More countries have started to allow individuals to receive two different types of shots as part of their COVID-19 inoculation. Most vaccines come in the form of two-shot doses and a majority of people have been administered the same vaccine both times. (The New York Times)
While Australia has managed to stem the tide of COVID-19 infection better than most other countries, it faces renewed peril from an outbreak of the Delta variant in Sydney. New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian said that the city was set to enter “perhaps the scariest period” of the whole pandemic. (The Washington Post)
An internal World Health Organization forecast revealed that the organization expects vulnerable populations, such as elderly people, will need to receive an annual COVID-19 vaccine booster. The shot would protect them against rapidly emerging variants. (Reuters)
Nearly all U.S. COVID-19 deaths are among people who have not been vaccinated, an AP analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data revealed. Of the more than 18,000 people who died of COVID in May, only 150 had been fully vaccinated. (AP)
Children in the throes of a mental health crisis can “languish” inside emergency rooms for days, a NPR investigation found. Emergency room boarding of psychiatric patients surged by as much as 400% during the pandemic in Massachusetts. (NPR)
