Pfizer Vaccine for Children 5-11 Years Coming Soon in Nevada | COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease)

Update (October 29): Washington (AP) — US regulators have approved low-dose doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years.

The original story continues below.

Carson City, Nevada (AP) —Nevada health officials expect to receive 95,000 child-sized coronavirus vaccines soon next week prior to final federal approval of shots aged 5 to 11 years. increase.

They are coordinating with pediatricians, home clinics, and other healthcare providers to distribute approved doses manufactured by Pfizer. The Food and Drug Administration’s advisory board will approve the vaccine for children on Tuesday, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will issue a formal recommendation next week.

“Vaccination of school-aged children is very important and can help increase the number of days in the classroom and reduce interruptions in face-to-face learning,” said state epidemiologist Melissa Peak Block. increase.

In Nevada, 56% of the population over the age of 12 is vaccinated against COVID-19. When the state accounts for 276,000 children aged 5-11, that figure drops to 48%. Officials said Thursday that they hope the expansion will help increase the proportion of the vaccinated population.

The coronavirus subsided slightly among children aged 5-11 years. In early October, about 122 out of 100,000 people were positive every week. School incidents have diminished, but children still have to be absent from class, causing domino effects that include parents staying home from work.

Authorities said they hoped to extend the eligibility of the vaccine to children to help prevent the virus from spreading to other age groups and to the community. At this stage, there are no plans to consider the school’s vaccine obligations until the child’s vaccine is fully approved by the FDA.

According to the CDC, Nevada has historically suffered from some of the country’s lowest influenza vaccination rates, including children aged 5-12 years.

This year, the state encourages newly qualified children to be vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19 at the same time, based on recommendations from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Candice McDaniel, Deputy Director of the Department of Health and Human Services, said he hopes that focusing on coronavirus vaccines will help the state boost influenza vaccination rates.

“This response has highlighted public health as a whole,” she said. “My personal hope as a public health servant is that families across Nevada really value the tools they need to fight the flu and the like.”

Carissa Roper, director of health at the Nevada Department of Health and Welfare, said the shortage of health care providers who had made it difficult to vaccinate against influenza in the past is not a problem with the coronavirus. More people are engaged in the state’s widely publicized vaccination efforts.

Based on lessons learned from vaccination efforts against influenza, the state is working to administer doses to pediatricians and family clinics in their offices and to answer questions at large vaccination events, Roper said. He said.

Health officials ensure that certain types of doctors, such as pediatricians, attend large-scale vaccination sites and events, based on lessons learned from influenza vaccination efforts, she added. rice field.

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