Health officials in the Roanoke-Alleghany Regional are preparing to administer a COVID-19 vaccine to children after it is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 will likely be authorized for use in the next week, after completion of a four-step process that began Tuesday.
The development comes as the latest spike in COVID-19 cases, attributed to the high contagious Delta strain of the virus, continued to wane. In the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts, 550 new cases were reported over the last week. That’s down from the more than 700 cases confirmed in the prior week. New cases had been ranging from 900 to 1,200 a week before the decline began.
“We are still in high transmission for all of our jurisdictions at this point. The case count is going down. That is really good news and I am optimistic that it will continue,” said Dr. Cynthia Morrow, medical director for the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts.
Morrow held an online media briefing Tuesday morning.
“This is a nice decrease we are seeing, but we are still in high transmission. We are still seeing outbreaks, predominately associated with school-aged children and we still have people in the hospital,” Morrow said.
Approximately 20 percent of the new cases in the health districts involve children. Health officials say children have been more susceptible to the Delta variant because no vaccine has been available for the 5 to 11 age range. That could all change if the Pfizer vaccine for children receives FDA approval.
Once the vaccine is approved, the Roanoke City-Alleghany Health District will begin administering doses to children, primarily through Community Vaccine Center. The health districts have established a community vaccine center at the former Sears store at Valley View Mall in Roanoke.
Morrow said supplies of the children’s vaccine will be limited initially, but she expects there will be enough doses for families who want to get their children vaccinated.
The health director said she is in weekly communication with school superintendents throughout the region. All of the school districts are interested in partnering with the health districts to get shots into the arms of children, Morrow said.
“All of the school districts are interested in continuing to partner with us,” she said.
But she expects parent interest in having the vaccine administered to their children will vary by jurisdiction. She expects the vaccine numbers to range from 30 percent to 70 percent.
“We expect that in our jurisdictions, there is going to be a high variable in uptake,” Morrow said.
In the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts, 311,920 doses of vaccine have been administered to adults since December. In Alleghany County, 65.4 percent of adults have received at least one dose of vaccine. The percentage in Covington is 61.9. In Craig County, the percentage is 49.8.
The cumulative death toll from COVID has reached 604.
Fifty-nine people were hospitalized Monday. Twenty-five were new admissions from last week.
Morrow said approximately 40 percent of the new cases in the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts are persons under the age of 35.
The “overwhelming majority” of new cases and hospitalizations continue to occur in individuals who are not fully vaccinated, she said.
Booster shots, previously only available for the Pfizer vaccine, are now available for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines as well.
People who received the two-dose Moderna vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine can now get an additional shot.
Pfizer booster shots were earlier only available to those who received doses of the Pfizer vaccine, people who meet the eligibility criteria established by federal health officials can now choose any vaccine brand for their booster shot.
Health officials aren’t giving any specific recommendations, other than to say it’s important to get a booster if you’re eligible. It’s especially crucial for people 65 and over, adults 50 and older with underlying health conditions — which includes being overweight or having high blood pressure, depression or diabetes — and anyone who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
All adults with underlying health conditions are eligible for a booster dose, as are all adults who live or work in settings at higher risk for coronavirus exposure, such as employees of hospitals, schools and grocery stores.
“If you are eligible to get a booster, go ahead and sign up to get one,” Morrow said.
She said persons with questions about mixing booster doses with their original vaccine should contact their health care provider before making a decision.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.