Technologies

Moderna COVID booster: What to know about new omicron variant, side effects, CDC guidelines

If you’re age 18 or older, you can now get a Moderna booster dose if it’s been at least six months since your second shot.

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

The new omincron coronavirus variant is raising alarm bells around the world with fears about a new surge of COVID infections. In response, Moderna said it is taking a three-prong approach to ensure its COVID vaccine can guard against the new mutation.

If you’re 18 years of age and older, you now qualify for a Moderna booster shot. That goes for those fully vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, too, because you can now mix and match vaccines from approved drug-makers.

Authorization for the Moderna booster — along with Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson booster shots and Pfizer vaccines for kids — comes at a time when the deadly and contagious delta variant has a lock on the US and as the new omincron mutation emerges in South Africa.

Epidemiologists worry about another wave of COVID-19 infections as cold weather drives people indoors and as the annual flu season kicks in, socking immune systems. It also comes as a new COVID variant emerges in South Africa.

The COVID-19 vaccines have proved to be highly effective in preventing hospitalization, and those who are unvaccinated are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized if infected. With the federal vaccine mandates, the Biden administration aims to counter the surge and put pressure on anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated. Antiviral drugs could also help.

Here’s what you need to know about the Moderna booster, including its side effects. For more on COVID-19, here’s the latest on COVID-19 vaccines for kids, what to do if you lost your vaccination card, the difference between a booster and a third dose, and what to know about breakthrough infections.

What is Moderna’s plan for its COVID vaccine and the new omincron variant?

In the US, the delta variant of COVID-19 — which is nearly twice as contagiousas earlier variants — accounts for more than 99% of current infections. All three vaccines authorized for use in the US —Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson — are effective inguarding against infection from the delta variant, especially against severe disease.

A new COVID variant named omicron just found in South Africa is raising concerns among scientists. «It is something to watch,» said Maria Van Kerkhove,an infectious disease epidemiologist with the World HealthOrganization. «What we know is that this variant has a large number ofmutations. And the concern is that when you have so many mutations, itcan have an impact on how the virus behaves,» and that includesvaccines, Van Kerkhove said. With researchers just now examining thevariant, it’s not known how effective vaccines will be in guardingagainst infection.

To be ready for the new mutated virus, Moderna said it is taking a three-part strategy to be ready for the mutated virus:

1. Moderna said it’s testing a 100 microgram dose of its booster to see if it provides better protection against the omincrom. The Moderna booster authorized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a 50 microgram dose, half of what the CDC authorized for the first two shots of the Moderna vaccine.

2. The drug-maker is testing a COVID vaccine that could protect against several mutated strains of the COVID virus.

3. The company is working on an omicron-specific booster vaccine. Moderna said it could have a candidate of its micron-specific boosterin clinical testing in 60 to 90 days.

All adults are now eligible for the Moderna booster dose

As of Nov. 19, all adults — those age 18 and older — are eligible to get a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. They qualify if it’s been at least six months since they’ve received their second dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for a booster dose after two months. Adults are encouraged to get whatever booster dose is available to them, even if that means mixing and matching vaccine boosters (more below).

What about side effects with the Moderna COVID booster shot?

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who got the Moderna booster dose reported fewer reactions than they did after the second dose of the vaccine. In its study, the CDC found 95% of those who got Moderna for the first round of vaccine shots chose Moderna for the booster dose.

Yes, it’s safe to mix and match vaccine boosters

The US Food and Drug Administration has authorized mixing COVID-19 boosters, which in the US means Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Anyone eligible for a booster can get any of the available brands of coronavirus vaccines. If you initially received Johnson & Johnson and it’s been two months or longer since you received the initial dose, you’ll be able to get the Moderna or Pfizer booster. If you received Moderna or Pfizer for your first two shots, you could pick any authorized vaccine — including J&J — if you qualify and it’s been six months or longer since your second shot.

What does the Moderna booster shot do?

A COVID-19 booster shot — whether from Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson — tops off your immune response and guards against a breakthrough COVID-19 infection as the vaccine’s effectiveness decreases over time.

Recent studies of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines show that their effectiveness can begin to wane after six months. Moderna said early data suggests that those who received the Moderna vaccine in 2020 are showing a higher rate of breakthrough COVID infections than those vaccinated this year, suggesting the need for a booster to maintain high levels of protection.

Is the Moderna vaccine booster the same as the original two COVID-19 doses?

Yes, almost. As with Pfizer’s booster, the third Moderna shot will be the same vaccine as the first two doses, except it’ll be a half dose. To make your life simpler, Moderna is also working on a combination shot that includes this year’s flu vaccine and its COVID-19 booster vaccine, but that is not available right now.

Where can I get the Moderna booster shot?

According to the White House, boosters will be available at roughly 80,000 places across the country, including over 40,000 local pharmacies. Some 90% of Americans have a vaccine site within 5 miles of where they live. You can check Vaccines.gov to see which vaccines are available where, or call 800-232-0233 for vaccine information.

Is the Moderna COVID-19 booster shot free, or do I have to pay?

All booster shots will be free, regardless of immigration or health insurance status. However, depending on where you get your booster shot — for example, at a local pharmacy — you may be asked to log your insurance status. You may be asked to provide your insurance card information, including your name, date of birth and membership number. You will not be charged for your COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot.

Will I need a fourth COVID booster shot?

The CDC updated its guidance to say that next year, some immunocompromised people will be able to get a fourth COVID-19 booster shot. It’s unclear if other groups will need to get a fourth dose at this time.

For more on coronavirus treatments and vaccines, here’s what we know about monoclonal antibody treatments, the new federal vaccine mandates and why some people may not want the shot.

CNET’s Jessica Rendall contributed to this article.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

Technologies

Worried About Prices? CNET Is Monitoring the Daily Tariff Impacts on 11 Key Products

CNET is keeping track of prices for several key products as prospects for the months ahead remain uncertain, including one popular TV speaker you might want to buy right now.

President Donald Trump continues to clash with companies over their reactions to his contentious tariff agenda. Last week, he demanded that Walmart eat the cost of the new import taxes after the company said its prices would go up by the summer. To close out this week, he’s threatened Apple with a 25% duty on its products if it doesn’t move manufacturing to the US, a prospect that has been widely dismissed as a fantasy.

The basic truth of the situation is that tariffs are almost certainly going to cause prices to climb, and with this piece I’ve been tracking just that: the daily effect of Trump’s tariffs on the prices of 11 popular products you might want or need to buy, whether it be a new phone, laptop or your daily coffee. So far, we’ve seen notable price hikes for the flagship Xbox game console, while everything else has, as Amazon claimed, remained steady aside from occasional fluctuations that might not be tariff-related. That sort of consistency is far from certain, however, given the recent warnings from major retailers like Walmart and Target.

CNET Tariff Tracker Index

Above, you can check out a chart with the average price of the 11 included items over the course of 2025. This will help give you a sense of the overall price changes and fluctuations going on. Further down, you’ll be able to check out charts for each individual product being tracked.

A recent tariff agreement with China, much-hyped by the White House, did significantly cut tariff rates against the US’s biggest trading partner. The new 30% rate is only temporary, however, and still historically high. It just looks more reasonable next to the ludicrous 145% rate that was previously in place. As those negotiations move along, companies continue to warn of impending price hikes in order to deal with the new tariffs, including Sony, which could potentially mean a price hike for its ever-popular PlayStation 5 consoles.

We’ll be updating this article regularly as prices change. It’s all in the name of helping you make sense of things, so be sure to check back every so often. For more, check out CNET’s guide to whether you should wait to make big purchases or buy them now and get expert tips about how to prepare for a recession.

Methodology

We’re checking prices daily and will update the article and the relevant charts right away to reflect any changes. The following charts show a single bullet point for each month, with the most recent one labeled «Now» and showing the current price. For the past months, we’ve gone with what was the most common price for each item in the given month.

In most cases, the price stats used in these graphs were pulled from Amazon using the historical price tracker tool Keepa. For the iPhones, the prices come from Apple’s official materials and are based on the 128-gigabyte base model of the latest offering for each year: the iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. For the Xbox Series X, the prices were sourced from Best Buy using the tool PriceTracker. If any of these products happen to be on sale at a given time, we’ll be sure to let you know and explain how those price drops differ from longer-term pricing trends that tariffs can cause.

The 11 products we’re tracking

Mostly what we’re tracking in this article are electronic devices and digital items that CNET covers in depth, like iPhones and affordable 4K TVs — along with a typical bag of coffee, a more humble product that isn’t produced in the US to any significant degree.

The products featured were chosen for a few reasons: Some of them are popular and/or affordable representatives for major consumer tech categories, like smartphones, TVs and game consoles. Others are meant to represent things that consumers might buy more frequently, like printer ink or coffee beans. Some products were chosen over others because they are likely more susceptible to tariffs. Some of these products have been reviewed by CNET or have been featured in some of our best lists.

iPhone 16, 128GB
Duracell AA batteries, 24-pack
Samsung DU7200 65-inch TV
Xbox Series X
Apple AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C case
HP 962 CMY Printer Ink
Anker 10,000-mAh, 30-watt power bank
Bose TV speaker
Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook, 256GB
Starbucks 28-ounce ground dark roast coffee

Below, we’ll get into more about each individual product.

iPhone 16

The iPhone is the most popular smartphone brand in the US, so this was a clear priority for price tracking. The iPhone has also emerged as a major focal point for conversations about tariffs, given its popularity and its susceptibility to import taxes because of its overseas production, largely in China. Trump has reportedly been fixated on the idea that the iPhone can and should be manufactured in the US, an idea that experts have dismissed as a fantasy. Estimates have also suggested that a US-made iPhone would cost as much as $3,500.

Apple has made several moves this year to protect its prices in the US as much as possible, like flying in bulk shipments of product ahead of the tariffs taking effect and working to move production for the American market from China to India, where tariff rates are less severe. This latter move provoked a response from Trump, given his noted fixation on the iPhone, saying last week that he «had a little problem» with Tim Cook over the move, claiming without evidence that the Apple CEO pledged to bring more manufacturing to the US. Cook and others close to the company for years say that the supply chains for its products are too complex to move manufacturing entirely to the US.

This week, Trump further threatened a 25% penalty rate against Apple products if it did not move manufacturing to the US. How that will play out is still unclear, but notably, foreign-made iPhones with 25% tax would still probably be much cheaper than iPhones predominantly made in the US.

Duracell AA batteries

A lot of the tech products in your home might boast a rechargeable energy source but individual batteries are still an everyday essential and I can tell you from experience that as soon as you forget about them, you’ll be needing to restock. The Duracell AAs we’re tracking are some of the bestselling batteries on Amazon.

Samsung DU7200 TV

Alongside smartphones, televisions are some of the most popular tech products out there, even if they’re an infrequent purchase. This particular product is a popular entry-level 4K TV and was CNET’s pick for best overall budget TV for 2025. Unlike a lot of tech products that have key supply lines in China, Samsung is a South Korean company, so it might have some measure of tariff resistance.

Xbox Series X

Video game software and hardware are a market segment expected to be hit hard by the Trump tariffs. Microsoft’s Xbox is the first console brand to see price hikes — the company cited «market conditions» along with the rising cost of development. Most notably, this included an increase in the price of the flagship Xbox Series X, up from $500 to $600. Numerous Xbox accessories were also affected, and the company also said that «certain» games will eventually see a price hike from $70 to $80.

Initially, we were tracking the price of the much more popular Nintendo Switch as a representative of the gaming market. Nintendo has not yet hiked the price of its handheld-console hybrid and stressed that the $450 price tag of the upcoming Switch 2 has not yet been inflated because of tariffs. Sony, meanwhile, has so far only increased prices on its PlayStation hardware in markets outside the US.

AirPods Pro 2

The latest iteration of Apple’s wildly popular true-wireless earbuds are here to represent the headphone market. Much to the chagrin of the audiophiles out there, a quick look at sales charts on Amazon shows you just how much the brand dominates all headphone sales. Earlier in the year, they tended to be noticeably cheaper on Amazon, but as now, they have steadily creeped back up towards their $250 list price.

HP 962 CMY printer ink

This HP printer ink includes cyan, magenta and yellow all in one product and recently saw its price jump from around $72 — where it stayed for most of 2025 — to $80, which is around its highest price over the last five years. We will be keeping tabs to see if this is a long-term change or a brief uptick.

This product replaced Overture PLA Filament for 3D printers in this piece, but we’re still tracking that item.

Anker 10,000-mAh, 30-watt power bank

Anker’s accessories are perennially popular in the tech space and the company has already announced that some of its products will get more expensive as a direct result of tariffs. This specific product has also been featured in some of CNET’s lists of the best portable chargers. While the price has remained steady throughout the year, it is currently on sale for $16 on Amazon, but only for Prime members.

Bose TV speaker

Soundbars have become important purchases, given the often iffy quality of the speakers built into TVs. While not the biggest or the best offering in the space, the Bose TV Speaker is one of the more affordable soundbar options out there, especially hailing from a brand as popular as Bose. This product has been one of the steadiest on this list in terms of price throughout the year, but it’s currently on sale for $199, potentially as part of Amazon’s Memorial Day sale. So, if you’re looking for an affordable, tariff-free TV speaker, now might be the time.

Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush

They might be a lot more expensive than their traditional counterparts, but electric toothbrushes remain a popular choice for consumers because of how well they get the job done. I know my dentist won’t let up on how much I need one. This particular Oral-B offering was CNET’s overall choice for the best electric toothbrush for 2025.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook

Lenovo is notable among the big laptop manufacturers for being a Chinese company making its products especially susceptible to Trump’s tariffs.

Starbucks Ground Coffee (28-ounce bag)

Coffee is included in this tracker because of its ubiquity —I’m certainly drinking too much of it these days —and because it’s uniquely susceptible to Trump’s tariff agenda. Famously, coffee beans can only be grown within a certain distance from Earth’s equator, a tropical span largely outside the US and known as the «Coffee Belt.»

Hawaii is the only part of the US that can produce coffee beans, with data from USAFacts showing that 11.5 million pounds were harvested there in the 2022-23 season — little more than a drop in the mug, as the US consumed 282 times that amount of coffee during that period. Making matters worse, Hawaiian coffee production has declined in the past few years.

All that to say: Americans get almost all of their coffee from overseas, making it one of the most likely products to see price hikes from tariffs.

Technologies

What’s New in Anthropic’s Claude 4 Gen AI Models?

Anthropic said it’s using extra safety precautions with its heavy duty Claude 4 Opus model.

The latest versions of Anthropic’s Claude generative AI models made their debut Thursday, including a heavier-duty model built specifically for coding and complex tasks.

Anthropic launched the new Claude 4 Opus and Claude 4 Sonnet models during its Code with Claude developer conference and executives said the new tools mark a significant step forward in terms of reasoning and deep thinking skills.

The company launched the prior model, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, in February. Since then, competing AI developers have also upped their game. OpenAI released GPT-4.1 in April, with an emphasis on an expanded context window, along with the new o3 reasoning model family. Google followed in early May with an updated version of Gemini 2.5 Pro that it said is better at coding.

Claude 4 Opus is a larger, more resource-intensive model built to handle particularly difficult challenges. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said test users have seen it quickly handle tasks that might have taken a person several hours to complete.

«In many ways, as we’re often finding with large models, the benchmarks don’t fully do justice to it,» he said during the keynote event.

Claude 4 Sonnet is a leaner model, with improvements built on Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet model. The 3.7 model often had problems with overeagerness and sometimes did more than the person asked it to do, Amodei said. While it’s a less resource-intensive model, it still performs well, he said.

«It actually does just as well as Opus on some of the coding benchmarks, but I think it’s leaner and more narrowly focused,» Amodei said.

Anthropic said the models have a new capability, still being beta tested, in which they can use tools like web searches while engaged in extended reasoning. The models can alternate between reasoning and using tools to get better responses to complex queries.

The models offer near-instant response modes and extended thinking modes.

All of the paid plans offer Opus and Sonnet models, while the free plan just has the Sonnet model.

The new models show Anthropic’s focus on building strong coding models, said Arun Chandrasekaran, a distinguished vice president, analyst at Gartner. «Anthropic’s Claude models have established strong leadership in the software engineering domain and the latest Claude 4 release extends that leadership.»

Anthropic triggers safety protocols with new Claude models

In launching the Claude Opus 4 model, Anthropic said it was taking increased safety precautions to reduce the risk of Claude being misused. In a blog post, the company said it hasn’t determined whether the model actually requires the protections of its ASL-3 standard but it is doing so as a precaution.

The safety precautions are specifically designed to prevent Claude from helping with developing chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. Anthropic said it limited attacks known as universal jailbreaks that let attackers get around existing protocols. «We will continue to evaluate Claude Opus 4’s CBRN capabilities,» Anthropic’s blog post said. «If we conclude that Claude Opus 4 has not surpassed the relevant Capability Threshold, then we may remove or adjust the ASL-3 protections.»

Chandrasekaran said the implementation of safety standards is worth noting. «This includes enhanced cybersecurity measures and prompt classifiers to mitigate risks associated with powerful AI systems,» he said. The new models show the company’s focus on balancing new technology with safety, he said.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for May 24, #1435

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,435 for May 24.

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

Today’s Wordle puzzle put a certain song about footwear in my head. If you like to guess vowels first, this is the word for you. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.