COVID shots for kids could come in early November, Fauci says
COVID jabs for kids could be right around the corner, the White House’s chief medical adviser said on Sunday.
Vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11 are likely to be available in the first two weeks of November, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it’s entirely possible if not very likely that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November,” said Fauci, who also is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
A Food and Drug Administration panel is set to meet on Tuesday to weigh Pfizer’s vaccine for children.
Pfizer on Friday released a study finding its shot was almost 91% effective for kids ages 5 to 11, ABC News said.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended booster shots for recipients of the Moderna and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
It said the 15 million adults who already had J&J’s single-dose shot could get a second dose of any COVID vaccine authorized by the Food and Drug Administration at least two months after their first vaccination. It also said certain adults considered high risk who were vaccinated with Moderna at least six months ago can get a booster.
Meanwhile, the CDC is monitoring a relative of the highly contagious delta variant of the virus known as “delta plus.”
The sub-variant accounts for just 0.1% of cases in the U.S., according to the CDC, but makes up about 6% of cases in the U.K., according to the U.K. Health Security Agency.
“We absolutely are following the genomic sequencing of this very carefully,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“Delta plus” has been found in at least five cases, in Washington D.C., California, North Carolina, Washington state and Massachusetts, according to CNBC.
The sub-variant could be 10% to 15% more contagious than delta, according to Francois Balloux, director of the Genetics Institute at University College London.
While the U.K. has more “delta-plus” infections than the U.S., Walensky said officials here are not looking to go back to restricting flights from Europe.
“We are absolutely following the science very, very carefully, but we’re not anticipating or looking into that right now,” she said.
Across the country, COVID numbers continue to improve.
New cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all down almost everywhere in the nation. There are now about 75,000 new COVID cases per day, less than half as many as in September.
New York State had 2,861 new positive COVID tests on Saturday, down from 4,314 a month ago, according to Gov. Hochul’s office. Thirty-two New Yorkers died on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 57,617, her office said.
With News Wire Services
