Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins reported 347 new COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths on Friday.
The omicron variant has been detected in North Texas, The Dallas Morning News reports. Two cases have been identified in Frisco found in vaccinated men with no recent travel history. The omicron variant appears to have more than 30 mutations in the coronavirus’ spike protein, potentially making it more contagious.
CDC expands boosters to include 16- and 17-year-olds, KERA reports. U.S. health authorities said Thursday that 16- and 17-year-olds should get a booster dose of Pfizer’s FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccine once they’re six months past their last shot.
60.5 percent of the total eligible US population is now fully vaccinated, FOX 4 reports. More than 200 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and nearly 50 million people have received a booster dose. Last week, White House officials noted the U.S. administered 12.5 million shots, the highest weekly total since May. Hospitalizations are up 25% since last month, almost entirely due to the delta variant.
