Health officials say the newest COVID-19 vaccines should be available beginning in mid-September.

The vaccines would protect against current variants.

Officials say in the past five weeks, the number of people admitted to hospitals with the virus in the U.S. has nearly doubled. Many suggest it might be time to start wearing masks again when indoors. People who will be around those at high risk of getting COVID, such as the elderly or immunocompromised, are encouraged to test before seeing them and also wear a mask.

If you do test positive, the Center for Disease Control recommends staying home for at least five days because that is when you are considered to be the most contagious. The agency says based on preliminary analysis of home test kits, they still work on detecting new variants.

Meanwhile. the US Department of Health and Human Services has awarded drug companies over $1 billion to develop new and more durable vaccines and therapies.