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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

This October 2021 photo provided by Pfizer shows kid-size doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Puurs, Belgium. The vaccine appear safe and nearly 91% effective at preventing symptomatic infections in 5- to 11-year-olds, according to study details released Friday, Oct. 22, as the U.S. considers opening vaccinations to that age group. (Pfizer via AP)

FDA panel recommends COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11

A key advisory panel on Tuesday recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shots for emergency use in children ages 5 to 11, setting the stage for shots to become available to 28 million children by early November and fueling debate over the risks and rewards of vaccinating an age group that's accounted for 0.01% of COVID-19 deaths in America.

October 26, 2021
This October 2021 photo provided by Pfizer shows kid-size doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Puurs, Belgium. Kid-size doses of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine may be getting closer as government advisers on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2021 began deliberating whether theres enough evidence that the shots are safe and effective for 5- to 11-year-olds. (Pfizer via AP)

FDA panel meets to consider COVID-19 shots for ages 5-11

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration are debating Tuesday whether to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioTech for emergency use in 5- to 11-year-olds, setting the stage for shots to become available to 28 million school-aged children by the start of November.

October 26, 2021
In this March 13, 2019, photo, Facebook, Messenger and Instagram apps are displayed on an iPhone, in New York. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) **FILE**

Report: Two Facebook tools suppressed traffic of conservative sites

Tools deployed by Facebook suppressed the traffic of websites considered conservative even though it wasn't the company's intent, according to a Wall Street Journal story that looked at internal company debates over how the company attempts to police misinformation and news algorithms.

October 25, 2021
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Northeast Bronx YMCA, in the Bronx borough of New York, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Harris to visit France next month, meet with Macron

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to France in November to discuss COVID-19 and climate issues with French President Emmanuel Macron and mark Veterans Day, the White House said Friday.

October 22, 2021
Security personnel manned the entrance of the Wuhan Institute of Virology during a Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, visit by a team from the World Health Organization. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Failure to report coronavirus-experiment findings renews Wuhan lab controversy

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky says he feels vindicated after the National Institutes of Health revealed that a "limited experiment" at the Wuhan lab in China involving mice equipped with human receptors found a virus engineered to carry spike proteins from coronaviruses was more virulent than ones without the special function.

October 22, 2021
A health care worker receives a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot at Jackson Memorial Hospital Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) ** FILE **

CDC panel advances plan for mix-and-match booster vaccines for COVID-19

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed a booster plan Thursday for all three COVID-19 vaccines, nudging forward a strategy to let Americans mix-and-match brands to not only bolster their defenses but avoid rare, though serious, side effects that have been linked to both vaccine technologies deployed in the U.S.

October 21, 2021
In this Dec. 10, 2020, file photo, a sign is displayed for the Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Md.  (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)  **FILE**

FDA approves J&J and Moderna boosters, mixing vaccines

The Biden administration cleared the way Wednesday for millions of Americans to get COVID-19 booster shots and said it will be ready to distribute vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 once the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sign off on an application from Pfizer and BioNTech.

October 20, 2021
In this Aug. 28, 2021, photo, Mayra Navarrete, 13, receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from registered nurse, Noleen Nobleza at a clinic set up in the parking lot of CalOptima in Orange, Calif. With more than 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines available, U.S. health authorities said they're confident both seniors and other vulnerable Americans seeking booster shots and parents anticipating approval of initial shots for young children will have easy access. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) **FILE**

WH touts plan to get kids ages 5 to 11 vaccinated for COVID-19

The Biden administration said Wednesday it will be ready to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 5 to 11 once the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sign off on an application from Pfizer and BioNTech to start the rollout.

October 20, 2021
Lakita Strong, center, holds a sign protesting mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for schoolchildren with her sons Jordan, left, and Jayden, right, at the state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Oct. 18, 2021. More than 1,000 people crowded the front steps of the California Capitol to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom's decision to require all children to get the coronavirus vaccine to attend public and private schools. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

Poll: 6 in 10 Americans think pandemic on the wane

More than 6 in 10 U.S. voters believe the coronavirus pandemic is becoming less serious, but a plurality thinks President Biden and his top medical officials aren't interested in dropping mandates even as high-profile figures shirk the shots and big companies say they don't need requirements to increase uptake, according to polling released by a conservative group Tuesday.

October 19, 2021
In this Sept. 25, 2021, photo, former President Donald Trump prepares to take the stage during his Save America rally in Perry, Ga. (AP Photo/Ben Gray) **FILE**

Trump slams Colin Powell, media one day after general’s death

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticized the late Colin Powell for "big mistakes" in Iraq and called him a Republican in name only one day after somber remembrances from both parties for the 84-year-old who died from complications of COVID-19.

October 19, 2021