Today, the FDA approved the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine for full use status. This removes the “emergency use” authorization, but does not mean the it is fully approved for all children. It still can only be used for 12 years and older. It still appears that approval for 5-11 year olds won’t happen until “early” 2022. Full use status may just provide employers, hospitals, schools etc with more leverage to mandate the vaccine.
We currently have Pfizer vaccine for our 12 and old patients and will be ready to administer booster doses when appropriate as well as start in the younger population when approved.
We have to be careful how we interpret statistics, but the number that I have been following is cases per 100,000 population. Monroe County is now over 144 cases per 100,000 and continues to rise. This number puts us solidly in the “red zone” defined by the CDC as more than 99.99 cases per 100,000. Hospitalizations are also rising. The average age of new cases continues to drop. What does this mean? The population that cannot be immunized are at risk. What can we do? Encourage everyone who can be immunized to be immunized. The vaccine is effective and safe. And, everyone should start to mask up when indoors again.