TIMELINE: COVID-19 updates from fall 2021

By Lindsey Leitner, Managing Editor|January 5, 2022

  • September 9: U.S. President Biden issues an executive order mandating vaccinations for federal employees and announces his plan to require all employers with more than 100 employees to ensure their workforce is vaccinated.
  • September 30: The United States surpasses 700,000 reported deaths from COVID-19.
  • October 1: Pharmaceutical company Merck announces its experimental pill that reduces the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by approximately 50 percent.
  • October 7: Pfizer submits the application for FDA authorization to administer COVID-19 vaccines to children 5–11 years old. 
  • October 11: Merck applies for FDA authorization of molnupiravir, a COVID-19 antiviral drug that reportedly cuts the risk of hospitalization or death by about 50 percent among high-risk people with mild to moderate COVID-19.  
  • October 14: FDA recommends a Moderna booster for people aged 65 and older and the immunocompromised. 
  • October 15: The United States announces it will lift restrictions for vaccinated travelers starting November 8. 
  • October 22: CDC approves mixing-and-matching COVID-19 booster shots.
  • October 29: The United States authorizes the Pfizer vaccine for children from 5-11 years old.
  • November 2: CDC endorses the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5 through 11. 
  • November 26: The World Health Organization classifies Omicron as a variant of concern.
  • November 29: The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and Canada restrict travel to passengers from South Africa.