Vaccine Safety for Kids 6 Months and Up
Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that in a Phase 3 trial in adolescents 12 to 15 years of age, “the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated 100% efficacy and robust antibody responses, exceeding those recorded earlier in vaccinated participants aged 16 to 25 years old, and was well tolerated.”
“We share the urgency to expand the authorization of our vaccine to use in younger populations and are encouraged by the clinical trial data from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15,” said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer. “We plan to submit these data to FDA as a proposed amendment to our Emergency Use Authorization in the coming weeks and to other regulators around the world, with the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year.”
Risk of Community Spread
The above charts show that the seven-day averages of new COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Evanston, Suburban Cook County, Chicago, and Illinois. Each area has more than 150 new cases per 100,000 population in the last seven days. The Illinois Department of Public Health says that more than 100 cases per 100,000 indicates a risk of “substantial spread.” The Center for Disease Control says that more than 100 cases indicates a risk of “high transmission.” [1, 2 and 3]
For test positivity in the last 7 days, IDPH uses a target of 5%. CDC says between 5% and 7.9% represents a “moderate” risk of transmission. [1, 2 and 3]
State Receives $124 Million in Funding for Vaccinations
The State of Illinois will receive an additional $124 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to further expand its COVID-19 vaccination program. Of that amount, $33 million is earmarked for the City of Chicago.
The award is part of $3 billion in funding that CDC has granted to 64 jurisdictions to bolster broad-based vaccine distribution, access, and administration efforts. The funding was made available by the American Rescue Plan and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, said CDC in a prepared statement.
“Approximately 75% of the funding will be focused on underserved communities and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 to help ensure individuals are equitably vaccinated,” said the Governor’s Office. “This funding will allow the State to further build-out existing equity efforts, including partnerships with Federally Qualified Health Cente