FDA approves Pfizer booster shots for 12-15 year olds: COVID updates
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday extended the emergency use authorization for a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to young people between 12 and 15 years of age.
The booster dose is the same strength as the dose approved in the primary series. A booster dose was previously approved by the FDA for emergency use for those 16 years and older.
“Today’s decision by the FDA to further extend the emergency authorization for a booster dose of our vaccine is crucial to help us finally defeat this pandemic,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. “Wide use of boosters is essential to maintain a high level of protection against this disease and reduce the number of hospitalizations.”[ads1];
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must still sign the authorization.
The health service reports record high hospital admissions among children in the middle of a coronavirus wave driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant. During the week from December 22 to December 28, an average of 378 children aged 17 and under were hospitalized per day with the coronavirus, an increase of 66% from the previous week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last Thursday.
The previous peak during the pandemic was in early September when hospital admissions for children averaged 342 per day, the CDC said.
The FDA also approved a third dose at least 28 days after the second dose for children aged 5-11 years who have certain types of immune compromise. And the agency reduced the time to administer a Pfizer booster dose from at least six months to at least five months after completion of the primary series for all 12 years and older. The time frame for Moderna booster is still six months.
“With the current wave of the omicron variant, it is crucial that we continue to take effective, life-saving preventive measures such as primary vaccination and boosters, mask use and social distancing to effectively combat COVID-19,” said acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock.
Also in the news:
►Children aged 5-11 years in New Orleans must now be vaccinated or show evidence of a recent negative coronavirus test to visit restaurants and other public places. The mandate was previously for borrowers aged 12 and up.
►The nation’s seven-day rolling average of positive COVID tests is approaching 20% - and is approaching the highest average ever of more than 22% in April 2020.
►Rhode Island’s state-run Eleanor Slater Hospital has reached crisis staffing status and has alerted employees with “mild symptoms” of the coronavirus that they can work.
The Tallahassee Democrat’s Person of the Year for 2021 is Tanya Tatum, Director of Student Health Services at Florida A&M University, and the many who work with her at a school test site that has administered more than 500,000 tests since opening in April 2020. The Democrat is part of USA TODAY Network.
►The British government has promised to rush ventilation units and enough COVID test kits to schools to ensure they can reopen later this week despite high infection rates in the UK.
? Today’s numbers: The United States has registered more than 55 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 826,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: More than 290.3 million cases and 5.4 million deaths. More than 205.8 million Americans – 62% – are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
? What we read: Transgender adults are having a much harder time than the general population getting adequate nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study. The gap was even more severe for transgender people of color, who were six times more likely to experience food shortages than white cisgendered adults. It writes USA TODAY’s Keveney.
Keep updating this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY’s free Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates right in your inbox and join our Facebook group.
New York City is fighting hard, opening schools for 1 million students
Schoolchildren in New York City returned to the classroom on Monday despite an increase in infections during the holidays. David Banks, the new school’s chancellor, said the city has strengthened its pool of substitute teachers and had administrative staff available to pinch off appointments for teachers who are absent due to the virus. The district has more than 1 million students; Eight out of 1,700 schools were reportedly closed due to the virus on Monday.
Mayor Eric Adams, who swore on Saturday, swore on Monday to keep schools safe and run the city through the increase in cases of coronavirus. Adams said his office is investigating whether the city can mandate testing in schools if supplies are adequate and whether Gov. Kathy Hochul must sign up for such a move.
‘We’re going to swing. We have to change. We need to adjust. We’ll get it done, “Adams said.” That’s the bottom line. We will keep the schools open. “
WHO Official Eyes 2022: Progress will depend on the effectiveness of vaccines
How well vaccines last when the coronavirus mutates will determine the world’s ability to curb the pandemic in 2022, says the head of the World Health Organization’s health emergency program.
“If there is a need to change vaccine composition, how quickly can it be done?” in Ryan. “You can only think in scenarios. There are so many variables that affect the outcome in extreme ways.”
The CDC can add a negative test to the latest insulation guide
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering changing its new, five-day isolation guide for asymptomatic patients to include testing as soon as today, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday. Last week, the CDC cut half the time it recommends asymptomatic individuals should isolate after testing positive. The recommendation requires the use of masks in public for the next five days, but any requirement for a negative test was dropped.
President Biden’s chief medical adviser spoke on ABC News on Sunday “This Week,” saying the CDC is aware of the “pushback” against dropping a requirement that patients also test negative. The new rules involve isolation – for people who have tested positive – but do not involve quarantine rules for those who are exposed to the infected.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tests positive for COVID-19
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has tested positive for COVID-19 after showing symptoms while on leave at home, he announced on Twitter Sunday night. “I want to quarantine myself at home for the next five days,” Austin said, adding, “I plan to participate practically this coming week in the key meetings and discussions required to inform my situational awareness and decision-making.”
His last meeting with President Joe Biden was on December 21, Austin said, and he tested negative that morning. Austin said he has not been to the Pentagon since Thursday. Austin, 68, said he had been vaccinated and received a booster in October.
“Vaccines work and will remain a military medical requirement for our workforce. I continue to encourage anyone who qualifies for a booster shot to get one. This is still a contingency problem, he said.
– Celina Tebor, USA TODAY
Tested positive for covid? Do you need to insulate or quarantine?
Testing positive for COVID-19 is starting a confusing, disruptive and at times frightening process – a process that millions of Americans are likely to go through in the coming weeks.
If you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to be quarantined unless you have symptoms. But the CDC says that isolation is a necessary step if you test positive whether you have been vaccinated or unvaccinated, and if you have symptoms or feel good.
Anyone who tests positive for covid-19 should monitor their symptoms. And people who are unvaccinated or at high risk for serious illness should be extra vigilant for symptoms that may require emergency care. Call your doctor for early treatment options.
The CDC shortened in late December the time it advises people to isolate, saying: “People with COVID-19 should isolate themselves for 5 days, and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms go away (without fever for 24 hours), follow it within 5 days of wearing a mask when you are around others. ”
Read the CDC’s updated guide to isolation and quarantine.
Contributes: Adrianna Rodriguez and Mike Stucka, USA TODAY; Associated Press
