data currently suggests it s very unlikely think about those words very unlikely that the signal in the database represents a true clinical risk. that is a fancy way of saying we saw this kind of blip, but we checked it out, we think it s very unlikely to be real. so, the bottom line is that senior citizens should get their covid boosters, this is the one available since september, which covers not just the original strain but also the omicron strain. and are people getting that shot? you know what? not so much. if you look at the latest cdc data, what you see is that about 40% of seniors have chosen to get the shot, again available since september 1st. and also about 16% of people over the age of 5. so 16% of people over the age of 5 getting the shot, that s not a great statistic. yeah. elizabeth cohen, do we know we ll have to leave it there. sorry.
sten vermund joins me now, he is a professor at yale school of public health. thank you for talking to others. some very big things happening at the same time. this is a huge travel period for china but also after a very long time lifting of covid restrictions. how do you think the virus is going to behave. yet among the newly circulating omicron strain is more infectious than its predecessors so it is easy to catch. and when we have mass travel and group gatherings we can expect substantial transmission. the chinese did such a good job with their zero covid policy that only their zero covid policy that only the chinese who are immunised with the chinese who are immunised with the vaccine or he may have gotten
so talk to us about where we stand right now. the president s comments come against the backdrop of two different things. first, the new booster out there. which includes some protection against the omicron strain. at least for now. not many americans are taking it. and then secondly, the fear is you have expressed that we could face a significant late fall or winter surge of the virus. right. so here s where we re at right now. we re actually seeing deaths even though they re still too high in my kind of from my standpoint, 500 on average in the united states a day. we re seeing them decline. that means hospitalizations declining and we also do still see cases every day but not as severe. so people aren t reporting the cases that you would assume those are not severe either. so that s all good news. but to your comment, we have a very low outtake of the booster that is up 57%. there is protection against all
what the judge is now saying. our pierre thomas at the courthouse in florid>ideo of a over the orlando airport. a small plane suddenly flying in the path of a passenger jet. two planes just hundreds of feet apart. the quick move to avert a disaster. as millions of americans held out for labor day weekend, the pilot protests at airports around the country. what does it mean for your travel plans? the record heat wave in the west. eight states under heat and fire alerts. california tonight in a state of emergency. and firefighters treated for heat-related injuries. reco rob marciano standing by. the cdc recommending two new boogsers from pfizer and moderna. the vaccines revised to target the omicron strain and subvariants. how long before the new boosters are available? and how to make sure you get the new vaccine. overseas tonight, alarming news and u.n. inspectors reach the nuclear power plant caught in the crossfire between ukraine and russia. the new message just in from
monday could be the worst yet for fire and heat in southern california. meanwhile, we finally have a tropical storm in the atlantic. it s been since july 3rd, that s the quietest streak in hurricane season since 1941. none are expected to be a threat for land for now. cecilia? we know you ll be tracking it. rob, thank you. there is breaking news from the cdc. a panel has just given a green light for updated covid boosters, offering protection against these newest variants for people 12 and older. here s abc s erielle reshef with one these shots are going to be available. reporter: a cdc panel tonight voting to recommend new omicron specific booster shots. 13 yeses and 1 no. reporter: those pfizer and moderna vaccines redesigned to target the ba.4 and ba.5 subvariants are expected to roll out as soon as this weekend. we finally have updated vaccines that do a better job of matching to the circulating variants. reporter: covid is still killing more than 400 americans a day,