The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved Thursday to address false claims that an advisory committee vote to recommend that the COVID vaccine be added to immunization schedules for school children would lead to a mandate, clarifying that states are the ones that have the authority to make that decision. The false claim spread after it was shared by Fox News host Tucker Carlson, as the Associated Press reported. CDC spokesperson Kate Grusich told The Associated Press in an email that the agency “only makes recommendations for use of vaccines, while school-entry vaccination requirements are determined by state or local jurisdictions.” U.S. known cases of COVID are continuing to ease and now stand at their lowest level since mid-April, although the true tally is likely higher given how many people overall are testing at home, where the data are not being collected. The daily average for new cases stood at 38,077 on Thursday, according to a New York Times tracker, down 8% from two weeks ago. The daily average for hospitalizations was down 2% at 26,669, while the daily average for deaths is down 7% to 360. Globally, the confirmed case tally rose above 626.9 million on Friday, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins, while the death toll is above 6.57 million with the U.S. leading the world with 97.2 million cases and 1,067,190 deaths.
Source: Marketwatch
