Fewer Kids Are Getting Sick During Pandemic

Also: Biden and Baker to talk vaccine hesitancy; FDA OKs Pfizer shot for adolescents; right whales caught hugging on video ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [Donate [WBUR]]( [View in Browser](  [WBUR]( May 11, 2021 Good Morning Boston, 🌞 Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Vaccines for adolescents. President Biden and Gov. Charlie Baker talking vaccine hesitancy. Whale hugs. There's a lot to cover this morning, so let's dive right in: - As of last night, the FDA [gave the OK]( for children 12 to 15 to receive Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. This expands the company's current emergency use authorization. If you're looking to sign up your child or kids under your care for a shot, you can get more information about Massachusetts' vaccine rollout [here](. If you have more questions, NPR answers some of them below. - The numbers are trending in the right direction here in Massachusetts. Cases and deaths are going down and vaccinations are going up, so much so that Baker is one of six governors invited to speak (virtually) today with President Biden about ways to get more shots into arms and overcome vaccine hesitancy. - Still, Baker wants to remind you that the pandemic isn't over and he's not declaring victory yet. He said indoor mask mandates and other decisions in regards to reopening will be based on data. Over here at WBUR, we LOVE data, and are following it pretty closely. You can see in [these maps and charts]( that our current average seven-day positive test rate is 1.26%, which is the lowest we've seen since last October. But, how low can it go? We were down below 1% last summer. When it comes to vaccinations, we are doing extremely well compared to other states, but we're still at just over 42% of residents fully vaccinated. To be in the ballpark of herd immunity, health officials say we need to get in that 60-70% range. So there's still some work to do. - MBTA officials have proposed cutting the fee for fare evasion in half, dropping from $100 to $50. However, the T's own Financial Oversight Board still thinks that's too expensive for people who are evading the fare to begin with because they can't afford it. Officials are heading back to the drawing board over the next few weeks to come back with a lower proposal. - What's happening on Beacon Hill? Today, lawmakers are discussing how to incentivize people to buy electric cars. This matters to you because by 2035 all cars sold in Massachusetts will have to be electric. Why? To help meet the state's new climate emission goals. Right now, passenger cars account for 27% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions. The main hurdle is to figure out how to make electric cars affordable for the masses. - Court update: The corruption case for former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia [has been sent to the jury](. They'll need to decide whether he's guilty of stealing from investors who backed his smartphone app and extorting tens of thousands of dollars from marijuana businesses who wanted to operate in the city. - After a year of delays, the Pine Street Inn is [moving forward]( with its apartment building in Jamaica Plain. It's set to be the largest building of its kind in Boston, with 200 units of housing to help people experiencing homelessness. P.S.– For me, giving and getting hugs has been the highlight of getting vaccinated. But apparently I'm not the only one who loves a good cuddle. [New drone footage]( shows two endangered right whales in Cape Cod Bay embracing each other. The Woods Hole Oceanic Institute thinks it may be the first-ever recorded whale hug. (No, you're crying.) — Meagan McGinnes [@meaganmcginnes]( newsletters@wbur.org The Rundown [1.](url)[A Pandemic Silver Lining: Fewer Kids Are Getting Sick]( Numbers confirming a mild flu season for adults and kids are already out. Now, a study in the journal Academic Pediatrics shows a dramatic drop in all pediatric sick visits in the early months of the pandemic. [Read more.](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    2. [FAQ: What You Need To Know About Pfizer's COVID Vaccine And Adolescents]( The authorization expands the pool of eligible vaccine recipients to around 87% of the total U.S. population, covering an additional 17 million children, and comes at a time when people under age 18 account for one out of every five newly reported coronavirus infections. But kids and their parents have a lot of questions. Here's what NPR has learned so far. [Read more.]( - Related: [FDA OKs Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine For 12-15 Age Group]( 3. [What We Know About The Ransomware Attack On A Critical U.S. Pipeline]( The company announced Monday evening that its Line 4 between Greensboro, N.C., to Woodbine, Md., was operating under manual control, although its main lines were still shut down. [Read more.]( - Local: [Cyberattack To Push Mass. Gas Prices Higher]( 4. [Et Tu, Elise? Cheney Set To Lose Leadership Job To Rep. Who Nominated Her For It]( An upcoming vote on Cheney's removal and Stefanik's installment could represent a watershed moment for the GOP as it navigates its identity and allegiance to Trump ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. [Read more.]( 5. [Reaching Back To The New Deal, Biden Proposes A Civilian Climate Corps]( A part of Biden's American Jobs Plan calls for $10 billion to launch a new large-scale 21st century CCC to combat the 21st century problem. The Civilian Climate Corps, as it would be called, would employ thousands of young people to address the threat of climate change, strengthen the country's natural defenses and maintain its ailing public lands. [Read more.]( Support the news Anything Else? - Listen up, New Hampshire. Goodwill really [doesn't want your trash.]( - NBC [won't air the Golden Globes]( next year, telling the Hollywood Foreign Press Association it needs to address its lack of diversity and get its act together in regard to recent accusations of self-dealing, corruption and conflicts of interest. - What I saw as a boy in India shaped my view of global health, writes Garaub Basu [in this commentary](. How will we respond to the global inequities of the pandemic? Our decision will shape billions of lives. [WBUR] Your Daily Must Listen [Radio Boston | To Mask Or Not To Mask?]( [Listen]( COVID-19 RESOURCES [CHARTS, MAP: Mass. Vaccine Tracking And COVID Case Counts]( Here's What You Can Do Under The State's New COVID Rules, And When. [Read more.]( Asked & Answered: Your COVID-19 Vaccine Questions. [Read more.]( What To Know About Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution In Mass. [Read more.]( 📬 Stay updated on vaccination news, variants and Boston's road to recovery. [Sign up for our weekly COVID-19 newsletter.]( What We're Reading - A Nonprofit Promised to Preserve Wildlife. Then It Made Millions Claiming It Could Cut Down Trees ([ProPublica]( - Shark Attacks in Maine Were Unthinkable — Until Last Summer ([Downeast]( - The Politics Behind India’s COVID Crisis ([The New Yorker]( Tell Me Something Good [A Local Journalist Catches A Dognapper And Reunites The Dog With Its Owner]( "My photog John & I were covering a stolen dog story in Cambridge when all of a sudden we spot THE DOG!!!," Juliana Mazza, of 7News, wrote on Twitter. "We were able to convince the suspect to give us the pup & kept him engaged until @CambridgePolice arrived shortly after. We are SO HAPPY Titus is safe! ❤️ " Before you go: [Back to 2004]( we go! 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. 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