The Latest on COVID-19

• Drugmaker Merck announced that it’s submitted an emergency use authorization application to the FDA for its oral antiviral medication called molnupiravir.
• A new poll from CBS and YouGov asked parents of children ages 5 to 11 whether they plan to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19 once the vaccines are approved for that age group. The poll found that 37% of parents plan to, while 35% do not. Another 26% aren’t sure whether they will.
• New research released this weekend found that pregnant people with symptomatic COVID-19 were at increased risk of having emergency deliveries and complications during birth. People with asymptomatic COVID-19 still had a higher chance of needing emergency cesarean delivery but were less likely to have complications compared to people with symptoms of the disease.