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According to a Nov. 2 press release, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine.
As Beaumont reported only two new COVID-19 infections Nov. 3, local officials report a continued downward trend in new cases and hospitalizations.
Beaumont Public Health Director Kenneth Coleman cited multiple stats showing a downward trajectory in several key areas, including the monthly number of COVID-19 deaths in Jefferson County, which has dropped from 82 in August, to 76 in September, to 38 in October.
“Last week, we had 31 people in the hospital,” he said. “Yesterday, we had 15. Last week, we had 15 on ventilators and have one now.”
It is still a pandemic of the unvaccinated, according to Coleman, who said approximately 86% of the current hospitalizations were among unvaccinated residents. That percentage has rarely dropped below 90% during the course of the pandemic.
“Hospitalizations are looking good,” said Coleman. “Again, we want to get that number down to zero if we can.” Coleman further noted that Beaumont’s 14-day infection rate average has decreased significantly since the September surge, when the city was averaging 148 new cases a day. That number dropped to 82 a day in the beginning of October. It’s now down to 16 a day. Since the beginning of the school year in August, Coleman and other medical professionals have noted a rise in cases among children. Those numbers could be curved after the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the recommendation to vaccinate children ages 5 to 11.
According to a Nov. 2 press release, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. With that move, the CDC has expanded vaccine recommendations to about 28 million children in the United States in this age group and allows providers to begin vaccinating them as soon as possible.
During a 6-week period in late June to mid-August, COVID-19 hospitalizations among children and adolescents increased fivefold. Vaccination, along with other preventative measures, can protect children from COVID-19 using the safe and effective vaccines already recommended for use in adolescents and adults in the United States, according to the CDC. Similar to what was seen in adult vaccine trials, vaccination was nearly 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 among children aged 5 to 11. In clinical trials, vaccine side effects were mild, self-limiting and similar to those seen in adults and with other vaccines recommended for children. The most common side effect was a sore arm.