Across the United States, more than 1 million positive coronavirus tests were reported Monday, shattering the previous single-day record. U.S. hospitalizations are rising rapidly, with COVID-19 patients now occupying more than 100,000 hospital beds.
On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration extended emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot to include children aged 12 to 15. Shots could begin later this week if the CDC signs off on the move.
This comes as more than 3,200 schools around the U.S. canceled in-person learning this week amid the surge in cases. In Florida, which has a test positivity rate of over 26%, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday rejected demands he open more coronavirus testing sites, and once again rejected calls to require public health measures like masking and social distancing in schools.
Gov. Ron DeSantis: “Kids need to be in school. They do not need to be doing any crazy mitigation. Just let them be kids. I think it’s pretty clear a lot of this mitigation hasn’t worked, period.”
Over 3,000 flights into, out of or within the United States were canceled on Monday as airlines struggled with staffing shortages and winter weather. Meanwhile, the coffee chain Starbucks has become the latest corporate giant to require workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or get tested weekly for coronavirus.