(GROVELAND, Fla.) — A Florida mom who spent 85 days hospitalized with COVID-19 complications was able to return home to finally meet her newborn baby.
“I got out of the car by myself and walked into my own house and I didn’t think I’d be able to do that,” Paola Gambini, 32, of Groveland, Florida, said of her homecoming. “And now I’m changing my daughter’s diapers and rocking her, and those are things I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do.”
Gambini, a hair stylist, tested positive for COVID-19 in late July, when she was 33 weeks pregnant.
She isolated at home with mild symptoms initially after testing positive, but then was transported to the hospital by ambulance when she began to have difficulty breathing.
“I remember the EMT saying, ‘You’re so lucky you called us. I don’t know that you would have made it,'” said Gambini, who was admitted to the hospital and less than 24 hours later had to undergo an emergency C-section. “I was freaking out wondering if I was going to die, if the baby was going to survive.”
Gambini gave birth to her daughter, Lilliana, on July 30. The baby was born healthy but was soon whisked away as doctors focused on continuing to treat Gambini.
“I remember touching her and she had so much hair. I’ll never forget that moment. All I cared about was making sure she was okay,” Gambini said. “They took her away and were like, ‘OK, now we’re going to take care of you.'”
Gambini, who had no pre-existing medical conditions but had not been vaccinated, was transferred shortly after giving birth to a nearby hospital, Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center.
She was placed on a ventilator, where she remained for two weeks, and then on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, machine, which removes carbon dioxide from the blood and sends back blood with oxygen to the body, allowing the heart and lungs time to rest and heal.
Gambini remained on the ECMO machine for more than 40 days, while her parents, her fiancé, Michael Hazen, and his parents cared for Lilliana.
“My fiancé was able to visit me and there was not one day he missed,” Gambini said. “He was my rock.”
As Gambini’s health began to improve, her medical team worked with Hazen to coordinate a surprise.
On Gambini’s birthday, Sept. 3, she was reunited with her daughter for the first time since giving birth.
“I remember waking up and they sang happy birthday to me and asked if I was ready to see my baby,” Gambini said. “They had balloons and my whole room was decorated.”
Gambini was then able to see her daughter, recalling, “They let me hold her but I was so weak, I didn’t want to drop her. My arms were so weak.”
Gambini said the more she was weaned off medication, the more she saw how long her road to recovery would be, but she was determined to do it in order to go home to Lilliana.
“I remember worrying what quality of life I would have and the nurses told me, ‘You think this is forever? You just have to get up and move and you’ll be back to normal,'” she said. “From then on, every day I was like, ‘What’s the plan? I want to get home to my baby.'”
On Oct. 22, 85 days after she was admitted, Gambini was able to leave the hospital to go home, where she continues to recover.
“COVID really attacked my lungs, so half of my left lung is damaged. I get winded if I walk too fast,” said Gambini, who is still on oxygen. “And I lost 80 pounds so my body is rebuilding its strength.”
Gambini is now able to hold Lilliana, whom she describes as “such a happy baby.”
“We appreciate life on a level that no one else will experience unless you go through something like this,” she said. “We don’t take anything for granted.”
(WASHINGTON) — The government’s top doctor released a step-by-step toolkit Tuesday morning to help people combat misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines in their own close circles.
“We need people in communities all across our country to have these conversations,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in an interview with ABC News.
“This is not just the government that needs to be engaged in these conversations. If anything, it’s individuals who have people they trust in their lives who have great power when it comes to helping them move our vaccination rates in the right direction,” Murthy said.
The guide provides a road map for vaccinated people to talk to unvaccinated people who have bought into conspiracy theories or lies that spread on the internet about the COVID-19 vaccines.
Over the summer, the surgeon general issued an advisory that called misinformation an urgent public health threat.
The toolkit, which Murthy hopes will be used by health professionals, faith leaders, teachers or parents with children newly eligible for the shot, is the next step in addressing the ongoing problem. November polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that nearly eight in 10 adults have come across false statements about COVID-19 and have either believed them or been unsure if they were true.
“During the COVID 19 pandemic, misinformation has in fact cost people their lives. So we don’t have an option to give up,” Murthy said.
He called for more transparency in the tech industry since misinformation spreads rapidly on social media platforms.
“The companies have done some work to address health misinformation but they’ve not done nearly enough. And it’s not happening nearly quickly enough,” Murthy said.
The information released Tuesday encourages people to talk in person instead of online. One section is even entitled “If you’re not sure, don’t share!”
It includes discussion questions and illustrations explaining why people share misinformation or what a hypothetical conversation around misinformation could look like.
The recommended approach relies heavily on listening, providing empathy and avoiding shame.
“When talking with a friend or family members, emphasize the fact that you understand that there are often reasons why people find it difficult to trust certain sources of information,” it says.
Murthy acknowledged that it may be hard for vaccinated Americans to be empathetic or understanding when many feel angry that unvaccinated Americans have allowed the virus to spread.
“But nobody generally changes their mind when they feel shame and blame, if anything that hardens people in their position,” Murthy said.
He described a conversation he recently had with an unvaccinated man who had seen myths about the vaccines on Facebook. They talked for 30 minutes, he said. Murthy called it an “open, honest conversation” about what the man’s concerns were.
“And I tried to share with him what we knew and what we didn’t know. I tried to be honest about what the science actually tells us,” Murthy said.
“He sent me a note after that saying he made the decision after that conversation to get vaccinated, and ultimately he did get vaccinated,” Murthy said.
“So what we need to do is is to start by listening to people, by being empathetic, trying to understand where they’re coming from, why they may have the beliefs that they do, and then to try to share our own experience with them to try to help them to access credible sources, like their doctor or other people that they actually trust who are credible scientific sources,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — As first lady Jill Biden prepared to kick off a vaccination campaign for kids ages 5-11 on Monday, over the weekend “Sesame Street” mainstay Big Bird tweeted he received his first dose, encouraging children across the country to do the same.
“I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy,” the eight-foot-two canary yellow Muppet wrote on Twitter Saturday.
I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.
Ms. @EricaRHill even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!
President Joe Biden responded to the tweet, writing “Good on ya, @BigBird. Getting vaccinated is the best way to keep your whole neighborhood safe.”
The social media announcement sparked conservative backlash, including from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accusing Big Bird of being used to for “government propaganda.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Pfizer vaccines for children ages 5-11 last week, expanding eligibility to 28 million more Americans.
The tweet from the TV favorite, who is said to be always 6 years old, is part of the administration’s big push to get kids vaccinated against COVID-19 following the Food and Drug Administration’s full authorization of the shot for kids as young as 5 years old. The first lady will visit an elementary school with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Monday to promote the pediatric vaccinations.
Big Bird’s announcement came the same day as the icon participated in a CNN town hall alongside his “Sesame Street” neighbors Elmo and Rosita called “The ABCs of Covid Vaccines,” where they answered kids’ questions about the vaccine with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta and anchor Erica Hill.
Cruz has received the COVID-19 vaccine himself but says he is against vaccine mandates. The Texas senator continued to criticize Big Bird’s announcement on Twitter.
In response to ABC News’ request for comment, Cruz’s office pointed to previous tweets from the senator encouraging parents to make their own decision regarding their children’s health.
This is not the first time the “Sesame Street” character has weighed in on vaccines for children. After Cruz accused the administration of using Big Bird to spread “propaganda,” a 1972 “Sesame Street” clip showing Big Bird lining up for the measles vaccine began gaining traction online.
Newsmax host Steve Cortes joined Cruz in attacking Big Bird, calling the tweet “evil.”
Others came to the Sesame Street character’s defense. Former President Donald Trump’s niece and one of his frequent critics, Mary Trump, defended Big Bird and pointed out Cruz’s vaccination status.
Big Bird is kind, compassionate, empathetic, loving, adored, and vaccinated. Ted Cruz is . . . vaccinated.
(MCLEAN, Va.) — First lady Jill Biden is taking the administration’s push for child COVID-19 vaccinations on the road to Northern Virginia on Monday by visiting a school that is of historic importance in vaccinations in the U.S.
Biden, along with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, will visit Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C.
Franklin Sherman Elementary School was where the first polio vaccine was administered to children in 1954, according to the White House.
The visit is a step in the Biden administration’s push for youngsters to get the jab after the Food and Drug Administration granted full authorization to the vaccine in children ages 5-11, making more than 28 million American kids eligible for the vaccine.
In addition to visiting schools, the administration sent letters to superintendents and elementary school principals across the country on Monday, urging school officials to set up vaccination clinics in their schools.
“Schools play a vital role in providing access to and trusted information on the vaccine,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote in the letter.
The schools themselves would not administer the vaccines, they would partner with a local vaccine provider, like a community health clinic or pharmacy, to give the shots to students. The schools would have access to federal cash from the American Rescue Plan to help with costs from providing spaces for vaccines and organizing the vaccine appointments.
The letter also asked schools to distribute information fact sheets, social media and emails to families in the schools. Officials said another way schools can help is by fostering community dialogue with existing organizations, like Parent-Teacher Associations.
“Parents rely on their children’s teachers, principals, school nurses, and other school personnel to help keep their students safe and healthy every school year,” Becerra and Cardona wrote in the letter. “The communications you issue – in languages accessible to your parents – will be critical in helping families learn more about the vaccine.”
Officials encouraged schools by pointing out that increased vaccinations could mean fewer cancellations of class and activities given outbreaks.
“Vaccination is the best tool we have to keep our students safe from COVID-19, maintain in-person learning, and prevent the closure of schools and cancellation of valued extracurricular activities,” Becerra and Cardona wrote in the letter.
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
(ATLANTA) — With a COVID vaccine for younger children given the final go-ahead, millions more Americans as young as 5 years old can now roll up their sleeves for the protection the shot affords: dramatically reducing the risk of developing COVID-19.
For many, that will also mean protection from long COVID — sometimes-debilitating symptoms that can last for months after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Kate Porter’s daughter Adria was 11 when they both came down with an awful fever, fatigue and malaise in March 2020, before there was a vaccine for anyone. They both have grappled with ongoing symptoms since.
“If she could have been prevented from going through what we went through, I think it would have saved us a lot of hardship and pain and emotional, just anguish and worrying. I would have gotten her vaccinated immediately,” Porter said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s final signoff late Tuesday paved the way for pediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine to begin rolling out to thousands of hospitals, family doctors’ offices and major retail pharmacies across the country. It comes as the academic year kicks into higher gear and just in time to punctuate the holiday season.
“So many of my friends are just breathing a sigh of relief. They have been waiting for this,” Ann Wallace said. Her daughter Molly was 16 when she came down with COVID. Molly has grappled with recurring bouts of chronic fatigue ever since.
“Whether they are 8 or 18, long-hauler symptoms is a real struggle, especially for those in school,” Wallace said. “It takes an enormous toll.”
In discussing whether to recommend Pfizer for younger age groups, federal health officials have emphatically pointed not only to the overwhelming benefits of the vaccine, but also to the sobering risks of not making the shot available to vulnerable kids.
“There’s a lot of attention to the vaccine and not as much to the danger of COVID and what it can do,” said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers. “And that’s a really important piece.”
“As a parent, if I had young children this age group, I would get them vaccinated now,” acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock said Friday. “I would not want to take the risk that they would be one of the ones who would develop long COVID.”
“We can include not only the known benefit of the prevention of COVID cases … but many broader benefits — prevention of hospitalizations, MIS-C and deaths — as well as the prevention of additional post-COVID conditions,” CDC’s Sara Oliver said at Tuesday’s meeting recommending the shot.
More than 1 million children were diagnosed with COVID in the past six weeks, adding to the total of more than 6 million children who have tested positive since the start of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Of the 1.9 million kids aged 5 to 11 who have gotten COVID, 8,300 wound up hospitalized.
Estimates vary, but studies in adults suggest that 10% to as many as a third of COVID-19 patients go on to develop long-term symptoms.
While vaccinations will help prevent many cases of COVID-19 — and therefore save many children from developing long-haul symptoms — scientists still aren’t sure if getting vaccinated will heal children already living with long COVID.
Molly, now 18, never expected to have symptoms this long. But more than a year after being infected she still struggles with chronic fatigue, and uses an inhaler.
“People are like, ‘Oh, I’ll get better, it’ll be fine.’ But there’s a wide range of ways that COVID can affect you,” she said.
Porter, meanwhile, was concerned how her daughter’s long-hauler symptoms might be impacted by taking the vaccine. But she now plans to get Adria vaccinated in the coming weeks.
“I feel like the last two years were stolen from us,” Porter said. “I feel like she should still be 11. And I should still be 34.”
Terri King’s daughter, Haley, was 9 in November 2020 when her fever began to spike, along with a sore throat, cough, headache and loss of taste and smell. She felt like her mouth was constantly numb and burning, King said. A year later, Haley has a persistent hypersensitivity to noise that interferes with her daily life. King has been hesitant to get Haley vaccinated, though.
Before data was available on Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll suggested that roughly a third of parents of children ages 5 to 11 wanted to “wait and see.” Public health officials are hoping the FDA and CDC’s public review of all available data and strong endorsement will encourage more parents to seek vaccination for their younger children.
“I waiver back and forth, and you tend to get pulled in both directions,” King said. She’s now leaning toward getting Haley vaccinated by the end of the year.
“I know this is what needs to happen for my kids,” King said. “It’s just getting to that point where I’m completely comfortable with having it done. But we’re ready to get back to — and obviously, we know, it’s not going to be the same normal that it used to be — but, you know, back to some kind of normality. We’re ready to start out a new year, new and protected.”
ABC News’ Sony Salzman and Eric M. Strauss contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A course of pills developed by Pfizer can slash the risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 by 89% if taken within three days of developing symptoms, according to results released Friday by the pharmaceutical company.
In a study of more than 1,200 COVID-19 patients with a higher risk of developing serious illness, people who took Pfizer’s pills were far less likely to end up in the hospital compared to people who got placebo pills.
None of the people who got the real pills died, but 10 people who got placebo pills died, according to results summarized in a Pfizer press release.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in prepared remarks that the data suggest the pill-based treatment, if authorized, could “eliminate up to nine out of ten hospitalizations.”
Infectious disease experts cautioned these results are preliminary — only described in a press release and not in a peer-reviewed medical journal — but they represent another promising development in the search for effective and easy-to-administer COVID-19 pills.
Right now, the only authorized treatments are given via intravenous infusion.
“Having an oral therapy is critically important,” said Dr. Carlos Del Rio, the executive associate dean and a global health expert at the Emory School of Medicine.
“If we can get patients to start treatment early before they progress to severe illness and unfortunately death, everyone wins in the fight against COVID,” said Dr. Simone Wildes, a board-certified infectious disease physician at South Shore Health and an ABC News contributor.
Infectious disease specialists stressed that these pills are not a replacement for a vaccine — by far the safest and most effective way to reduce the risk of being hospitalized with COVID-19.
But they may make a big difference if given quickly to people after getting COVID-19, especially the immune compromised, or in places where a vaccine is not available.
Pfizer’s pill-based treatment “would be a good drug for patient with COVID and high risk of progression, vaccinated or not,” said Del Rio, “although the vaccinated were not included in this study.”
Another company — Merck — is ahead of Pfizer on developing a COVID pill treatment, having already applied with the Food and Drug Administration for authorization. Emergency use authorization for the Merck treatment may come before the end of the year.
Merck’s treatment reduced the risk of hospitalizations and deaths by 50%. This could indicate Pfizer’s treatment has an edge on efficacy, but experts cautioned against comparing the studies directly because they were designed in different ways, and measured different so-called “primary endpoints.”
“We need to be cautious comparing studies,” said Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases at South Shore Health and an ABC News Medical Contributor.
The FDA analyzes safety and efficacy before authorizing any medication.
The FDA’s advisory committee is set to review Merck’s application on Nov. 30. Merck CEO told CNBC at the end of October that the company is ready to distribute 10 million courses of treatment by the end of the year.
Pfizer, meanwhile, plans to start sharing the data with the FDA “as soon as possible.”
This Pfizer data is from one of three clinical trials that the company is running. The results from the other two trials are expected by the end of the year. Pfizer then plans to submit all the data and seek authorization at that time, meaning the new medication may be available in early 2022.
Using lessons learned from other infectious diseases, experts said it might one day prove beneficial to combine different antiviral treatments.
“Pfizer oral drug is an investigational SARS-COV-2 protease inhibitor antiviral therapy,” Wildes said. “We have used protease inhibitors drugs in our HIV patients with and they have worked well.”
“Big picture is this is similar to HIV and [hepatitis C] where we have different antivirals,” Ellerin added. “There may be opportunity for combination therapy in the future.”
(NEW YORK) — You did everything you could to stay safe. You socially distanced. You wore a mask. You avoided large gatherings and unsafe indoor environments. When the coronavirus vaccine became available, you got in line and got your shots. Now that eight months have passed, you’re getting ready to get a booster.
And now, you think, finally, it’s time to throw caution to the wind and return to the life you lived pre-pandemic.
I wish I could tell you that was the case. But for your safety and the safety of those around you — including kids who are about to start getting their vaccinations — it’s time to take a deep breath, tap the brakes, continue using your mask indoors, and not re-engage with large crowds just yet.
Here are five reasons why:
1. Your body needs time to build immunity to COVID-19.
The three authorized COVID-19 vaccines remain incredibly effective at preventing even mild infections. When first authorized, Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines proved 95% and 94% effective, and Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine proved 75% effective.
Nevertheless, studies have shown that all three vaccines lose some ability to protect against infections over time. For that reason, experts recommend that people in high-risk groups — such as older adults and people with weakened immune systems — get booster shots.
Like the initial vaccines, booster shots have been shown to be extremely effective at preventing serious illness. In fact, new research shows that people who received booster shots were at a 93% lower risk of being hospitalized and an 81% lower risk of death from COVID-19 compared to people who had only received their initial two shots.
The booster builds on the immunity protection you have developed through your primary vaccination series. But the added protection from a booster doesn’t happen overnight.
“The booster doesn’t work right away; it takes a week or so to have full effect,” says Dr. Megan Ranney, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Brown University. “I frequently see people who take risks before the vaccines have had a chance to protect them.”
Instead, said Ranney, people should continue to take common-sense precautions. “Wash your hands, maintain a little distance and, if you are in an area with high COVID prevalence, wear a mask when you are in crowded public indoor locations,” she said. The guidance about masking indoors doesn’t change, regardless of whether someone has had two doses or three doses of vaccine.
How will you know your immune system is building a response to COVID? You’ll likely feel some side effects. These could include pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, joint pain and fever.
You can predict what type of side effects you might develop based on which ones you experienced with your previous shots. If your arm hurt for a couple of days last spring, it will likely hurt for a couple of days after you get a booster.
Remember that these side effects are generally mild and temporary, and the vaccines can provide long-lasting protection against COVID-19. Whatever you may experience, it’s crucial to understand that side effects are generally a good sign. They mean your body is responding to the vaccine and building immunity to COVID-19 infection.
2. COVID-19 is still a risk.
Getting a booster shot doesn’t guarantee you won’t be infected with the coronavirus. But it can help your immune system build protection against severe disease or hospitalization — including from the delta variant.
So in order to protect yourself and those around you from infection, continue to follow public health guidance and regulations in your local area regarding masking and social distancing. Both of those, as well as washing your hands regularly with soap and warm water, will provide you with maximum protection against the coronavirus and other viruses circulating this fall and winter as more people are out and about.
3. It’s flu season.
We’ve spent so much time talking about COVID-19 that we may lose sight of the health effects posed by the very common influenza virus, which usually pops up in early autumn and can lead to serious illness.
During the 2019-2020 flu season, 38 million people became sick with flu, resulting in more than 400,000 hospitalizations and 22,000 deaths. Studies have shown that levels of flu last year were at their lowest since 1997, the first year for which data is available. That’s likely because people wore masks, used hand hygiene often, and socially distanced, in order to suppress the spread of COVID-19. Those actions also had the effect of suppressing the flu.
Unfortunately, last year’s mild flu season might lead to a more severe flu season this year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has warned. That’s because people weren’t exposed to flu last year, so they didn’t build up an immunity to the virus.
The good news is that flu vaccines are widely available. In fact, the CDC says it’s perfectly safe to get the COVID and flu vaccines during the same visit. So whether or not you get a booster shot, “we should always prepare for the flu season by planning to get vaccinated,” Dr. David Hirschwerk, an infectious disease specialist at Northwell Health in New York, told ABC News.
In the meantime, masks, hand-washing and all of the other measures that you used to protect against COVID-19 will generally also protect you against flu.
4. Other viruses are out there.
No, they’re nothing to panic about — but just as with flu, the CDC warns that there’s likely to be a resurgence of other non-COVID-19 respiratory viruses this year. These include adenovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which are frequent causes of the common cold during the winter months.
COVID-19 shutdowns and other precautions kept RSV from spreading during the winter of 2020-21. But when the shutdowns ended in the spring, RSV numbers started to rise. In fact, the CDC warns it has “observed an increase in RSV detections reported to the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS), a nationwide passive, laboratory-based surveillance network.”
With a resurgence of these viruses, you want to be careful that you don’t increase your risk of exposure to them while you’re reinforcing your COVID-19 protection. Though you won’t be more susceptible to these other viruses the week after you take the booster, it will make it difficult to determine whether any symptoms you exhibit are side effects from a booster shot or actual symptoms of illness. I would suggest waiting a week after your booster before participating in any medium- or large-sized gatherings, and using an elbow or fist bump rather than shaking hands.
Dr. Sachin Jain, a doctor of internal medicine who serves as president and CEO of SCAN Health Plan, also cautions people against spreading common cold viruses because they can have outsized effects on older adults. “Some older adults, especially those with chronic illness, can be more susceptible to viruses like RSV,” said Jain. “For that reason, it’s best to keep practicing behaviors that will protect the health of older adults in our communities.”
These viruses might pose an even greater threat to those with long-term COVID-19 symptoms, known as long COVID. “Those with long COVID may be at higher risk for other infections such as flu and RSV, based on their immune status and history of pre-existing conditions,” said Dr. Sritha Rajupet, primary care lead for the Post-COVID Clinic at Stony Brook Medicine in New York. “Preventive measures such as vaccination against flu, shingles and pneumonia, to name a few, are essential.”
5. Community transmission matters.
Even though you may have gotten your vaccinations, the COVID-19 virus is still prevalent in many communities. And the best way to protect yourself and others is through what ABC News contributor Dr. John Brownstein calls “layers of protection.”
“For many, boosters provide additional protection for those that have underlying concerns of severe disease or increased risk of exposure,” said Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Nevertheless, Brownstein said, “If community transmission continues to be high, it’s important to follow public health guidance regardless of your number of shots.”
So yes, if you’re an older adult or your body is immuno-compromised, it’s a good idea to get a booster shot. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to brush aside those public health measures that keep us, our loved ones, and our communities safe.
Dr. Jay Bhatt, an ABC News contributor, is an internal medicine physician and an instructor at the University of Illinois School of Public Health.
(NEW YORK) — A COVID-19 vaccine is now available for kids ages 5 to 11, marking a major milestone in the nearly two-year coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on Tuesday signed off on recommendations made earlier in the day by an independent CDC advisory panel, making the Pfizer vaccine available to the approximately 28 million children aged 5 to 11 in the United States.
“We know millions of parents are eager to get their children vaccinated and with this decision, we now have recommended that about 28 million children receive a COVID-19 vaccine,” Walensky said in a statement. “As a mom, I encourage parents with questions to talk to their pediatrician, school nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the vaccine and the importance of getting their children vaccinated.”
Here are five things parents should know about COVID-19 vaccines and kids under the age of 12:
1. The vaccine will be distributed to kids through pediatricians, pharmacies, health clinics and more.
Shipping has already begun on the first batch of 15 million Pfizer pediatric vaccine doses after the White House purchased 65 million doses, more than enough to fully vaccinate all kids ages 5 to 11 in the U.S.
The vaccinations are expected to become widely available the week of Nov. 8. They will be accessible at pediatricians’ offices, children’s hospitals, pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens and Rite-Aid, and school and community-based clinics.
Parents can search for appointments at Vaccines.gov to find a local provider.
Once they receive their first shot, children will be given a vaccine card, just like adults and adolescents.
2. The Pfizer dose is different for kids under age 12.
Kids ages 5 to 11 will be given a 10-micrograms dose, one-third of the adolescent and adult dose.
Like with adults and adolescents, the pediatric vaccine will be delivered in two doses, three weeks apart.
A child will be considered fully immunized two weeks after their second dose.
To troubleshoot any confusion in the distribution of Pfizer’s vaccine, orange-capped vials will contain doses for kids aged 5 to 11, while purple-capped vials will contain doses for adult and older adolescents.
3. The new dose is because of kids’ immune systems, not their size.
Children have different immune systems than adults, so it should be reassuring for parents the Pfizer vaccine has been shown to be safe in kids.
Differing immune systems among people of different ages also help explain why the cutoffs for vaccine eligibility rest on age and not body size.
In addition to the COVID-19 vaccine, other immunizations are also scheduled and administered based on age and not weight. This is partially due to the fact that the body’s immune responses to vaccinations and infection are known to be different based on age.
4. The FDA will decide later on full approval for the vaccine.
Following normal protocol, the FDA will continue to review data to decide whether to grant full FDA approval for the vaccine in kids ages 5 to 11.
The FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for people ages 16 and older in August. It is currently authorized for emergency use in children ages 12 to 15.
The two other vaccines currently available in the U.S., Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, are currently available only for people 18 years and older.
Moderna announced in late October that it plans to submit data to the FDA soon showing its vaccine for children ages 6 to 11 produces a strong immune response and appears safe.
5. Families need to remain vigilant against COVID-19.
Unvaccinated children can not only become ill from COVID-19 themselves, but they can also spread the virus to more vulnerable family members and other adults with whom they interact.
Both the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend universal mask-wearing in schools to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Experts said that in addition to unvaccinated children wearing face masks, parents and siblings who are vaccinated should also continue to wear face masks indoors because of the rates of breakthrough infections in the U.S.
Families should also continue to follow other safety guidelines shared throughout the pandemic, including social distancing and hand-washing.
(LOS ANGELES) — Thousands of Los Angeles County employees are being put on notice in the weeks after a COVID-19 vaccine mandate deadline passed.
County employees had by Oct. 1 to submit proof of their vaccination status. The order, announced by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in early August, encompasses sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, hospital staff, social workers and others.
As of Tuesday, 77.7% of the county’s 101,575 current employees are fully vaccinated, county data shows. A dozen departments are reporting vaccination rates of at least 90%, while nearly half of the departments are reporting vaccination rates between 80% and 89%. Seven departments are below 80%.
Nearly 10% of all county employees have yet to register to submit their vaccination status.
Those who fail to get vaccinated or submit a request for a medical or religious exemption could face disciplinary action, including termination.
In the weeks since the vaccine mandate deadline passed, the county has been sending notices in waves to non-compliant employees, advising them that they have 45 days to register as fully vaccinated or request an accommodation. After that point, the employees will be put on a five-day suspension and have 30 days upon return to comply.
Failure to comply within that time period “may result in disciplinary action and continued noncompliance may result in further disciplinary action, up to and including discharge from County service,” the notice states.
As of Oct. 12, unvaccinated employees are also required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing until submitting proof of vaccination and could face disciplinary action for failing to get tested.
The sheriff’s department has the lowest rate of compliance, with 52% of members fully vaccinated, the county data shows. Over 20% of the 16,070-person department has yet to register to submit a vaccination status.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who has been a vocal critic of the vaccine mandate, warned in a letter to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last week that the department stands to lose a “substantial” number of employees over the policy.
“People are not happy with the vaccine mandate,” Villanueva told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday, attributing hesitancy among sworn staff to a lack of “faith in a vaccine.”
“Some of it is driven by a political ideology. Some of it might be irrational, some people have legitimate reasons why they don’t trust the vaccine,” he said.
As notices are rolling out, the county has continued to address vaccine hesitancy.
“We’re encouraging vaccination through an extensive internal communications campaign, including town hall meetings with experts, weekly fliers, messages from County leaders, meetings with our labor partners and other messaging that we are continuing to expand,” Jesus Ruiz, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office, told ABC News in a statement.
County employees are not the only ones subject to a vaccine mandate. Workers in adult and senior care facilities and in-home direct care settings must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 30 under a state order. In the city of Los Angeles, city employees, including police officers, as well as public school staff and students, have vaccine requirements.
Proof of vaccination is also required to enter or work in indoor portions of bars, lounges, nightclubs, breweries, wineries and distilleries in Los Angeles County.
County health officials stressed the importance of vaccination Tuesday, as COVID-19 transmission remains “substantial” heading into the holiday season.
“While transmission is substantial, we need to continue layering on protections, understanding that significant spread of the virus affects unvaccinated individuals and increasingly results in post-vaccination infections among those vaccinated,” Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said in a statement. “Substantial spread also creates a fertile breeding ground for new variants that can threaten our progress to date.”
(NEW YORK) — Jessica Simpson has been sober for four years.
The singer and entrepreneur penned an emotional Instagram post on Monday, in which she shared a photo of herself from Nov. 1, 2017: the day she decided to stop drinking alcohol.
Explaining that she had become “an unrecognizable version of myself,” she stated that she “knew in this very moment I would allow myself to take back my light, show victory over my internal battle of self respect, and brave this world with piercing clarity.”
“Personally, to do this I needed to stop drinking alcohol because it kept my mind and heart circling in the same direction and quite honestly I was exhausted,” she wrote. “I wanted to feel the pain so I could carry it like a badge of honor. I wanted to live as a leader does and break cycles to advance forward- never looking back with regret and remorse over any choice I have made and would make for the rest of my time here within this beautiful world.”
Simpson, 41, revealed in her 2020 memoir, “Open Book,” that she was sexually abused as a child and added that as an adult, she used alcohol and pills to cope with the pain of that experience. Then, after a Halloween party at her home in 2017, she realized she needed to stop drinking.
“There is so much stigma around the word alcoholism or the label of an alcoholic. The real work that needed to be done in my life was to actually accept failure, pain, brokenness, and self sabotage,” she added in her post Monday. “The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was.”
“I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do,” she continued. “I have made nice with the fears and I have accepted the parts of my life that are just sad. I own my personal power with soulful courage. I am wildly honest and comfortably open. I am free.”
