Technologies

FDA set to approve Pfizer COVID-19 booster for children as young as 12

The agency is expected to give its OK on Monday, according to The New York Times.

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

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday is expected to green-light giving Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine booster to children as young as 12, according to The New York Times.

The FDA will endorse giving healthy 12- to 15-year-olds a third dose to bolster their vaccine immunity, the Times reported, citing «people familiar with the agency’s deliberations.»

The agency is also expected to allow children ages 5 to 11 with immune deficiencies to receive the booster, and the FDA will also trim the amount of wait time for a booster, from six months to five, for adolescents and adults, according to the Times.

After the FDA gives its OK, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee will meet to vote on the recommendations — a meeting that the Times said will happen by the middle of next week. If the committee backs the plan to lower the booster eligibility age, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky is expected to then endorse the change.

Although children as young as 5 can currently receive Pfizer’s two-dose regimen, only teens 16 and up are eligible to receive a booster.

The news comes as the more contagious omicron variant is sweeping the globe. It’s the dominant strain of COVID in the US, responsible for nearly three-fifths (58.6%) of all new infections, according to the CDC.

The FDA had hoped to make an announcement this week, the Times reported, but Walensky wanted the CDC’s advisory group to have time to weigh in — especially given the young age of the demographic involved.

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.

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Apple’s New Smart Home Display Delayed Until Fall Over Siri Issues

It has been nearly a year and a half since the company announced the AI-powered product.

Your home could get smarter with Apple’s Siri, but it will have to wait a few more months. Bloomberg reported the iPad-shaped AI home hub won’t be ready until September, several months after the company was hoping to launch it this spring. Apple engineers first need to complete work on a new and improved Siri assistant for the home device, code-named J490, according to Bloomberg.

Apple was hoping to release J490 this month, along with a slew of other new devices, including the iPhone 17e, MacBook Neo, MacBook Air M5, new Pro models, and iPad Air M4. Apple first teased the smart home display in November 2024.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Siri is Apple’s virtual assistant that uses voice recognition and AI to fulfill a variety of tasks and commands, along with intriguing uses. You might use Siri to find your iPhone — «Hey Siri, where are you?» — or to hear the weather forecast — «Siri, what will the weather be today?» Siri is available on iPhones, MacBooks and iPads. It was launched in 2011 as a feature of the iPhone 4S.

As CNET reported last month, Apple engineers have struggled to push the upgraded Siri assistant out the door. It isn’t fast enough, gets confused by complex commands and doesn’t interact well with other Apple AI models. The company is also wrestling with how much personal data to access to inform the AI, and the new Siri is not yet able to complete in-app tasks, such as finding a photo and posting it to socials, all with one command.

It has been nearly two years since Apple announced that it would give Siri a major upgrade. In the meantime, competitors like Alexa Plus and Gemini for Home have entered the marketplace.

Tech tester Jon Rettinger, whose YouTube channel has 1.66 million subscribers, says the repeated delays in upgrading Siri can «erode» confidence in Apple’s ability to keep up in the AI race.

«Apple as a whole is still one of the strongest companies on the planet. But their AI play is clearly the weakest link in an otherwise very strong chain,» Rettinger told CNET.

Rettinger said he has had issues getting Siri to complete basic commands, such as setting two alarms at the same time, and that it’s a bit of «a mess» right now.

«Having said that, the iPhone has such massive market penetration that I’m not sure it will actually matter in the end. Which is kind of wild when you think about it,» Rettinger said.

Facial recognition for residents

The hardware for the forthcoming smart home display has already been finished. It resembles an iPad and can be either attached to a wall or rest on a half-domed-shaped base, the Bloomberg report said.

The device will be equipped with facial recognition, so when residents walk up to it, they will be shown personalized data such as music preferences, news headlines, appointments, reminders, tasks and so on.

The screen interface will include a bunch of circular app icons, similar to the display on an Apple Watch. The Bloomberg report said the smart home display will be the first of several home devices by Apple. Future products include a tabletop robotic limb with a 9-inch screen, a smart security camera and a Face ID-enabled smart doorbell.