Albany County begins vaccination for ages 12 to 15

Albany County — On Thursday, adolescents from Albany County between the ages of 12 and 15 began to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

On Wednesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for a new age group after the Food and Drug Administration expanded its emergency use authorization on Monday night.

State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker and New York’s Clinical Advisory Task Force conduct a simultaneous review with the Governor Wednesday night Approved All providers enrolled in the state’s COVID-19 vaccination program immediately expanded their eligibility for the 12 to 15 year old age group. Albany County had prepared in advance, so we started managing shots on Thursday.

“I know vaccines are a way to get over this,” said Elizabeth Hollen, a health commissioner for Albany County, at a press conference Thursday morning.

“This decision was not made lightly, but after a thorough review of safety data,” Whalen said of the expansion of youth eligibility.

She outlined the benefits of vaccination for that age group. According to Whalen, the vaccine is about 95% effective, allowing young people to reunite with their families and “visit older relatives.”

Students can also consistently participate in face-to-face lessons at school. She said it was “very hard for the kids” to be absent from school.

“Once you’re completely vaccinated … you don’t have to quarantine,” Whalen said.

Three weeks after the first Pfizer shot is given, the second shot is given. Then, after waiting for two weeks, the recipient is considered fully vaccinated.

Adolescent parents or guardians between the ages of 12 and 15 must be present at the vaccination and sign a consent form. No birth certificate or social security number is required.

To seduce the children to be vaccinated, the county is handing out stickers, and the Stewart store has donated 500 vouchers for ice cream cones, Whalen said.

Whalen said the population under the age of 18 accounts for about 20% of COVID-19 cases nationwide, calling it an “important driver of infection.”

She continued. “Our numbers are declining, but we are still … seeing people in hospital, and unfortunately we are seeing death. These are the broader prevention of our population. It can be prevented by inoculation. “

Whalen said the county was pleased to share the vaccine given with local health care providers and encouraged pediatricians to be certified for injections in their offices. “We encourage pediatricians to come to our clinic and help us,” she said.

“If you look at countries with high immunization rates, you’ll see countries with less disease … we want to reach the stage of eradication … and we’re all as before. You can get your life back. “

Vaccine outreach

Albany County administrator Daniel McCoy said the county’s vaccination coverage had declined. “Currently, it’s increasing by 2 percent every week. Initially, we were literally over 4 percent … we’re hitting that wall. More people need to be vaccinated,” he said. Told.

According to the state Vaccine trackerAlbany County gave at least one shot to 57.3 percent of the 301,117 residents. Throughout the state, 48.9% of New Yorkers have received one shot and 40.4% have completed the vaccine series.

Albany County continues to host weekly Pfizer vaccination clinics at the Emmanuel Baptist Church on Albany’s 275 State Street in partnership with the Albany Capital District Physician Health Program and Focus Church. On Fridays, May 14, 21 and 28, residents will be vaccinated between 10 am and 1 pm without reservation. The second dose is scheduled for the first dose.

The county’s health department continues to vaccinate and answer vaccine questions at the Green Street office. Pfizer Shot walk-ins from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, are welcome.

If you are over 60 years old, you can call the County Aging Bureau (518-447-7198) in advance and use free transportation.

“We will come to your home. We will pick you up — you and your help. We will take you there, vaccinate and return you to your home.” Said McCoy.

Relax mask rule

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidance to say that fully vaccinated people can take off their masks in most indoor environments after giving advice on wearing masks for over a year. The requirement had already been lifted outdoors.

The CDC guidance does not invalidate the orders issued by the states, and many states have already lifted the masking requirement.

Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a statement Thursday, stating: Status. “

Latest number

McCoy announced 23 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county count to 24,088.

Of the new cases, 17 have no clear source of infection, 5 are in close contact with people infected with the disease, and 1 is a healthcare professional or resident of a collective living environment. ..

The 5-day average of new daily positives decreased from 19.6 to 17.4. Currently, there are 120 active cases in the county, down from 140 on Wednesday.

The number of residents of Albany County during quarantine has increased from 358 to 364. To date, 78,428 residents have completed quarantine. Of them, 23,968 tested positive and recovered. This is a 41 increase in recovery from Wednesday.

There was one new hospitalization overnight, and the county is currently hospitalized with the virus at 17 people, a net decrease of 2 people. Currently, there are five patients in the intensive care unit, a decrease of one from Wednesday.

The county’s COVID-19 death toll remains 378.

According to the state DashboardAs of Wednesday, the 7-day moving average has an infection rate of 1.0% in Albany County.

In the entire state, as of Wednesday, the 7-day moving average infection rate was 1.3%.