Technologies

Delta variant: Could COVID vaccine boosters be here sooner than we thought?

With breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people, the debate is over whether booster shots are needed to protect against the highly contagious strain.

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

During the third week of July, the World Health Organization reported a 131% increase in new COVID cases in the US. With the delta variant of the coronavirus becoming the dominant strain, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said it’s working on a booster shot for its COVID-19 vaccine. To prepare for the possibility, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it’s weighing a third shot for immune-compromised people.

In a July 8 press release, Pfizer said a third shot of its vaccine would enhance the immunity of those who’ve already received the first two vaccine shots. In addition to creating a booster for its existing vaccine, the drugmaker said it would formulate a new version of its COVID-19 vaccine to target the delta variant. The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration responded with a joint statement the same day saying that fully vaccinated Americans «do not need a booster shot at this time.»

But that was all before the CDC’s most recent internal document confirmed in late July that vaccinated people can both contract the highly contagious delta variant and easily spread it. Those recent findings were behind the CDC’s shift in its mask guidance, which now recommends indoor mask use for everyone in areas with high transmission rates. The debate over mask use and vaccine boosters underscores how scientists and other health experts continue to grapple with the uncertainties of COVID-19.

Here’s what we know about Pfizer’s plans for a booster, and why the CDC and FDA caution against it, at least for now.

What are Pfizer’s plans for a COVID-19 booster shot?

Along with Moderna, Pfizer’s current two-dose vaccine provides effective protection against all known variants of COVID-19, including the delta variant. Studies have shown the Pfizer vaccine to be over 90% effective against the virus. But Pfizer also said its own research showed a third booster of its current vaccine increased antibody levels five to 10 times higher over its two-dose shots. The company noted its results have not been published or peer-reviewed.

Pfizer said it believes the level of protection the two doses of its vaccine provide can decrease over time, and a third booster dose may be needed «within six to 12 months» after a person is fully vaccinated. To prepare for the booster, Pfizer is testing both the effectiveness of a third dose of its current vaccine and working on an updated version targeting the delta variant. Pfizer said it would begin clinical trials on the booster this month as it seeks approval from government regulators for a third dose.

The company says a third shot given at least six months after the second shot in its original vaccine series would enhance protection against the delta variant, which has been known to infect fully vaccinated people.

What are the CDC and FDA saying in response?

«People who are fully vaccinated are protected from severe disease and death, including from the variants currently circulating in the country such as Delta,» the CDC and FDA said in a July 8 joint statement, without naming Pfizer. The government agencies emphasized the need for all eligible people to receive full doses of one of the approved vaccines, all of which are free.

The CDC and FDA said the question of a booster requires extensive scientific data and doesn’t depend on the input from pharmaceutical companies alone. «Virtually all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are among those who are unvaccinated,» the statement mentioned, adding that the agencies will approve booster doses «if and when the science demonstrates that they are needed.»

According to a July 23 article in The New York Times, there is a growing consensus among Biden administration health officials that older individuals and those with compromised immune systems may, in fact, need a third shot. The same article notes that the CDC is exploring options to administer third doses even prior to authorization.

Is Moderna also planning to develop a booster shot?

While scientists and public health officials continue to study if those who are fully vaccinated will need a booster shot, Moderna said — along with Pfizer — it is moving ahead and exploring the need for a third shot.

Would the booster shot be free?

The current one-dose vaccine shot from Johnson & Johnson and two-dose versions from Moderna and Pfizer are free to anyone who wants to get vaccinated. According to the Biden administration, COVID-19 booster shots will also be free, if and when they’re approved.

Is it a good idea to mix and match COVID vaccines?

The CDC doesn’t recommend mixing and matching vaccines from the different makers, saying it hasn’t evaluated the effectiveness of mixing vaccine doses and that the «vaccines are not interchangeable.»

However, other global health agencies and countries are testing administered vaccines from two different manufacturers. In England, for example, a recent study found that those who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and a second of Pfizer had a higher immune response than those who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

While we wait to see how the situation develops, here’s what we know about the delta variant, more about COVID-19 boosters and if you need to continue to wear a mask.

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

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, May 17

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 17.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? 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.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword has a goofy shape, but it’s pretty easy to solve. 6-Down mystified me, but the other answers helped me fill it in. 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.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. 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 at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: «Link in ___» (promotional catchphrase on social media)
Answer: BIO

4A clue: They’re ground in a coffee grinder
Answer: BEANS

6A clue: Bike riders’ headwear
Answer: HELMETS

8A clue: Variety of tomato whose name is also a meat
Answer: BEEFSTEAK

10A clue: Shoe spec that describes this puzzle?
Answer: EXTRAWIDE

11A clue: «Cha-ching, nothin’ to it!»
Answer: EASYMONEY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Church spot where bats hang out
Answer: BELFRY

2D clue: The first three words of «Green Eggs and Ham,» straight from the narrator
Answer: IAMSAM

3D clue: Boxing punch combo
Answer: ONETWO

4D clue: Purple slices in a salad
Answer: BEETS

5D clue: Oktoberfest glass
Answer: STEIN

6D clue: Prefix with decimal, in coding
Answer: HEXA

7D clue: One-named hit singer with 1985’s «Smooth Operator»
Answer: SADE

8D clue: Spelling ___
Answer: BEE

9D clue: Paper with the answers
Answer: KEY

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

I’m Putting Apple AirTags in Every Suitcase I Own, and They’re on Sale Now at Amazon

I track everything from keys to cars using Apple AirTags. And now that you can get a four-pack for almost $20 off at both Amazon and Best Buy, it’s a good time to stock up.

I knew something was wrong as I stood at the baggage carousel after a return flight from France and my trusty rolling suitcase was nowhere to be seen, even as my fellow passengers collected their bags one by one. My suitcase never did drop onto the carousel that day.

However, I knew there was no reason to panic. Before handing over my suitcase at check-in at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, I had tucked a sophisticated little tracking device into it. So, with just a few taps on my iPhone, I could see that my bag had apparently never left Paris. (Merde!)

Over the years, I’ve come to rely on Apple’s AirTags to keep track of just about all my easy-to-lose valuables. They’re not only good for suitcases; I also use them to track keys, bikes and even my car. I tell everyone who will listen that you can never have too many of these handy devices. That’s why I think it’s worth taking full advantage of sales at both Amazon and Best Buy that slash the price of a four-pack of AirTags down to $80.

Here’s how the Apple AirTag that was in my suitcase on that fateful trip works. It uses an ingenious method of tracking itself, detecting its location from nearby iPhones and using them to anonymously piggyback the coordinates to a secure server where I could look it up on my iPhone. Until just a few years ago, this would have seemed like a scene straight out of a spy movie.

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Instead of wondering if my belongings were stuck on an abandoned luggage cart or strewn across the tarmac, I could see in almost real time that my suitcase was still chilling at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. I was able to calmly tell the airline my bag didn’t make the flight, and it made arrangements to have it delivered to me a few days later.

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Apple AirTags are all about peace of mind

By itself, an AirTag isn’t much. A 1.26-inch smooth round puck that looks like a glossy white breath mint, it sinks to the bottom of a bag or dangles from a key chain (with a compatible key ring, sold separately). It’s meant to disappear.

Activating the AirTag was a simple process of pairing with my iPhone. And then, because it obviously doesn’t really do anything out of the box, I forgot about it.

But the next time I couldn’t find my keys? Sorcery. My iPhone didn’t just tell me they were somewhere nearby — it walked me directly to them, thanks to the AirTag’s built-in Ultra Wideband chip. Suddenly, all that time I’d spent retracing my steps and overturning couch cushions in the past felt like ancient history.

Now I have AirTags in or attached to every significant item I’d want to keep track of: My everyday laptop bag, my camera backpack, the suitcase I use most when traveling, my key chain, my car and a smaller sling bag I take on walks. I can pull up the Find My app on any of my Apple devices (or sign in to iCloud on any web browser) and see where my items are and the last time the AirTags registered their locations.

AirTags aren’t just for my everyday items. People I know in the movie business tell me that AirTags are tossed into nearly every bag and Pelican crate, not solely to ensure that the valuable equipment inside doesn’t walk away but to quickly differentiate equipment amid similar looking containers. Some of my friends also attach AirTags to their pets’ collars (though experts say there are better ways to track pets).

AirTags are also useful for things that you want to keep close by

Being able to detect my luggage a continent away provided a sense of relief, to be sure. But at the local level, my AirTags will also trigger an alert when I get too far away from them. For example, if I accidentally forget my camera bag in the car when I stop somewhere for lunch, a Find My notification appears telling me I’ve left it behind. It works the same for newer AirPods models as well.

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Sharing is now a big part of AirTag tracking

My family has two cars, and I wanted to be able to track them both. But it used to be inconvenient to pair the AirTag in the car my wife drives to her iPhone (and the one in my car to my iPhone).

To guard against unwanted tracking, an AirTag will notify nearby iPhones of its existence, so whenever I drove my wife’s car without her in it, I got a notification that an AirTag was traveling with me. (If the owner is near the AirTag, the alert does not appear.)

However, ever since the release of iOS 17, AirTags are shareable, which solves this problem. I shared my AirTag with my wife, and she with me, so regardless of which car I’m driving, I can find it more easily in a crowded parking lot without getting constant, unnecessary alerts.

A new feature to AirTags that arrived with iOS 18.2 is the ability to temporarily share an AirTag’s location with someone I trust. In my luggage example above, if the suitcase was in the airport with me, but the airport’s staff hadn’t yet been able to locate it (not uncommon during peak travel times), I could share its location with an attendant who could quickly retrieve it from areas inaccessible to the public.

Apple AirTag specs

Diameter: 1.26 inches (31.9 mm)
Height: 0.31 inches (8 mm)
Weight: 0.39 ounces (11 g)
Splash, water and dust resistance: Rated IP67 (maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Battery: Replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery

The only minor annoyance about AirTags

An AirTag includes Bluetooth, the U1 Ultra Wideband chip and an NFC chip to share basic details when it’s in Lost Mode. That’s all powered by a CR2032 coin cell battery, which in my experience lasts roughly a year before I need to replace it.

I get notified when a battery is starting to get low, although there’s no gauge to see how much is left until it goes into the red. And it’s easy to change batteries. But my small fleet of AirTags means I need to swap multiple ones each year. I buy them in packs of 20 that I slowly work through.

AirTags also make great gifts

Apple AirTags consistently appear in our gift guides throughout the year because you can always find another use for one. They’re often reduced in price when sold in packs of four. And there’s an ever-growing ecosystem of ways to mount them, from sturdy vaults that adhere to a car to discrete fabric holders that will keep your favorite classic bomber jacket from flying away. Whenever I show someone how I use AirTags on a bag or keychain, I kind of wish I had a pocket of AirTags to hand out because once someone sees how it works, they’re sold.

Looking to save on more things that’ll make your life easier? Check out our roundup of all the best early Memorial Day deals going on now. We’ve also gathered all the best AirTag accessories of 2025 from across the web so you can get the most use out of them.