KIDS 12 to 15 may be the next to be vaccinated (Shutterstock).

Children as young as 12 years old have may soon be cleared to be inoculated with Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine as part of an effort to allow schools to reopen in the fall with more-normal operations.

The decision came from the Food and Drug Administration on Monday, according to the Associated Press. The FDA cleared the drug for use on adolescents after a study of over 2000 volunteers showed no sign of the virus.

“This is a watershed moment in our ability to fight back the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Bill Gruber, a Pfizer senior vice president.

However, final approval rests with an advisory committee of the Centers foe Disease Control and Prevention, according to The New York Times. If that group gives its approval, inoculations could start as early as Thursday.

While teens have been considered less vulnerable to the virus, they can not only contract it but also carry and transmit the disease, a factor that has slowed the reopening of schools in many areas.

Bishops get warning on communion

The Vatican is warning some bishops in the U.S. against proposals to deny communion to public officials – including President Joe Biden, a Roman Catholic – because of their support for abortion rights. The warning on Monday included a concern that such an action could become “divisive” and if applied at all, it should be applied to all Catholics, not just prominent political leaders, according to the Associated Press.

Business: Biden: Take jobs or lose benefits

SOME JOBS may go wanting as increased benefits keeps from some people from wanting to return to work.

President Joe Biden on Monday responded to criticism that expanded unemployment benefits was keeping some people from taking jobs by declaring that turning down a job might cost you that money.

According to Reuters, Biden said, “If you’re receiving unemployment benefits and you’re offered a suitable job, you can’t just refuse that job and just keep getting unemployment benefits.”

A disappointing jobs report last Friday led some to suggest that the added benefits in the COVID-19 relief bill passed in March was keeping potential workers on the sidelines.

A chilly stock Monday: Monday was not a fun day on Wall Street as all three major markets showed red ink. The Dow Jones Average dropped 34.94 points to 34,742.82 and the S&P 500 retreated 44.17 points to 4,188.43. The Nasdaq fell 350.38 points to 13,401.86.

Sports: Tebow getting another shot in NFL?

TIM TEBOW (Wikipedia)

We all remember Tim Tebow, the college football star quarterback who flamed out in stints with the New York Jets and for three seasons in the New York Mets’ minor league baseball system.

Has-been? Not necessarily. Sports Illustrated is reporting that the Jacksonville Jaguars are planning on signing the 33-year-old as a tight end. Tebow played for the University of Florida and was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2007 and led Gator teams to national titles in 2006 and 2008.

He was drafted by the Denver Broncos and then moved on to the New York Jets and New England Patriots. When with the Broncos, he helped lead them to a division title, but over his career he showed inconsistency, completing just 47 percent of his passes.

Monday’s games
• Angels 5, Astros 4

• St. Louis Blues 2, Kings 1 (SO))

Weather:  Forecast seems stuck on hold

If you liked today’s weather in the West Orange County area, you’ll like it for another week. Forecasts call for partly cloudy skies through Sunday with daytime highs in the low 70s.  There’s a 10 percent chance of rain on Tuesday and Friday.

In the coastal area of Huntington Beach, daytime highs will be about four degrees cooler.