Fairbanks Sleeves Up campaign continues with several weekend vaccine clinics msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Print article The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids as young as 12. That means that 40,000 more Alaskans will likely be able get vaccinated as soon as Wednesday, pending final approval from the CDC, health officials say. Since March, anyone 16 and older who lives and works in the state has had access to at least one of the three free COVID-19 vaccines currently available, and over half of those have received at least one dose. “We are ecstatic that it has an emergency use authorization, and that we can have more Alaskans protected from COVID-19,” Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer, said Monday. “While children tend to do very well with COVID they tend to be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, we still see kids get sick, we still see kids hospitalized, and we know that they can spread it to adults,” she said.
Print article Although only about 43% of eligible Alaskans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, state data shows that the pace of vaccinations in Alaska has slowed significantly in recent weeks. The decline is part of a national trend: The seven-day average for vaccines administered in the U.S. fell by about 14% last week compared to the week before, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But in Alaska and locally in Anchorage the decline was even more significant. According to data on the state’s vaccine dashboard, there was close to a 50% decrease in the average daily vaccines administered in the state between last week and the week before. Anchorage data also showed a similar drop in vaccinations over the same timeframe.
Alaska health officials pausing use of J&J COVID-19 vaccine
By BECKY BOHRERApril 13, 2021 GMT
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) The state health department Tuesday said upcoming appointments for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Alaska are being canceled or delayed after federal agencies recommended a “pause” to review reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots.
State health officials told reporters the federal recommendation shows that safety checks are working and they hope this bolsters rather than hinders confidence in the vaccine rollout.
Dr. Joe McLaughlin, the state epidemiologist, said people with appointments for the other COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S., the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, should continue with their appointments.