The Latest on COVID-19

• Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday, Oct. 11, that he would ban vaccine mandates in the state by executive order. Abbott’s order was issued even as daily COVID-19 deaths in the state surge.
• A new, not yet peer-reviewed study has found that children who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine have significantly higher antibody levels than children who contracted the virus. The findings suggest that vaccinated children have a stronger immune response to the virus than those who previously developed the infection.
• The U.K.’s first comprehensive report on its pandemic response finds that thousands of people died unnecessarily due to failure to impose lockdowns earlier in the pandemic, according to the Associated Press. The report suggests that one of the most serious blunders was the “groupthink” within the government, which led to delayed action.