COVID vaccines for kids under 12 close to approval: Updates
A federal advisory committee will meet Tuesday to determine whether or not to advocate COVID-19 vaccines to youngsters ages 5 to 11.
If the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices decides the advantages of vaccination outweigh dangers on this age group, the director of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention would weigh in. If Dr. Rochelle Walensky indicators off, vaccines would become available as quickly as Wednesday at pharmacies and pediatricians’ workplaces.
The vaccine, which can be free, can be delivered at one-third the dose given to adolescents and adults, in two pictures no less than three weeks aside. Solely the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine can be out there on this age group. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are nonetheless being examined in adolescents and youngsters.
In a number of small trials, Pfizer-BioNTech noticed no critical unwanted side effects linked with the pictures. However some unwanted side effects are prone to seem later as thousands and thousands of youngsters obtain the vaccine. Typical unwanted side effects, which go away inside a day or two, embody complications, fatigue, muscle ache, ache on the injection web site and vomiting, nausea or diarrhea.
In a research of about 2,500 youngsters, the vaccine was discovered to be greater than 90% efficient at stopping COVID-19. Though youngsters are far much less prone to undergo extreme COVID-19 infections than adolescents or adults, they nonetheless can turn into severely ailing and even die and may have signs that linger for months.
Presidential advisor Jeffrey Zients mentioned Monday that the Biden administration had ordered sufficient to vaccinate all 28 million American youngsters on this 5-11 age group if they’re approved. The administration’s distribution program can be “working at full power” the week of Nov. 8, he mentioned.
Bought extra questions? Here’s everything you need to know in regards to the COVID-19 vaccine and youngsters
— Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY
Additionally within the information:
►The primary-dose vaccination fee of U.S. adults has reached 80%, and 70% of adults are absolutely vaccinated, the White Home mentioned Monday.
►9 in 10 Americans identifying as an atheist report being no less than been partially vaccinated in opposition to the virus, based on a current Pew Analysis Middle survey. The quantity was increased than Catholics and Protestants.
►Pennsylvania is offering five days of paid leave – along with the paid day without work to get vaccinated – to state workers who get their COVID pictures by the tip of the 12 months. The state treasurer mentioned the inducement might value the state greater than $100 million.
►All adults who’re recurrently in colleges and baby care facilities within the District of Columbia have to be vaccinated as of Monday. Additionally, college students 12 and older have to be absolutely vaccinated to take part in school-based extracurricular athletics. Spiritual and medical exemptions can be found. Mayor Muriel Bowser beforehand had required metropolis workers to be vaccinated.
►South Dakota has joined Missouri, Nebraska, Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Wyoming in a lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors.
📈 Right now’s numbers: The U.S. has recorded 46 million confirmed COVID-19 circumstances and greater than 747,000 deaths, in accordance to Johns Hopkins University data. International totals: Greater than 247 million circumstances and 5 million deaths. Greater than 192.5million Individuals – 58% of the inhabitants – are absolutely vaccinated, according to the CDC.
📘 What we’re studying: Coronavirus circumstances in youngsters grew by 129% nationwide within the six weeks after colleges opened in contrast with the identical interval earlier than lessons began, based on a USA TODAY evaluation of knowledge from the CDC.
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Docs put together to shortly roll out COVID-19 vaccine to younger youngsters
In anticipation of this week’s anticipated authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine for younger youngsters, mother and father desirous to get their elementary school-age youngsters vaccinated are calling pediatricians, reserving appointments for pictures and asking questions on them.
The anticipated rush of children has prompted pediatricians and clinics at bigger well being techniques to request shipments of doses from state and native well being departments, plan weekend clinics to immunize youngsters and maintain particular occasions to draw households and encourage immunization. Whereas the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout initially relied on mass immunization websites and chain pharmacies from coast to coast, pediatricians are ready to take a larger role.
“I get tons and many questions,” mentioned Dr. Christina Johns, a pediatrician in Annapolis, Maryland. “Not simply in my observe, but in addition on-line, within the grocery retailer and from neighbors.”
– Ken Alltucker
US sees weekly case rely tick up once more
The pace of new virus cases has risen 5.4% in the United States simply within the final week, a worrying uptick suggesting the delta variant-driven wave hasn’t ended.
America reported 523,194 new circumstances within the week ending Monday, after dropping to a current nadir of 495,194 within the week ending Oct. 26, a USA TODAY evaluation of Johns Hopkins College knowledge present. On the present tempo, the US is reporting about 52 circumstances each minute.
The evaluation exhibits circumstances are rising in 23 states, up sharply from as few as eight states only a week in the past.
Earlier than delta started taking maintain round July 1, circumstances had fallen to lower than 80,000 per week, or lower than one-sixth as a lot now. At their worst within the delta wave, nevertheless, circumstances have been being reported greater than twice as quick.
Deaths have been falling. Within the week ending Monday, the US reported 9,119 deaths, or 54 deaths each hour.
– Mike Stucka
De Blasio vows ‘penalties’ for firefighters calling out sick over vaccine mandate
Mayor Invoice de Blasio mentioned New York firefighters faking sick and taking day without work work in protest of town’s vaccine mandate for its workers will face “penalties.”
De Blasio made the remark Monday at a information convention however didn’t specify what would occur. Round 9,000 of town’s staff have been positioned on unpaid go away Monday for failing to satisfy the obligatory vaccination deadline, de Blasio mentioned. Greater than 90% of metropolis workers have been vaccinated.
“We now have each purpose to consider there’s lots of people on the market claiming to be sick, who are usually not. It isn’t acceptable. So, the factor to do is to do the fitting factor, come to work, shield individuals as you took an oath to do. And look, that is one thing that we do not tolerate. In the long run when individuals do this sort of factor, there are penalties,” de Blasio mentioned.
Greater than 2,000 of town’s 11,000 firefighters have taken sick days previously week, however Fireplace Commissioner Daniel Nigro mentioned no firehouses have closed regardless of “irresponsible bogus sick go away by a few of our members (that) is making a hazard for New Yorkers and their fellow firefighters.”
Round 77% of firefighters have been vaccinated as of Monday, de Blasio mentioned. The police division, which employs about 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilian workers, had an 84% vaccination fee. Round 88% of EMTs have been vaccinated, and Sanitation’s fee was 83%.
Choose suspends deadline for Chicago cops to get vaccinated
A choose on Monday suspended a Dec. 31 deadline for Chicago law enforcement officials to be vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19 however didn’t intervene with a requirement that they’re recurrently examined.
Disputes over vaccinations needs to be dealt with as a labor grievance with an arbitrator, Cook dinner County Choose Raymond Mitchell mentioned.
“The impact of this order is to ship these events again to the bargaining desk and to advertise labor peace by permitting them to pursue” treatments below Illinois regulation, Mitchell mentioned.
The grievance course of might final months, town mentioned final week.
Officers who haven’t been vaccinated nonetheless have to be examined twice every week below metropolis coverage. Officers can also lose work and pay in the event that they don’t disclose their vaccine standing.
Obligatory vaccination for firms with 100+ workers inches nearer
The controversial Biden administration plan to require firms with greater than 100 workers to mandate vaccination for his or her staff or require weekly testing cleared one other hurdle Monday when the Workplace of Administration and Price range accomplished its regulatory assessment.
The plan additionally requires employers to offer paid time to staff to get vaccinated and paid sick go away to get better from any unwanted side effects. The Federal Register will publish the emergency momentary commonplace “within the coming days,” the Labor Division mentioned in an announcement. It isn’t clear when the mandate would turn into efficient.
Biden introduced the plan in September, and attorneys common in two dozen states shortly despatched the White Home a letter threatening to problem the mandate in court docket.