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Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech said on Friday the U.S. government has purchased 200 million additional doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to help with pediatric vaccination as well as possible booster shots - if they are needed. A Biden administration official with knowledge of the contract said that as part of the agreement, Pfizer will provide the United States with 65 million doses intended for children under 12, including doses available immediately after the vaccine is authorized for that age group. The U.S. government also has the option to buy an updated version of the vaccine targeting new variants of the virus. (7/23)

Iowa might have to throw out tens of thousands of doses of coronavirus vaccine over the next six weeks unless public demand for the shots rebounds. The Iowa Department of Public Health told the Des Moines Register Friday that 38,730 of the state's doses are set to expire by the end of July, and another 178,651 could expire by the end of August. Sarah Ekstrand, a spokesperson for the health department, said clinics and county health departments are trying to limit the number of doses that would have to be thrown out. (Leys, 7/23)

Maryland colleges and universities are adjusting computer software, hiring additional staff and considering third-party vendors to manage the influx of COVID-19 vaccination records from students and employees ahead of the fall semester. Since 14 schools across the state announced in the spring that they would require students and employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before the fall, administrators have devised plans for verifying compliance to the mandates and processing exemption applications. (Reed, 7/26)

As back-to-school season approaches, parents are split when it comes to vaccinating their children against Covid-19. Of parents with unvaccinated children, 3 in 4 say the recommendation of their child's health care provider will be integral in their decision to vaccinate. However, 70% of parents with children ages 3 to 11 and 50% of parents with children ages 12 to 18 have not discussed the Covid-19 vaccine with their pediatrician, according to a new report. (Molano, 7/26)

Fort Benning’s commanding general is warning residents of the dangers of the COVID-19 Delta variant as one of the Army’s largest training posts sees a spike in cases among some soldiers. Major General Patrick Donahoe said in the tweet Thursday that Fort Benning has seen an increased number of “young trainees” in the intensive care unit and arriving positive for COVID-19. (McGee, 7/24)

When the needle entered just below the left eye of the wolf tattooed on his left arm earlier this month, Fernando Rodriguez became one of the last in his family to get vaccinated against COVID-19. A few family members caught COVID-19, but recovered, the 32-year-old from Guatemala said in Spanish while visiting a health clinic for the Latino community at Garces Laboratories in Old City on July 17. Rodriguez, a butcher, never got sick, and didn’t feel much urgency to get vaccinated. (Laughlin, 7/24)

Guadalupe Torres of Mi Familia Vota stayed with Maria Cruz Meza for an hour at her doorstep, determined to get Covid-19 vaccinations for her and her husband and son. Just five days earlier, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sounded the alarm that the country is entering a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” as the delta variant of the coronavirus drives up Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.  (Gamboa, 7/24)

Best friends Emma Short and Rachel Nelson, both 18, disagree about the Covid vaccines. "I'm vaccinated. She's not," Short said, standing next to Nelson as they enjoyed a day at the Dollywood theme park. Both women, who are recent high school graduates, are heading to college in their hometown at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville this fall, where students won't be required to get vaccinated. (Kesslen, 7/24)

First lady Jill Biden visited a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Waipahu, Hawaii, on Sunday to encourage unvaccinated Hawaiians to get their shots as the delta variant surges through much of the U.S. Biden in remarks at the clinic at Waipahu High School said the virus has become “more contagious than ever” and urged the unvaccinated to “help us move past this virus once and for all.” (7/26)