Skip to main content

FDA approves updated Covid-19 vaccines

By CNN

(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration has signed off on updated Covid-19 vaccines for many Americans.

Pfizer and BioNTech said Thursday that the agency had approved their mRNA-based Covid shot for all adults 65 and older, as well as anyone ages 5 through 64 who has a condition that raises their risk of severe illness. It targets the XFG variant and generated immune responses against other currently circulating variants, the companies said.

Moderna said Thursday that it had received approval for its two mRNA-based vaccines: Spikevax for people ages 6 months through 64 who have an underlying condition and anyone 65 or older; and mNexspike for people ages 12 through 64 who have an underlying condition and anyone 65 or older. Both formulations target the XFG subvariant of the JN.1 coronavirus strain.

Nuvaxovid, the only protein-based Covid vaccine available in the US, also received approval for everyone 65 and older and for those 12 through 64 who have an underlying condition, drugmakers Novavax and Sanofi said. It targets the XFG subvariant.

Health conditions that may raise the risk of severe illness include asthma; heart, kidney, liver or lung disease; diabetes; obesity; and pregnancy, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Under the Trump administration, the federal government has shifted from a universal Covid vaccine recommendation to a more restricted one in which it’s recommended that everyone 6 months and over consult with a healthcare provider before getting the shot.

In May, the FDA’s independent vaccine advisory committee voted to recommend that XFG be the targeted variant in this year’s shots.

The CDC has yet to make an official recommendation for this year’s vaccines, but most medical organizations recommend getting one, and insurance companies have indicated that they will continue to cover the shot. Experts say the vaccines should begin hitting pharmacies and doctors offices in September.

Covid case numbers aren’t especially high right now, and the United States isn’t recording many hospitalizations or deaths. But data from the CDC puts the test positivity rate for the week ending August 15 approaching 5% for the first time since early February, with numbers climbing in every state.

The CDC says it’s currently getting low numbers of viral sequences, but as of early July, XFG.1.1 was the predominant coronavirus strain causing illness in the US.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the day updated Covid-19 vaccines were approved. The story has also been updated to specify variants targeted by updated vaccines.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Jury begins deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial

By CNN
(CNN) - The jury is now deliberating in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, after weeks of testimony wrapped up with closing arguments from both sides this morning. The courtroom was packed with reporters and members of the public. A few women in the gallery were wearing pink, presumably in support of Clancy. Before the closing arguments began, Clancy was seen wiping the corner of her eyes, and her shoulders shook as Judge William Sullivan reviewed the charges against her. The jury that will consider Lindsay Clancy’s fate is made up of nine women and three men. The panel includes a woman who was wiping her eyes during closing arguments, a man who yawned during the commonwealth’s closing, and a woman who nodded when a psychiatrist testified Clancy’s choice to not take a certain medication was reasonable “in her mind.” Many of the empaneled jurors have been diligently taking notes during the testimony. The jury foreperson is a woman with gray hair and glasses. Six alternates — three men and three women — were dismissed and so will not deliberate. After the jury exited the courtroom, Judge William F. Sullivan took a moment to commend all three attorneys for their work on the case. “Unless you’ve tried a difficult murder like this one, you may not be aware how difficult and tough it is to try a case like this,” Sullivan said. “It’s emotionally taxing. It’s intellectually, it’s physically exhausting. So I just wanted to commend all three counsel for their work and their efforts in this case in this trial. I know how challenging it’s been for them.” The jury can consider charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter. First-degree murder is punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole. Second-degree murder is punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole. Manslaughter is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. If the jury finds Clancy not criminally responsible for the killings of her children, she could spend the rest of her life in a hospital. The court would periodically review Clancy's mental health to determine whether she could be released. In his closing argument, defense attorney Kevin Reddington said evidence shows Clancy was “a darn good mother” and the killings happened “because of the damn medicine and the lousy medical care” Clancy received. Reddington said Clancy “lived for her kids” until doctors began overprescribing her medications. The evidence presented showed Clancy had raised concerns and fears about the medications, he said, and her handwritten notes show how her mental state deteriorated. Clancy is not “criminally responsible” for the crime because of her psychological state, he said, citing the expert opinion of forensic psychiatrist Dr. Phillip Resnick. The psychiatrist examined Clancy and testified she was “frankly psychotic” and not in control of her actions during the killings. Experts for both sides acknowledged during the trial that Clancy made a “serious suicide attempt,” Reddington said. The jury was also presented exhibits that support that, he said. The defense lawyer also accused police of not conducting a thorough investigation. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague told jurors that “there’s no dispute that Lindsay Clancy was suffering from a mental illness and that she tried to kill herself,” but the issue is if she “knew the difference between right and wrong” when she killed her three kids. Killing them “was a choice,” she said. Sprague argued Clancy interacted with the public and presented “herself as a functioning adult, a functioning mom.” She pointed out Clancy chose not to tell mandated reporters about thoughts of harming her kids and how she took her daughter to the doctor the day of the killings. Sprague also said Clancy did not immediately tell her husband that she heard a voice that directed her to kill the kids. Further, the failure of the suicide attempt shows that there was no voice in her head, Sprague argued, pointing out that the pills she took were not at a lethal level and cut wounds were “superficial.” Clancy had resources, support and access to great medical care but did not follow through on a plan, Sprague said. Medical providers aren’t at fault for Clancy’s depression because she wasn’t always being honest with her doctors about her condition and what medications she took, according to Sprague. Judge William F. Sullivan showed the jury the verdict slips that the panel will use to come to a unanimous decision in Lindsay Clancy’s trial. There are three verdict slips, one for each of Clancy’s three children. Each verdict slip has several options: Not guilty, not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility, guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of second-degree murder and guilty of manslaughter. “Reaching a verdict in this case is not necessarily going to be an easy task,” he said. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Read Next Story

Related Stories

Cnn L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbXRjeTFiaGMwMDAwM2I2cnliNTNnNDZs L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NtdGNyN2QzODAwMHkyN3A4YzJnZGQ0dms=
Latest News
Serbia says convicted war criminal Mladić to be buried with ‘highest honors’
2 hours ago
Cnn L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbXRjeTFiaGMwMDAwM2I2cnliNTNnNDZs L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NtdGNyN2QzODAwMHkyN3A4YzJnZGQ0dms=

Serbia says convicted war criminal Mladić to be buried with ‘highest honors’

Por qué vivir aguas abajo de un glaciar se ha convertido en un riesgo mortal

Cnn L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbXRjM3YwamMwMDBwM2I2dDNjMHhkNXFz L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NtdGMzY2RkcTAwMHkyZHFkM3U2cGJyejE=

Fired Stars and Stripes staff sue Pentagon, alleging First Amendment violations

Una jueza evalúa si conceder la libertad bajo fianza a Andrew y Tristan Tate. Aquí están los puntos clave

‘Barrier lake’ flood risk adds new danger to desperate rescue efforts following China-Nepal disaster