Good afternoon, Chicago.
New COVID-19 boosters were authorized by the Food and Drug Administration today that include better protections against the newest omicron versions, BA.4 and BA.5, that are considered the most contagious yet.
And they could be coming within days. The Associated Press reports the hope is that the modified boosters will blunt yet another winter surge — and help tamp down the BA.5 omicron relative that continues to spread widely.
But there’s one more step before a fall booster campaign begins: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must recommend who should get the additional shot. An influential CDC advisory panel will debate the evidence tomorrow.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/breaking and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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The judge overseeing R. Kelly’s federal child pornography trial said he will rule Thursday on requests by the disgraced R&B star and his two co-defendants to acquit them of all charges before the jury even gets the case. Read more here.
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The Bears mixed it up in a big way by claiming a league-high six players off waivers, including guard Alex Leatherwood, who was drafted in the first round (17th overall) by the Las Vegas Raiders just last year. Read more here.
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“ ‘The Rings of Power’ gets off to a promising, lavishly outfitted start in the first two episodes,” writes Michael Phillips. Read more here.
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The Justice Department says classified documents were “likely concealed and removed” from a storage room at former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate as part of an effort to obstruct the federal investigation into the discovery of the government records. Read more here.
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A restaurant on Aurora’s East Side has been left uninhabitable after a fire broke out. Read more here.
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