Here in New York City, public health officials strongly recommended Monday that people wear medical-grade masks indoors — but stopped short of ordering a mask mandate. The warning came as New York prepared to raise its COVID alert level to “high” for the second time this month.

The New York Times reports the Food and Drug Administration is poised to authorize third-dose booster shots of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.

Across the U.S., coronavirus hospitalizations are continuing to rise, with public health officials warning the nearly 100,000 new cases reported each day represents a significant undercount.