The latest There are 28 million U.S. children aged 5 to 11. And, the Biden administration said Wednesday, the United States has acquired enough doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to immunize all of those kids for free. The government is coordinating with local jurisdictions to distribute pediatric vaccines to more than 25,000 pharmacies, doctors' offices and other venues, per today's White House announcement. This plan depends on a recommendation from federal regulatory agencies, which the Biden administration expects in November. In other regulatory expectations: The Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to lower the age eligibility for boosters to 40, a change that might take effect next month. Also, the FDA is likely going to say it is acceptable for people to get boosted with a different brand of vaccine than their initial shots, federal officials told The Washington Post this week. These and other booster recommendations, including for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson recipients, are expected to be formally announced today. Want to know the FDA's decision as soon as the agency reveals it? Sign up for breaking news alerts from our Health, Science and Environment journalists. We'll also keep updating our guide to booster shots as new groups become eligible. Consumer rights advocacy organization Public Citizen released a report this week detailing how pharmaceutical company Pfizer, maker of a widely used mRNA coronavirus vaccine, was able to "shift risk and maximize profits," as the watchdog group put it. Leaked Pfizer contracts with governments around the world show the pharma giant was able to include demands some experts characterized as extreme. A professor of public health law at Georgetown University likened aspects of the contracts "as if the company would ask the United States to put the Grand Canyon as collateral." The company disputed those characterizations. The delta variant reigns supreme, having out-competed other versions of the virus in almost all corners of the planet. Yet there is no sign the coronavirus will cease mutating, say scientists who study the evolution of pathogens: SARS-CoV-2 appears to have plenty of evolutionary space left. This means it's critical as many people as possible get vaccinated, those experts said. Death tolls from the pandemic show a clear difference: Many more men than women have died of covid-19. According to a recent study by the Brookings Institution, as of the end of August, 65,000 more men than women in the United States had been killed by the virus. The gap was most pronounced among middle aged people. Men between the ages of 45 and 64 were 1.8 times more likely to die than women. Other important news The Office of Management and Budget is meeting with dozens of lobbyists in advance of finalizing the Biden administration's rule that will require coronavirus vaccines or tests for workers. A special investigative committee in Brazil's senate is presenting a report Wednesday that accuses President Jair Bolsonaro of crimes against humanity because the pandemic response was so disastrous. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive for the coronavirus. The secretary, who is vaccinated, was tested during routine travel precautions. He has mild congestion. Adjusted for population, five northern states — Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and North Dakota — have the highest daily new cases, suggesting the virus may be spreading as people gather inside to avoid the cooler outdoor temperatures. | 
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