WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) Sedgwick County is working on vaccinating children between the ages of 5 to 11. As of Saturday, the department said 700 kids had been vaccinated so far.
KSN News talked to several parents whose children were some of the first to receive the vaccine.
Brent Watcher said after his whole family got COVID-19, his son Emerson had been waiting to get the vaccine.
Well, I was very scared, and then, when I got the shot, it didnt really feel like much, said Emerson Watcher, who received the first dose. They put on a bandaid, and then, that was it, and then I got two pieces of candy and two toys.
He wants to make sure no one can get it again. If he can help, he wanted to help, said Brent, Emersons father.
According to the Kansas Safer Classrooms Workgroup, 52% of kids 12 to 17 are vaccinated in Kansas, and 56% of Kansas kids wear masks while at school.
Some parents said It is the right direction for their kids.
I think it is great and hopefully a relief for parents, especially for parents that are having trouble doing homeschooling or the fear of if we go back to remote learning, so hopefully this is more security that they will be in school full time, said Sunshine Vanderboom, who got her kids vaccinated on Saturday.
Because our mom wanted us to and because it would keep us safer in school and outside of school, said Abigail Hux, Sunshines daughter.
Sedgwick County expects to administer more than 3,000 pediatric doses early next week.
On Veterans Day, we are going to have our clinic open, and anyone can come, but we really are targeting the kids in that 5 to 11 year old age group to get them vaccinated, said Adrienne Byrne, the Sedgwick County Health Department director.
We dont have to worry about how we dont have to worry about getting COVID around our friends, said Isaiah Hux, Sunshines son.
Schedule a vaccine with the Sedgwick County Health Department by clicking here.
To find other vaccine sites, click here.
A COVID-19 vaccine clinic is being held at the Boys and Girls Club in Milford on Monday.
Event organizers said the clinic can accommodate anyone who is 12 or older and wants a first shot or a booster.
Moderna is available for anyone who is 18 or older and Pfizer is available for anyone 12 and older.
Walk ins are welcome. Anyone interested can also make an appointment here.
The clinic will run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
After trusting her OB-GYN during two previous pregnancies, a Madison Lake mother knew who to turn to when deciding whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant earlier this year.
Jaci Spragues discussion with Dr. Carla Goerish of Mankato Clinic led her to get her first vaccine dose shortly before she and her husband, Daniel, welcomed baby Cora on March 25. Sprague was breastfeeding when she received her second dose weeks later.
The Madison Lake mother of three is happy her doctor helped her make the decision to get vaccinated, saying the vaccine could help both Cora and her fend off the virus.
It provides me some reassurance and peace of mind knowing that Cora likely has antibodies to fight COVID-19, she said.
Antibodies developed by mothers after vaccinations can pass through placentas to their babies. Mothers can also pass on antibodies through their breast milk, offering the baby some degree of protection.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed about 31% of pregnant women chose to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as of September. The low percentage comes despite women having higher risks of adverse pregnancies, from preterm births to stillbirths to passing on the virus to their newborns, if they do get COVID-19.
Thats what we continue to see in young, healthy women whod otherwise do fine with COVID-19, Goerish said. Adding a pregnancy puts them at an increased risk of ending up in the ICU or having a very bad outcome.
Risks related to the vaccines are minimal in comparison, according to CDC data. Analyses on vaccines during pregnancies found miscarriage rates among vaccinated pregnant women were no higher than the typical range among pregnant women.
The analyses also found no safety concerns for mothers vaccinated late in pregnancy or their babies.
Along with her consultation with her doctor, Spragues choice to get vaccinated also came after realizing the pregnancy raised her risk level for her and her baby if they contracted COVID-19.
What changed throughout that process is I changed from being a low-risk individual if I were to get COVID-19 into that high-risk category, she said. So that to me was very eye-opening.
Goerish was there for Sprague during her pregnancies with Coras older sister, Raegan, and older brother, Gordy. The patient-physician relationship grew strong over those experiences, and its a trust Sprague hopes other women can find as they weigh similar decisions.
Everyone ultimately has to make their own decision about the vaccine, she said. She feels fortunate she had a trusted doctor in Goerish to help her.
Im telling people they should lean on their health care providers, she said. And thankfully we have great health care options in our community.
Goerish has heard from many pregnant patients asking about vaccine safety during the pandemic. Compared to earlier this year when there was less data available, shes noticed a shift in more pregnant women deciding the risks of COVID-19 arent worth not being vaccinated.
Just like the general population, though, theres a segment of pregnant women who wouldnt get vaccinated under any circumstances. The response isnt to be judgemental, Goerish said, but rather to recommend they be safe and practice social distancing to limit their chances of getting COVID-19.
Doing your own research is great, she added, but making sure the information youre working with is legitimate matters. She recommended the research and recommendations released by the CDC, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, all of which recommend vaccinations before or during pregnancies.
Knowing Sprague and other patients trust her to help them make vaccination decisions feels fabulous after a hard 18 months for everyone in health care, Goerish said.
We just want people to be healthy and want people to be safe, she said. We also want what everyone else wants. Wed never purposely do something that would harm them or their baby.
We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.
These red-state colleges won't mandate COVID-19 vaccine for students but they will for employees USA TODAY
The 31-year-old Waltham mother trusted her doctor but succumbed to pressure from others. She declined the shot.
There was not one supportive person, other than the doctor, she said.
Piantedosi regrets her decision but it was far from unusual. At the time, last spring, fewer than 1 in 10 pregnant women in the United States received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. As of Oct. 30, the rate had climbed to 1 in 4, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among expectant Black women, the rate is 16 percent, up from 11 percent in August.
In contrast, 58 percent of the US population is fully vaccinated.
Massachusetts health officials do not track vaccinations in pregnancy. With a higher vaccination rate overall in the state 70 percent the numbers might be higher. But Boston Medical Center found that only 35 percent of its pregnant patients were fully protected. One practice in Weymouth, the Womens Center of South Shore Medical Center, counted 43 percent vaccinated, but its head thinks the real number is closer to half.
Many pregnant women embrace other vaccinations most happily accept the flu and tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis shots offered during pregnancy but they are hesitant about the COVID shot. A recent survey found that nearly half the women who rejected the vaccine during pregnancy intended to take it after delivery.
Doctors say that the known risks posed by COVID-19 infection are greater much greater than any theoretical risk from the vaccine.
Pregnant women who contract COVID-19 have a two-fold risk of admission into intensive care, a 70 percent increased risk of death, and an elevated risk of preterm birth and stillbirth, according to the CDC.
But expectant parents often dont want to take any chances. Many think they can avoid getting the virus while taking the vaccine is a choice, an action they would be responsible for.
The fear is that if something goes wrong, even if its not a cause and effect, there would still be that doubt, said Lauren North of Lincoln, R.I., who got her first shot shortly before becoming pregnant in April and then struggled a little before deciding to get the second shot in her first trimester. Now in her 30th week, shes mulling whether to get a booster.
Information about the safety of the vaccine for pregnant women emerged slowly because initial vaccine studies excluded pregnant people. Last spring, when North and Piantedosi faced their decisions, professional medical organizations were saying theres no reason to believe the vaccine is unsafe but there was also not enough evidence to recommend it. Norths doctors told her that she probably should get the shot.
Since then, the CDC has tracked more than 170,000 individuals who received COVID vaccines while pregnant and found no increased risk of poor outcomes. Vaccinated pregnant women have been shown to pass their antibodies to the fetus. And the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine now give full-throated support to COVID-19 vaccination, including boosters.
Thats had an effect, said Dr. Khady Diouf, director of the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialists at Brigham and Womens Hospital. It definitely makes a difference for patients to hear their providers say absolutely rather than well, you should, she said.
Diouf believes the vaccination rates will increase, but so far, the national data show little change since August, even after the CDC issued an advisory in September calling for urgent action to encourage more individuals who are pregnant, nursing, or trying to become pregnant to roll up their sleeves.
The public health messaging is clearly not getting through, said Dr. Neel Shah, chief medical officer of Maven, an online womens health clinic.
Maven commissioned an online survey of a representative sample of 500 US-based pregnant people, which was conducted between Oct. 16 and 22. The survey found that only 39 percent knew of the CDCs recommendation in favor of vaccination during pregnancy, and only 29 percent knew that pregnant people have a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Nearly 70 percent said at least one source suggested they avoid getting the vaccine.
In educating patients, Shah said, You also have to not just reach out to people who are pregnant but reach out to all those around them.
Disturbingly, 29 percent of respondents said a medical provider advised against getting the vaccine while pregnant.
Dr. Glenn R. Markenson, chair of the Massachusetts section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a Boston Medical Center maternal-fetal medicine specialist, said he tells patients who hesitate to get vaccinated about some of those who got COVID-19 while pregnant.
Just a month ago, he said, a patient of his with COVID-19 needed mechanical ventilation in the ICU. The baby was delivered at 23 weeks and remains in the intensive care nursery, while the mother is also still in the hospital.
This is something that truly happens on a regular basis. Its not something theoretical, he said.
The hesitancy, he said, springs from two factors a lack of trust in the medical establishment and difficulty assessing risk. Patients need to believe that the provider really wants the best for you, is not trying to experiment on you, not trying to make money on you, Markenson said.
Diouf, of the Brigham, notes that each prenatal visit presents a new opportunity to raise the issue and listen to a patients concerns. Ive been able to convince people that way, she said.
To patients who worry that the vaccine may somehow affect the child years down the road, she points out that nothing like that has happened in the long history of vaccination.
Dr. Ingrid Kotch, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at South Shore Health, said a patient she saw recently said shed take the vaccine after delivery and stay isolated until then.
Isolation has risks too, she notes; it can lead to depression and anxiety. I dont think its a good option for patients, she said.
But thats what Piantedosi, the Waltham woman whose family dissuaded her, ended up doing.
Throughout the last month of her pregnancy, she stayed home, going out only for walks and receiving no visitors.
In April, she delivered a healthy baby, Teddy, her fourth child. But now, she said, she knows that if she had gotten vaccinated during pregnancy, the antibodies she produced would have been transferred to Teddy, possibly giving him protection.
I listened to too many family and friends, Piantedosi said. It was 100 percent the wrong decision.
Felice J. Freyer can be reached at felice.freyer@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @felicejfreyer.
CLAYTON, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- Timothy Hunt already scheduled an appointment on Saturday for his 8-year-old son Benjamin to receive his first dose of the pediatric version of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19.
"We have a few health conditions, so we're a bit higher risk. And we just want to try and mitigate the risk as much as possible, both for our son and also for ourselves," he said.
TheFDA recently approveduse of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids between ages 5-11. Approval from the CDC came Tuesday, and health officials will have child-size shots ready to administer Saturday at John C. Murphy Health Center in Berkeley. The St. Louis County Department of Health got their first shipment of 300 doses for child-size shots and have all appointments booked for Saturday.
Health officials plan to expand locations offered next week for kids ages 5-11 to all three permanent county health centers and four area library branches.
The St. Louis County Health Department plans to start vaccinating children between the ages of 5-11 against COVID-19 this weekend, County Executive Sam Page said. The vaccinations will not start at St. Louis County libraries until Nov. 10.
Vaccine clinics in St. Louis County
Health Care Centers
Libraries
Walgreens will administer Pfizer vaccinesin stores nationwide Saturday. Parents and legal guardians will need to schedule an appointmentonlineor by calling 1-800-Walgreens.
Vaccines at Schools
The FDA recently approved use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids between ages 5-11.
Area school districts are also gearing up to vaccinate students in the newly eligible age range. The Rockwood School District has scheduled a vaccine clinic on Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Crestview Middle School.
The Parkway School District will hold a vaccine clinic at Central Middle School on Nov. 19, that runs 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Granite City School District has scheduled its vaccine clinic for Nov. 23 from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Granite City High School.
Saint Louis Public Schools will hold a vaccine clinic on Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. until noon at Gateway Elementary School, 4 Gateway Drive. A second-dose clinic will be held on Dec. 4 at the same time and place.
The Edwardsville School District told News 4 they plan to hold vaccine clinics but will announce the details at a later date.
Children & COVID-19
"Vaccinations will allow our kids to learn in a safer environment and teachers to teach in a safer class," Page said. "Expanding eligibility will reduce community spread."
In effort to ensure parents who are unsure about vaccinating their child, Page said parents should talk to their child's pediatrician.
Dr. Jason Newland is a Washington University pediatric infectious disease physician at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Although children are less likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19, he said the virus is responsible for 500 childhood deaths in the U.S.
"For use to get out of the pandemic we need to get everybody, we need to get as many people vaccinated as possible. And there are 28-million children 5-to-11 years of age, this will help us by vaccinating as many of them as possible," Newland said.
In St. Louis County, community transmission among children is higher than any other age group. The average rate of new cases is highest in groups of 5-9 of 20.3 cases per 100,000 per day. St. Louis County health officials hope to partner with schools in the future to provide on-site vaccinations for children.
News 4 asked parents if they were planning on getting their children vaccinated once the CDC clears distribution.
"We miss our big family gatherings especially around the holidays, so we're really looking forward to getting her vaccinated," said Erin Shetler, whose 8-year-old daughter, Amy, goes to school in St. Charles County.
Im really excited because if I can get vaccinated, I can see more of my family and my friends and I wont have to wear my masks all the time, said Amy. She told News 4 its been tough, even scary sometimes going to school as the COVID-19 virus continues to impact young children.
"Sometimes if Im like in big crowds and not a lot of people are wearing masks, yeah, [it's scary]," she said.
The U.S. enters a new phase Wednesday in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with shots now a
Justin McCoy, a St. Charles County parent, has two children that could soon qualify for the vaccine.
"Were actually on a first to be contacted list with our pediatricians office because we want to make sure that they can get it as soon as its available, McCoy said.
News 4 also asked parents online if they will get their child vaccinated once it becomes available to ages 5 to 11. A total of 54% said yes, 39% said no and 7% remain unsure.
One of biggest concerns raised by parents is whether children will experience significant side effects with a smaller dosage size of the vaccine.
"Kids in general have the same side effects as adults, so you can expect them to have a fever, pain at the injection site, maybe they feel run down," said Dr. Jessica Smith. "That's totally to be expected."
Smith, a Mercy Clinic Pediatrician,says parents on the fence should ultimately have a conversation with their pediatrician and address any concerns ahead of scheduling a shot for their kids.
"I think another worry that parents have is about the risk of myocarditis in children when they studied the vaccine," said Smith. "We actually found that the risk of myocarditis is actually much higher if you actually catch COVID so when they evaluated this, they felt like the benefits strongly outweigh the risk of the vaccine for kids."
Local counties on their distribution plans for child-size vaccines
St. Charles Countyofficials sent the following information:
Once the St. Charles County Department of Public Health (DPH) receive Standing Orders from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the County will have mass events, library events and clinic appointments at the DPH. Appointments are preferred, and often required, for vaccinations with the Department of Public Health and its partners. For information on upcoming vaccination events or to schedule an appointment, individuals can visitwww.sccmo.org/COVIDvaccine or call 636-949-1899.
St. Clair Countyofficials say plans for distribution are still being finalized:
It will not likely be a mass distribution center but locations more confined at the Department of Health and other like locations. Plans should be finalized with in the next day or so with distribution to begin later this week.
St. Louis Cityis also actively working on distribution plans:
We are working with community partners, including Federally Qualified Health Centers and local hospital systems to provide children and their families the necessary tools to safely receive these vaccines in a timely fashion. The Department of Health will release additional information as it becomes available.
Some other area counties were not immediately available for comment.
CDC panel debates Pfizer's COVID vaccine for kids
A government advisory panel is discussing which schoolchildren should get Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA last week OK'd the use of kid-size doses for children ages 5 to 11, but the CDC also must sign off before vaccinations begin. (Nov. 2)
AP
Children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, after the director ofthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off Tuesday night on an expert panel's recommendation.
Children in this age group could begin getting shots as soon as this week, ashealth providerscan start vaccinating them"as soon aspossible," theCDC said in a release.
Last weekthe Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine for children 5 to 11, and the CDC's recommendation now clears the vaccine for those ages.
President Joe Biden called the news"a turning point in our battle against COVID-19," in a written statement Tuesday night.
Presidential adviser Jeffrey Zients said Monday that the Biden administration ordered enough vaccineto cover all 28 million American children in the age group. The administrations distribution program will be running at full strength the week of Nov. 8, he said.
Though the vaccines carry some risk for children, their benefits are greater, concluded the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, made upof vaccine and immune system experts from universities and medical schools acrossthe country.
"We know millions of parents are eager to get their children vaccinated and with this decision, we now have recommended that about 28 million children receive a COVID-19 vaccine," a Tuesday release quotesCDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. "As a mom, I encourage parents with questions to talk to their pediatrician, school nurse or local pharmacistto learn more about the vaccine and the importance of getting their children vaccinated."
Vaccines will be available at 100 children's hospitals, temporary clinics in the community and at schools, as well as pharmacies and pediatricians' offices. Shotswill befree, at one-third the dose of the adult vaccine and will be delivered in two shots at least three weeks apart.
A number of professional groups added their support Tuesday for childhood vaccination, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians,theNational Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society.
In several small trials, Pfizer-BioNTech, which makes the vaccine, saw no serious side effects connected with the shots.
It is likely, committee members acknowledged, that some potentially dangerous side effects will become apparent once the shots are delivered to millions of children, just as rare side effects not seen in clinical trials of adults turned up with widespread vaccinations.
"We need to acknowledge the unknown," said Dr. MatthewDaley, a committee member and senior investigator at theInstitute for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Coloradoin Aurora.
Daley said he was more concerned about the risk of waiting to vaccinate kids. "If we wait, we miss the chance to prevent many cases of COVID-19 in this age group, and that includes some very severe cases."
Data from the CDC suggests that vaccinations can prevent 600,000 infections in the age group by March, including a number of hospitalizations and a few deaths.
Fully vaccinating1 million children in the age group would prevent about 57,000 cases of COVID-19 and about 200 hospitalizations, the CDC said.
The data that was presented really speaks volumes in terms of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, said Dr. Pablo Snchez, a professor of pediatrics at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Children are dying, and we can reduce hospitalization and death with this safe and effective vaccine that will benefit the community, said Dr. Oliver Brooks, chief medical officer for the Watts HealthCare Corporation in Los Angeles.
Parents who have concerns about the shots should speak with their pediatrician, CDC and committee members said.
Kid shots Q and A:Everything to know about COVID-19 vaccine and children
The potential vaccine side effect ofbiggest concern is a swelling of the heart muscle, known as myocarditis, which has been seen particularly amongyoung men who received vaccine.
Out of every one million 16- and 17-year-old boys vaccinated, 69 have developed the condition, compared with two out of every million men in their 40s, government statistics show. None hasdied, and most cases appear to be mild without long-term consequences.
Matthew Oster, a pediatric cardiologist at Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta,said he expects the side effect will be even rarerin children.
Before COVID-19, myocarditis wasmostcommon among adolescents and young men probablybecause of their relatively high levels of the hormone testosterone, Oster told the committee. Children younger than 12 typically have low levels.
Infection with COVID-19 can cause myocarditis that appears to be more serious than swelling seen with vaccination, he said.
Many children who receive the shots will, like adults and teens, feel side effects in the first 48 hours or so. The most common side effects in the trials were fatigue, headaches, joint pain, pain at the injection site and vomiting, nausea or diarrhea.
The CDC monitors vaccine recipients, including children, for serious vaccine reactions through several different systems. One involves self-reporting of symptoms, another is reported mainly by doctors and two others collect data from hospitals, the CDC's Dr. Tom Shimabukurotold the committee.
The Food and Drug Administration has a separate vaccinesurveillance system, as does the Department of Defense, which first identified myocarditis as a risk among service members.
Rush is on: With vaccine orders placed, doctors, pharmacies prepare for a flood of young children
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized vaccines for use in this age group aftera signoff by an independent group of vaccine experts who determined that the benefits outweighed the risks.
Of the three vaccines available to adults in the USA, only Pfizer-BioNTech has completed studies in minors. Moderna said Sundaythat the FDAasked for more information about its shots in adolescents, which probably will defer its authorization until January.
Johnson & Johnson is further behind in its trials in adolescents and children.
Typically, companies test vaccines in adults, then move down in age as the shots are provedsafe. Pfizer-BioNTech continues to study even younger children, down to 6 months of age.
Though fully approved for use in adults and older teens, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized only for emergency use in children and younger adolescents. The collaborating companies will probably request full authorization for these age groups next year, once they have longer-term data and more details on manufacturing.
Vaccines are somewhat more controversial in children than adolescents and adults, because children are less likely to suffer severe COVID-19 infections.
Still, 94 American children ages 5-11have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began the eighth leading cause of death in this age group and about 8,300 have been hospitalized.
Although at lower rates than adults, children ages 5 to 11 can suffer from lingering symptoms of COVID-19 infections, so-called long COVID including months-long fatigue, pain, headaches,insomnia and trouble concentrating.
All children, regardless of age, can catch and pass on COVID-19,one study confirmed.
Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine is clearly effective in children 5-11, preventing more than 90% of infections,according to a company-run study in about 2,500 children.
Questions remain about the effectiveness and safety of the shotsbecause of the relatively small number of children who havereceived them so far fewer than 3,500 across three company-run studies. It is not clear how long this protection against COVID-19 will last or whether booster shots will be needed.
Data from the CDC suggests that nine children would have needed to be vaccinated to protectone of them from contractingCOVID-19 in September during the peak of the last wave, and about 26 today when rates are lower. About 2,200 kids would have needed protection six weeks ago to prevent one hospitalization and about 8,200 more recently.
Children who are immunocompromised or have health issues such as obesity and metabolic disease are at higher risk for serious COVID-19 infections. Two-thirds of children hospitalized for COVID-19 had preexisting health conditions, while one-third were previously healthyaccording to the CDC.
The CDC's recommendation for vaccination includes all children,regardless of their underlying medical conditions.
Childhood vaccinations willhelp families in which parents are fighting cancer, said Dr. Gwen Nichols, chief medical officerof the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Vaccination will allow "children to interact with more freedom, including with their parents and grandparents," she said. "This is particularly important for immunosuppressed patients, including those with blood cancers who have been in an impossible situation with their younger children returning to school in-person.
Children of color have been hospitalized at three times the rate of white children, data shows.
About 38% of American children have been infected with COVID-19, according to data presented to the committee.
Children who have already had COVID-19 will get some protection against severe disease butshould still get vaccinated, according to the recommendation, because the shots provide more consistent protection than infection.
An FDA analysis of infectionspresented to a different advisory committee last week found that the benefits of vaccination generally outweigh risks among children. If COVID-19 cases are extremely low less than 10% of the rates seen in mid-September the benefits of vaccination are less clear, the report concluded.
Vaccines take about five weeks to come to full effectiveness, two weeks after the second shot, so parents will not have time to provide vaccine protection in the face of a sudden outbreak or a fast-spreading new variant.
COVID-19 has already caused substantially more misery than other childhood diseases, CDC data showed. COVID-19 led to at least three times more hospitalizations and deaths thanhepatitis A, meningococcal disease, varicella, rubella and rotavirus did before vaccines were introduced against those diseases.
Dr. Katherine Poehling, a professor of pediatrics at theWake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said that information helped convince her to strongly support COVID-19 vaccines for elementary school children.
"We can now make these COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths vaccine preventable," she said.
Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com.
Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers Rodgers has strongly questioned the NFL's COVID-19 protocols, along with any organization forcing health requirements on individuals. Rick Scuteri/AP hide caption
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers Rodgers has strongly questioned the NFL's COVID-19 protocols, along with any organization forcing health requirements on individuals.
GREEN BAY, Wis. A Wisconsin health care organization has ended a nine-year partnership with Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers after the quarterback detailed his reasoning for avoiding the three COVID-19 vaccinations endorsed by the NFL.
A statement posted on Twitter by Prevea Health said the company and Rodgers mutually agreed to end their partnership, effective Saturday. Prevea Health and Rodgers had been partners since 2012.
The statement said Prevea Health "remains deeply committed to protecting its patients, staff, providers and communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes encouraging and helping all eligible populations to become vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent the virus from further significantly impacting lives and livelihoods."
The move comes a day after Rodgers told "The Pat McAfee Show" he had sought alternative treatments to COVID-19 vaccination because he is allergic to an ingredient in two of the FDA-approved shots. Rodgers, who turns 38 in December, did not say what ingredient he was allergic to, or how he knows he is allergic.
Rodgers has strongly questioned the NFL's COVID-19 protocols, along with any organization forcing health requirements on individuals.
"I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or crazed group of individuals who say you have to do something," he said Friday. "Health is not a one size fits all for everybody, and for me it involved a lot of study in the offseason."
The COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. were tested in tens of thousands of people and proven to be both safe and effective at dramatically reducing the risk of serious disease and death. The vaccines now have been given to more than 200 million Americans and that real-world use plus extra government safety tracking have made clear that serious side effects are extremely rare and that any risk is far lower than the risks posed by COVID-19.
Rodgers, who has been tested daily as part of NFL protocols for unvaccinated players, found out he contracted COVID-19 on Wednesday. He can't rejoin the Packers for 10 days and will miss Sunday's game at Kansas City. He must have a negative test to return to the team on Nov. 13.
The reigning NFL MVP, whose endorsement deals include a starring role in commercials for insurance company State Farm, hinted that his stance on vaccination could have consequences when he described himself Friday as a victim of "cancel culture."
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 249.8 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5.04 million. More than 7.25 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
Australia has begun administering boost shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as restrictions were further eased in Sydney.
New Zealand is set to ease COVID-19 restrictions in Auckland, with lockdown measures likely phased out by the end of the month, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
Indonesia will begin to give COVID-19 booster shots to the general public once 50% of the population has been fully vaccinated, its health minister has said. It's expected that the 50% mark will be hit at the end of next month.
South Korea has agreed to buy 70,000 courses of Pfizer's experimental antiviral COVID-19 pill, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Saturday.
Costa Rican children aged 5 and older must get COVID-19 vaccinations, according to a new health ministry mandate.
Authorities in Greece have announced new measures that restrict access to cafes and restaurants, state services, banks and shops to those who are either vaccinated or have a negative test. It comes as new COVID-19 cases have hit a new daily high almost every day in November.
Japan recorded no daily deaths from COVID-19 for the first time in more than a year on Sunday, according to local media
Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries.
Image: Our World in Data
The UK will start to roll out Merck's molnupiravir COVID-19 antiviral pill through a drug trial later this month, Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at the UK Health Security Agency said on Sunday.
It comes as the UK last week became the first country in the world to approve the pill, with the government announcing in October that it had secured 480,000 courses of the Merck drug, with another 250,000 courses of a Pfizer antiviral pill also ordered.
Asked about the molnupiravir approval, Hopkins told BBC television: "That is great news and it will start to be rolled out through a drug trial in the end of this month/the beginning of December."
Hopkins said all the trials so far had been done with the unvaccinated, so this would help understand how it will work in the wider vaccinated population.
"The new Pfizer drug is probably not going to be licensed until the new year some time," she added. "It is still likely to be a couple of months away."
Each of our Top 50 social enterprise last mile responders and multi-stakeholder initiatives is working across four priority areas of need: Prevention and protection; COVID-19 treatment and relief; inclusive vaccine access; and securing livelihoods. The list was curated jointly with regional hosts Catalyst 2030s NASE and Aavishkaar Group. Their profiles can be found on www.wef.ch/lastmiletop50india.
Top Last Mile Partnership Initiatives to collaborate with:
The US is preparing for long queues and delays today when travel restrictions are eased today, a senior official told Reuters on Friday.
President Joe Biden's administration "expects pent-up demand for travel, which means longer than normal wait times for travellers," the official said. The government was boosting staffing to pre-pandemic levels but "long lines are expected in the initial days".
The US is lifting travel restrictions for fully vaccinated air travellers from 33 countries and at its land borders with Mexico and Canada. The restrictions, put in place in early 2020 during the pandemic, barred most non-US citizens who within the last 14 days had been in any of the 33 counties.
Written by
Joe Myers, Writer, Formative Content
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
New research from the US has shown that white-tailed deer are being infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans. Antibodies were found in 40% of deer that were tested from January to March 2021 across Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York state. A second unpublished study has detected the virus in 80% of deer sampled in Iowa between November 2020 and January 2021.
Such high levels of infection led the researchers to conclude that deer are actively transmitting the virus to one another. The scientists also identified different SARS-CoV-2 variants, suggesting there have been many human-to-deer infections.
The large numbers of white-tailed deer in North America and the fact that they often live close to people provide several opportunities for the disease to move between the two species. This can include wildlife management operations, field research, recreation, tourism and hunting. In fact, hunters are likely to be one of the most obvious sources of potential reinfection as they regularly handle dead animals. It has also been suggested that water sources contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 might provide a pathway for transmission, although this has yet to be proved.
Human-to-deer and deer-to-deer transmission are believed to be driving the rapid spread of the disease within white-tailed deer populations across the US. This is particularly apparent during the early months of 2021 when COVID infections were spiking in the human population. Previous studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 can be passed from humans to domestic and captive animals including cats, dogs, zoo animals and, most notably, farmed mink. But, until now, the disease had not been shown to spread in wildlife species.
White-tailed deer are the most abundant large mammal in North America with a range extending from Canada to South America. The US population alone is estimated to number 30 million animals. They are a social species that live in family groups of two to 12 individuals that can thrive in a range of habitats, including urban parks and woodland.
These aspects of their ecology and behaviour have made them a species of particular concern when it comes to the spread of diseases, including bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease. These pathogens have already led to considerable effects on the health of wild and domestic animal populations around the globe.
The findings from these latest studies have raised concerns that white-tailed deer could be a reservoir of SARS-CoV-2. Not only could this readily infect large numbers of animals, but also, more worryingly, it could spill back to humans.
This type of infection cycle was documented in workers on infected mink farms, which ultimately led to the Danish government euthanising their entire captive population of 17 million animals. It is important to underline that there is currently no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from white-tailed deer to humans. Initial experimental work has also suggests that infected deer tend not to have symptoms. Still, disease transmission in wildlife populations has considerable implications for human and animal health.
There is the possibility that viral mutation in a reservoir host, such as white-tailed deer, could lead to new variants of the disease. These variants may lead to greater infection rates, increased virulence (severity of symptoms) and prove more effective at evading the human immune system. Likewise, any reinfection from wildlife reservoirs could also complicate our long-term efforts to fight and suppress the disease.
Influenza, which jumps readily between birds, humans and other mammals (particularly pigs), presented similar problems. These multiple reservoirs of disease can lead to new strains emerging that humans have lower immunity against, as was the case with swine flu in 2009.
It is important to note that there are limitations to these studies, both in terms of the methods used and the limited geographical range of investigation. The most recent and unpublished study used the latest genetic approaches to reliably detect SARS-CoV-2 in tissue samples but focused only on deer in Iowa. Whereas the antibody tests in the first study were conducted across four states but only show that the animal has been exposed to the virus. Yet the combined findings have highlighted that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is likely to be widespread in white-tailed deer.
There is a great deal that we still need to learn about the developing situation with COVID and deer. The most important topics to focus on include understanding how the virus is being transmitted from humans to deer and determining the risk of spillover back into the human population. Research is urgently needed to assess the risk that this potential reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 presents to humans, as well as the possible spread of the virus to other wildlife species that deer interact with, such as predators and scavengers.
