text: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday that every American older than six months should go get another round of the COVID-19 shots produced by pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna.
  “Updated COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for everyone 6 months and older and will be available by the end of this week at most places you would normally go to get your vaccines,” the CDC said in a statement.
  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday approved the new round of shots, stating that it was confident in the safety and effectiveness of the “updated” “booster” shots.
  “The updated vaccines are expected to provide good protection against COVID-19 from the currently circulating variants,” the CDC said, adding that “the FDA anticipates that the composition of COVID-19 vaccines may need to be updated annually, as is done for the seasonal influenza vaccine.”
  On Tuesday, during a meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), pharmaceutical executives told the panel revealed that the cost of the updated shots will be $129 per dose of Moderna and $120 per dose of Pfizer, a cost which will mostly be paid by taxpayers.
  According to the federal guidance, individuals five years of age and older can get one shot if it’s been at least two months since their last shot; individuals six months to four years of age who have already gotten shots are eligible for one or two doses; and individuals six months to four years of age who have not received the shot can get three doses of the Pfizer shot and two doses of Moderna.
  In Maine, there have been 3,110 people who died while testing positive for COVID-19 out of a total suspected 326,868 cases.
  [RELATED: Editorial: Editorial: Do Not Comply…]
  That’s a death rate of 0.95 percent.
  Five individuals under the age of 20 have died while testing positive for COVID-19.
  In 2023, only four people under the age of 50 have died while testing positive for COVID-19.