say.

The government allowed pharmacies and states to start placing orders last week, with 5 million doses initially available — half of them shots made by Pfizer and the other half the vaccine produced by Moderna, senior administration officials said.

Moderna's experimental COVID-19 vaccine that combines its original shot with protection against the omicron variant appears to work, the company announced Wednesday.

COVID-19 vaccine makers are studying updated boosters that might be offered in the fall to better protect people against future coronavirus surges.

CLEVELAND — While medical staff continue to cope with COVID-19 numbers, health care centers, such as Cleveland Clinic, are focusing on the future of medicine and how the pandemic has forever changed the way patients are being treated.

“The pandemic really has tested us, as health care providers, to our limits,” said Dr. Raed Dweik, chair of Cleveland Clinic's Respiratory Institute. “Nurses are leaving. Respiratory therapists are leaving, even physicians.”

The U.S. is headed for "a lot of unnecessary loss of life," the Biden administration says, if Congress fails to provide billions more dollars to brace for the pandemic's next wave. Yet the quest for that money is in limbo, the latest victim of election-year gridlock that's stalled or killed a host of Democratic priorities.

President Joe Biden's appeal for funds for vaccines, testing and treatments has hit opposition from Republicans, who've fused the fight with the precarious politics of immigration. Congress is in recess, and the next steps are uncertain, despite admonitions from White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha of damaging consequences from "every day we wait."

SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio — COVID-19 cases are on the rise once again in Summit County, health officials said.

A new measurement tool by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the county moving upward, from Community Level low/green to Community to Level medium/yellow, Summit County Public Health said in a release.

CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — As of Wednesday morning, all government buildings within Cuyahoga County require masks regardless of vaccination status.

County Executive Armond Bush signed the executive order Tuesday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the county as having a "high" community level spread of COVID-19 based on case numbers and hospitalizations.

WESTERVILLE, Ohio — Nicholas Hill subscribed to newspapers for the longest time and always had a love for them because they expose people to a range of ideas from around the world.

In 2020, he turned that love for the hard copies and the element of the unknown into a project. It’s a project that brings those who were hidden in the background of the pandemic to the forefront.

HONOLULU (AP) — A high school prom in Hawaii where masked dancers weren't allowed to touch. A return to virtual city council meetings in one Colorado town after the mayor and others tested positive following an in-person session. A reinstated mask mandate at skilled nursing facilities in Los Angeles County after 22 new outbreaks in a single week.

A COVID-19 surge is underway that is starting to cause disruptions as the school year wraps up and Americans prepare for summer vacations. Many people, though, have returned to their pre-pandemic routines and plans, which often involve travel.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Most Americans have received at least two vaccine doses, and many people are going on three or four, but some Johnson & Johnson recipients who were sold on a “one and done” vaccine are sticking with a single dose.

Columbus resident John Meekins, 53, said it can be a hassle to get vaccines, so he is glad he is still considered fully vaccinated for work purposes with just the one dose he got last year.

The White House on Thursday announced more steps to make the antiviral treatment Paxlovid more accessible across the U.S. as it projects COVID-19 infections will continue to spread over the summer travel season.

The nation's first federally backed test-to-treat site is opening Thursday in Rhode Island, providing patients with immediate access to the drug once they test positive. More federally supported sites are set to open in the coming weeks in Massachusetts and New York City, both hit by a marked rise in infections.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Lawyers representing Ohio colleges argued for the dismissal of lawsuits they face challenging required vaccination, arguing the cases are moot because they recently made vaccination optional.

The University of Cincinnati, Ohio University and Bowling Green State University eased their COVID-19 requirements in March and April.

CLEVELAND — Public health laboratory experts, gathering in Cleveland for a major conference, discussed how public health could take on an expanded role in the future to address long-term COVID-19 response and preparations for future outbreaks.

Investments in public health infrastructure, like wastewater virus monitoring, will equip agencies to respond better to disease outbreaks that could occur in the years ahead, Ohio Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said during remarks kicking off the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) annual conference.

Three doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine offer strong protection for children younger than 5, the company announced Monday. Pfizer plans to give the data to U.S. regulators later this week in a step toward letting the littlest kids get the shots.

The news comes after months of anxious waiting by parents desperate to vaccinate their babies, toddlers and preschoolers, especially as COVID-19 cases once again are rising. The 18 million tots under 5 are the only group in the U.S. not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.

CINCINNATI — This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the COVID-19 booster shot for kids ages 5-11. This comes nearly seven months after the Pfizer vaccine was given the green light for kids in that age group.

Ashley Schweickart is a mom to two little ones — a 5-and-a-half-year-old daughter and an almost 3-year-old son, which has proved difficult over the last two years. That's why she got her daughter vaccinated back in November.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now reporting medium or high COVID-19 levels in eighteen Ohio counties, an increase from just one county earlier in the week.

Since March, Ohio’s counties have mostly been in the CDC’s low transmission level, but that is starting to change as more contagious subvariants of omicron spread.

LANCASTER, Ohio (AP) — An exhibit in Ohio pairing photographs from two moments of societal crisis — the Great Depression and the COVID-19 pandemic — aims to help visitors see parallels between the human tolls felt across generations.

The show, “Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic,” opens Saturday at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio and runs through Aug. 28.

The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it has authorized booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5-11, clearing the way for younger Americans to bolster their protection against the coronavirus.

On Thursday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on a recommendation from a panel of advisers to the agency backing the boosters, allowing for shots to begin.

As COVID-19 cases surge again in the U.S., Americans in high-transmission areas should take precautions such as wearing masks, federal health officials said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration reiterated its call for Congress to approve $22.5 billion in emergency pandemic spending, saying failing to do so would lead to “a lot of unnecessary loss of life.”

About three-quarters of patients diagnosed with post-COVID conditions did not require hospitalization when they initially became infected, a new study found.

The analysis by Fair Health, a nonprofit group that focuses on health care costs and insurance issues, is among the first that leans on a new medical diagnostic code — “U09.9” — created last year to allow doctors to document long COVID cases.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Health Director Dr. Bruce Vandherhoff reported rising COVID-19 levels during a news conference Wednesday as the Ohio Department of Health launched a new testing and treatment website.

Vanderhoff expressed confidence that Ohio is prepared to manage an uptick in virus levels if residents take advantage of vaccines, testing and treatments.

CINCINNATI — Two years after the pandemic began, students who were set to graduate in 2020, will finally get their ceremony in-person.

Chloe Voelker still has the cap and gown from when she was supposed to walk across the stage and accept her college degree in 2020.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio lawmakers advanced a bill to appropriate $422 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to cities, villages and townships to support their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

While counties and large cities receive their ARPA funds directly from the federal government, the Ohio General Assembly needs to pass legislation in order for “non-entitlement units” of local government, which are typically areas with populations less than 50,000, to receive the federal relief.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Missouri-based company that developed a product called the Concentrating Pipette in 2012 began contracting with universities last year as they started to monitor for COVID-19 in the wastewater of dormitories.

Labs can use InnovaPrep's pipette product to concentrate samples for analysis from wastewater that's extremely diluted.

While much of the United States has nearly returned to life as normal, Americans received a sobering reminder Thursday about the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken, as the country surpassed 1 million deaths from the virus, President Joe Biden said.

In a statement, Biden called it a "tragic milestone."

COLUMBUS, Ohio — COVID-19 cases in the state increased for a fifth consecutive week in an Ohio Department of Health update Thursday that showed the highest rates of spread in and around the Columbus and Cleveland areas.

The weekly report of 11,013 cases is a significant increase from the state’s April 1 report of just 3,103 weekly COVID-19 cases.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An attorney representing an appellant who wants the Ohio Supreme Court to order the release of COVID-19 victims’ names asserted the state is seeking to withhold data that could expose officials’ pandemic missteps, he said in an interview.

Andrew Mayle represents Ohio resident Rosanna Miller, who he said is a “curious citizen” seeking Ohio COVID-19 death data. In April 2020, she made a records request to the Ohio Department of Health’s Office of Vital Statistics, which was denied, leading her to sue.

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization is estimating that nearly 15 million people were killed either by the coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems in the past two years, more than double the official death toll of 6 million. Most of the fatalities were in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas.

In a report released on Thursday, the U.N. agency's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the figure as "sobering," saying it should prompt countries to invest more in their capacities to quell future health emergencies.

Black and Hispanic Americans remain far more cautious in their approach to COVID-19 than white Americans, recent polls show, reflecting diverging preferences on how to deal with the pandemic as federal, state and local restrictions fall by the wayside.

Despite majority favorability among U.S. adults overall for measures like mask mandates, public health experts said divided opinions among racial groups reflect not only the unequal impact of the pandemic on people of color but also apathy among some white Americans.