Coronavirus tally: Pfizer says updated COVID-19 booster is better against omicron, as cases top 100,000 again

Pfizer Inc. PFE, +2.99% and BioNTech SE BNTX, +1.32% said over the weekend that the change they made to their COVID-19 vaccine that targets the omicron variant is both safe and effective. The announcement comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers this week if it should order a formula change for vaccines in hopes that the modified vaccines could protect against another COVID-19 surge that is expected in the fall and the winter. The seven-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases was 102,818 on Sunday, the third-straight day above the 100,000 mark, and up 14% from two weeks ago, according to a New York Times Tracker. The daily average of hospitalizations rose to 31,591, up 6% form two weeks ago and the most since March 9, while daily deaths increased 5% from two weeks ago to 348.