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 Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for April 20, #1766

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for April 20, No. 1,766.

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 has a couple of rare letters in it. 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.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has one repeated letter.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels, and then one of those is repeated, so you will see that one twice.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with W.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with E.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to forming fabric by interlacing long threads, perhaps on a loom.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is WEAVE.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, April 19, No. 1765, was STAND.

Recent Wordle answers

April 15, No. 1761: BEGUN

April 16, No. 1762: CUBIT

April 17, No. 1763: BELLE

April 18, No. 1764: TOADY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 20 #778

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for April 20, No. 778.

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

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle offers an interesting mix of words, and they all begin with the same two letters. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Gloriously glaring!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Shimmery.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

TEAM, MATE, HATE, GATE, LIST, LISTEN, GLEE, LINT, CHEAT, HEAT

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

GLOW, GLEAM, GLINT, GLITTER, GLISTEN, GLIMMER

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is CATCHTHELIGHT. To find it, start with the C that’s three letters to the right on the bottom row, and wind up.

Technologies

Turn up the Volume With These EarFun Air Pro 4 Earbuds While They’re Down to Just $63

The EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds are the perfect choice for budget-conscious shoppers who still want every audio perk available.

Right now we’ve spotted EarFun AirPro 4 earbuds for just $63, which saves you $17 with Amazon Prime. In addition to this discount, shoppers can save an extra 5 or 10% when making other eligible purchases. Though not exactly its lowest price, it’s just $10 previous short of its previous low record price and one best deals on audio gear we can expect right now.

The earbuds are frequently discounted from their $80 list price, but that $63 price is a significant discount. CNET Executive Editor David Carnoy reviewed the Earfun Air Pro 4, noting that its wireless charging, ear-detection sensors and multipoint Bluetooth pairing for using with multiple devices are all very useful perks.

Carnoy does note that voice-calling performance for these earbuds doesn’t come anywhere close to premium earbuds like Apple’s AirPods Pro, but when these earbuds cost a fraction of that, they could be a good value for someone who just wants something easy to use for listening to music and podcasts.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (Black):

$248 (save $152)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$170 (save $181)
Sony WH-1000XM6 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones:

$398 (save $62)
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Twilight Blue):

$179 (save $170)
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$200 (save $250)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

This earbuds offer many of the same features as those found in top brands, all for a fraction of the price. Be sure to lock in this low price, as we doubt it will fall any lower anytime soon.