Technologies

CDC endorses Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 booster shots for all adults

The CDC’s director has accepted the committee’s recommendation.

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites.

An independent panel that advises the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted unanimously Friday to recommend COVID-19 boosters for everyone age 18 and up who received Pfizer’s or Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, at least six months after their second dose. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky endorsed the committee’s expanded booster recommendations shortly after on Friday, making the guidance official.

«Booster shots have demonstrated the ability to safely increase people’s protection against infection and severe outcomes and are an important public health tool to strengthen our defenses against the virus as we enter the winter holidays,» Walensky said in a statement. «Based on the compelling evidence, all adults over 18 should now have equitable access to a COVID-19 booster dose.»

Everyone who received Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine at least two months ago was already eligible for a booster, as well as some vaccinated adults who got Pfizer or Moderna, including people 65 and older, adults with underlying medical conditions, and adults at a high risk of infection due to their job, such as hospital workers, teachers or grocery store workers.

Last month, the FDA and CDC gave the OK for all adults eligible for a booster to «mix and match» and get any of three available COVID-19 vaccines as a booster dose. More than 32 million Americans have already received a COVID-19 booster, according to CDC data.

Earlier on Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration expanded emergency use authorization for both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, clearing the booster doses for all fully vaccinated adults 18 and older. The move opened booster eligibility to millions more people and gave official backing to steps some were already taking.

The CDC committee also voted to strengthen the COVID-19 booster recommendation for individuals age 50 and older. This means the CDC now says someone who is 50 or older «should» get a booster, a younger age than the earlier recommendation that people age 65 or older should get a booster.

In addition to the recommendation everyone over 50 should get a booster, residents of long-term care facilities should also get one. For all other adults age 18 and up, the newest CDC recommendation will be that they can get a booster if they need or want one, after considering their individual benefits and risks.

Experts at the meeting expressed a need to clear up the language in the CDC’s recommendation on who should get a booster. For many adults and their health care providers, the criteria for booster eligibility was confusing and created barriers for people who may really benefit from a booster, they said.

Looking at the CDC’s extensive list of medical conditions for eligibility — which includes common conditions like being overweight, having mood disorders or ever having been a smoker — «it’s almost harder to figure out who’s not eligible,» said Dr. Grace Lee, the committee’s chair. By opening it up to all adults, the message is more clear.

The COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing hospitalization and death, but multiple studies show that the effectiveness of vaccines may start to decline after six to eight months.

Prior to Friday, at least 12 states were already encouraging all residents 18 and older to get a booster shot, regardless of their official eligibility.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, Feb. 2

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 2

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? There are some tough clues today. Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Rock band with albums like «High Voltage» and «Flick of the Switch»
Answer: ACDC

5A clue: Stuck doing the same old, same old
Answer: INARUT

7A clue: Burning up
Answer: ONFIRE

8A clue: -tion, for one
Answer: SUFFIX

9A clue: Jared of 2025’s «Tron: Ares»
Answer: LETO

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Declare void, as a marriage
Answer: ANNUL

2D clue: ___ macchiato (espresso drink)
Answer: CAFFE

3D clue: Begin to veer off the road, say
Answer: DRIFT

4D clue: Odd little trinket
Answer: CURIO

5D clue: What Apple smartphones run on
Answer: IOS

6D clue: ___-Mex cuisine
Answer: TEX

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 2, #497

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 2, No. 497.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. It helps to know a lot about two distinct locations and their sports teams. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Lone Star State.

Green group hint: Think of the Arch.

Blue group hint: You put cereal in this.

Purple group hint: Not four or six.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Texas college teams.

Green group: St. Louis teams.

Blue group: Can be followed by «bowl.»

Purple group: ____ five.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is Texas college teams. The four answers are Aggies, Cougars, Horned Frogs and Longhorns.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is St. Louis teams. The four answers are Billikens, Vlues, Cardinals and St. Louis City.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is can be followed by «bowl.» The four answers are pro, senior, shrine and super.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ five. The four answers are fab, fierce, high and starting.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 2, #967

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Feb. 2 #967

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is a fun one for fans of Agatha Christie, as the last name of one of her detectives shows up in the grid. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Time.

Green group hint: Need to get in.

Blue group hint: Characters in a certain genre of books.

Purple group hint: They grow in the forest, sometimes, but there’s a twist.