(NEW YORK) — Pfizer’s release of data showing its three-shot COVID-19 vaccine is 80% effective among children under the age of 5 is welcome news for parents anxious to get their young children vaccinated more than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set to meet in June to review data from both Pfizer and Moderna, a COVID-19 vaccine could be widely available to everyone in the United States ages 6 months and older by July.
The news comes as the U.S. is experiencing another COVID-19 wave, with cases rising in nearly every state and official infection numbers up to more than 100,000 per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In the U.S., 28% of 5- to 11-year-olds and 58% of 12- to 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ analysis of CDC data.
“I think we all want to be done with this pandemic but unfortunately, it’s not quite done with us,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, vice-chair of the AAP’s committee on infectious diseases. “We are in a much different place than we were two years ago in terms of both the therapeutics that are available to treat the disease and the vaccines, showing a decreased spread of the disease and a decrease in hospitalizations.”
O’Leary, also a pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado and Children’s Hospital Colorado, spoke to ABC News’ Good Morning America to answer parents’ top trending questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and kids.
1. What does the Pfizer vaccine efficacy news mean?
Earlier this year, Pfizer moved forward with studying three doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for kids 6 months to under 5 years old after disappointing data on a two-dose vaccine.
The new data released by the company Monday shows the three-dose vaccine is effective in kids, which means the vaccine is one step closer to being authorized by the FDA, according to O’Leary.
“This was really the news we’ve been waiting for from Pfizer on whether or not this third dose was going to meet the requirements required from the FDA,” he said. “The immune response that the vaccine provided for the children in the trial was similar to the immune response that we saw in older adolescents and adults in who we know the vaccine is effective in preventing infection, hospitalization and death.”
In addition to being effective, the new data also shows the three-dose vaccine “appears to be safe,” O’Leary said.
2. What happens next for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for young kids?
Next month, FDA advisers will meet to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine applications for kids from both Pfizer and Moderna, which submitted its request to the FDA in April.
The FDA has tentatively scheduled the meetings for June 14 and 15, during which advisers will review applications for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 17 and ages 6 months to under 6 years, as well as Pfizer’s vaccine for kids ages 6 months to under 5 years.
Within one or two days of the FDA meetings, the applications go to a CDC advisory committee. From there, the director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, decides on whether or not to grant emergency use authorization for the vaccines.
With that timing, we could see a vaccine for kids under age 5 approved by the beginning of July, according to O’Leary.
Pfizer’s vaccine is currently available for people ages 5 and older, while Moderna’s vaccine is authorized for people ages 18 and older.
3. Do kids under 5 get the same vaccine as adults?
The dosage of the vaccine is different for children than it is for adults, but the vaccine itself is the same for everyone, according to O’Leary.
If authorized, Pfizer’s vaccine dosage for kids ages 6 months to under 5 years would be three shots of 3 micrograms each. Each dose is one-tenth the adult dose.
Moderna’s vaccine for kids under age 6, if authorized, would be a two-dose, 25-microgram shot, about one-quarter of the dose used for adults, given 28 days apart.
4. How do I know the COVID-19 vaccine is safe for my child?
Pfizer’s newly-released data on its three-dose vaccine for kids under age 5 showed “no significant safety” concerns, according to O’Leary.
The fact that a vaccine for the youngest children is coming after the vaccine has already been delivered to hundreds of millions of people around the world should bring comfort to parents, O’Leary said.
“There is no reason to expect in this age group that we’re going to have some kind of different safety profile than what we saw in children, for example, 5 and older, in whom millions and millions of doses have been given,” he said. “So we have a pretty good understanding of the safety profile.”
The CDC has also released multiple studies over the past year showing COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for older children.
Overall, O’Leary said parents should remember that, based on data, the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine in protecting kids outweigh any potential risks.
“I think we all know that the disease is most severe in the elderly and people who have problems with their immune system, but that’s not to say that COVID-19 is a benign illness in children,” he said. “We’ve seen tens of thousands of hospitalizations in children, and the risk to children under 5, actually, for hospitalization is higher than it is for older children, so absolutely there is a need to protect those children with the vaccine.”
For parents of children of all ages who may be on the fence about getting their child vaccinated, O’Leary said to speak with your child’s pediatrician.
“The best thing you could do is make an appointment with your pediatrician and talk with them about about the vaccine,” he said. “I think it is important to get those kids vaccinated but, on the other hand, I do understand why parents have some questions, and your best source of information is going to be your child’s pediatrician.”
5. How long after having COVID-19 can my child get a vaccine?
If a child has not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and contracts the virus, they can get vaccinated “as soon as they’re out of their isolation period, based on when they were infected and had symptoms,” according to O’Leary.
“It doesn’t need to necessarily be the next day but, in general, as soon as as they can to provide that protection,” he said.
For people who are not vaccinated, CDC guidelines are to quarantine at home for five full days.
6. How do I know if my child needs a booster vaccine?
A booster dose of Pfizer’s vaccine was authorized earlier this month for children ages 5 to 11 years old.
A child in that age range must wait at least five months after completion of a primary series to receive the booster, according to the FDA.
“I do think it’s important,” O’Leary said of fully vaccinated people ages 5 and older receiving a booster dose. “The data have been fairly clear over the last several months, and particularly during this omicron wave, that this booster really matters in terms of prevention of the severe outcomes.”
7. What precautions should my family take until a vaccine for young kids is authorized?
O’Leary said families should continue to practice safety protocols including mask wearing for children ages 2 and older, hand-washing and social distancing.
“We know that crowded, indoor settings where people are not masked is one of the higher-risk places, so try to avoid those types of environments,” he said.
O’Leary also said parents should make sure their kids of all ages are up to date on all their vaccinations.
“Honestly, for children, a lot of the diseases, although we don’t see them anymore, are actually more severe in kids than COVID-19, things like measles,” he said. “Going into the summer is a perfect time to make an appointment with your pediatrician for a checkup and make sure your kids are up to date on their vaccines.”
(NEW YORK) — National attention turns next to the South as Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Texas voters head to the polls on Tuesday, rounding out a consequential string of May contests.
Months-long, sometimes contentious battles to be governor, attorney general, secretary of state and for U.S. Senate and House seats will come to a head. The results should give more insight into the strength of former President Donald Trump’s endorsement with the Republican base as well as conservative voters’ appetite for election lies.
The most-watched races will be in Georgia, an emerging battleground state, with primaries for governor and the Senate that will preview closely fought races come November’s midterms.
At the top of the ticket — where he hopes to stay — sits incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, an establishment Republican who shot to national prominence after the 2020 election when he refused to promulgate Trump’s debunked theory of a stolen election. Happy to take up that drumbeat, though, is Kemp’s challenger David Perdue, a former senator who lost to Jon Ossoff but who has embraced a MAGA-edge in his campaigning to return to office.
Perdue has spent most of his time on the trail pushing for sweeping electoral change, parroting Trump’s debunked talking points about voter fraud and a somehow-stole election. Despite Trump’s endorsement, though, Perdue’s message hasn’t seemed to stick with primary voters, at least not according to recent polling that shows Kemp with a major lead.
Trump-backed “big lie” believers continue down-ballot with Republican secretary of state candidate Rep. Jody Hice, who has said he would look to decertify the last presidential election — an extraordinarily undemocratic move that further highlights the possible ramifications of such candidates taking control of election administration.
Polling puts Hice in a neck-and-neck battle with incumbent Ben Raffensperger, who like Kemp was a popular establishment Republican-turned-enemy of the former president for refusing to act on the 2020 election conspiracy.
Not only are these races a test of Trump’s endorsement, they will also indicate how enthusiastically Georgia GOP voters will embrace the election mistrust that has become central to Trump’s pitch.
Another high-profile race is the GOP Senate primary, with the Trump-approved Herschel Walker leading the pack. Walker — a businessman and college football legend in Georgia — has been press shy, in part perhaps due to his headline-making past, including allegations of violent behavior and his diagnosis with dissociative identity disorder, or D.I.D., a complex mental health condition characterized by some severe and potentially debilitating symptoms.
Walker has denied some of the past allegations of domestic violence, physical threats and stalking; others he claimed not to remember. His campaign referred ABC News to his 2008 memoir, which detailed his D.I.D. diagnosis, and a 2008 interview he did with ABC News in which he discussed its effects on his marriage.
Democrats have two candidates who are likely to sail to victory Tuesday, with Stacey Abrams again up for governor — eyeing a possible rematch with Kemp in November — and Sen. Raphael Warnock up for re-election.
Across state lines in Alabama will see similar primary matchups for governor and an open Senate seat.
The three-way contest for the Senate slot evolved significantly over the campaign cycle: Rep. Mo Brooks earned Trump’s endorsement early in the race, only to have Trump withdraw it two months ago following disagreements over 2020 election claims.
Trump’s rescinded backing could prove consequential as Brooks now trails in the polls behind Katie Britt — a former chief of staff for retiring GOP Sen. Richard Shelby. Businessman Mike Durant was polling ahead of both candidates at certain points during the race but is now behind Britt and Brooks after Brooks saw a final-hour surge in recent voter surveys.
Brooks may still be campaigning off of Trump’s name, however. Campaign mailers obtained by the Alabama Political Reporter feature quotes from Trump during the time he supported Brooks.
Earlier this month, Brooks said he wouldn’t cooperate with the House’s Jan. 6 committee and was subpoenaed shortly thereafter. (He had spoken at the rally earlier on Jan. 6, 2021, before deadly rioting broke out at the U.S. Capitol; he has continued to try to delegitimize the 2020 election results.)
“I wouldn’t help Nancy Pelosi and Liz Cheney cross the street — I’m definitely not going to help them and their partisan Witch Hunt Committee,” Brooks previously told ABC News. “At this moment in time, right before an Alabama U.S. Senate election, if they want to talk, they’re gonna have to send me a subpoena, which I will fight.”
Brooks’ soon-to-be vacant House seat is a contest between former Trump Assistant Army Secretary Casey Wardynski, endorsed by the House Freedom Caucus, and Madison County Commissioner Dale Strong. Strong has been outraising Wardynski.
Another matchup in Alabama will be between incumbent Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and several primary challengers. That race — previously expected to be won handily by Ivey — has grown more combative after a term where Ivey bent away from some GOP messaging surrounding COVID-19 and gas taxes.
Lindy Blanchard, a former Trump-appointed ambassador running in the primary, called Ivey a “tax-hiking Fauci-loving” liberal in a recent ad. Ivey is also being challenged by the son of former Gov. Fob James — businessman Tim James — as well as former Morgan County Commissioner Stacy Lee George, pastor Dean Odle and others.
In Arkansas, races are shaping up to be somewhat less competitive. Former Trump White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the clear front-runner in a race where she’s eclipsing her competitors in fundraising and also received Trump’s endorsement. She’s up against Doc Washburn, the former host of a radio show in Little Rock.
Trump-backed Sen. John Boozman is on track to be reelected against several primary challenges, including from Army veteran and former NFL player Jake Bequette.
And in Texas, voters will decide more of the their 2022 nominees on Tuesday, determining the results of the runoff elections from the March 1 primaries.
The GOP race for attorney general is between incumbent Ken Paxton and Land Commissioner George W. Bush, a member of the state’s most prominent political family.
Paxton’s vulnerability from scandals — including indictment for securities fraud, FBI investigations into malfeasance and marital infidelity, among others, even as he has denied all allegations — will be tested against the grandson of former President George H.W. Bush and nephew of former President George W. Bush in a party that is more and more anathema to the Bushes’ brand of conservatism.
Tuesday’s sole competitive Democratic race will be in Texas. Progressive Jessica Cisneros, endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will face nine-term Congressman Henry Cuellar in the run-off election in the 28th district.
Sanders traveled to Texas to stump for Cisneros on Friday in a last-ditch effort to defeat Cuellar, the sole pro-life Democrat in Congress.
Maren Morris has made good on her desire to audition for Wicked.
The Grammy-winning country star has made an audition tape for the beloved Broadway musical, in which she sings a portion of “The Wizard and I,” a solo number sung by the character Elphaba. Standing in front of a backdrop, Maren lets her vocal chops fly as she sings, “And I’ve just had a vision/Almost like a prophecy/I know it sounds truly crazy/And true, the vision’s hazy.”
“The THEATRE dah-ling IS JUMPING OUT,” the country singer captions the audition, along with a green heart emoji, adding, “prepping for this audition is harder than I thought.”
She goes on to discuss the technicality of the vocal range required for the character, noting how Elphaba’s songs transition from falsetto to full voice, often while singing the same word. “It’s very technically skilled and I can do it, but the idea of 8X a week is daunting!” Maren admits. “As a singer of my own music, I can belt, but rarely.”
Maren revealed earlier this month that she was interested in auditioning for the acclaimed musical that chronicles the story of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz. Wicked is currently being adapted into a feature film starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
(NEW YORK) — The number of births increased in the United States for the first time in seven years, according to a new federal report.
Provisional data published Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics found there were 3,659,289 babies born in 2021, a 1% increase from 2020.
It also marks the first rise in births since 2014. Prior to this report, the number of births had been decreasing by an average of 2% per year.
The report did not explain why the number of births increased, but Pew Research Center polls have suggested Americans delayed having babies during the first year of the pandemic due to public health and economic uncertainty, so the rising number could be the result of a rebound.
“When it comes to changes in fertility behavior, we’re limited,” Dr. Brady Hamilton, from the NCHS Division of Vital Statistics and lead author of the report, told ABC News. “That’s where you need a survey about what’s behind the decision-making process.”
The report also showed the fertility rate — the number of live births per 1,000 women between the ages 15 and 44 — was 56.6. This is up from 56 in 2020 and the first increase since 2014, according to the CDC.
However, the total fertility rate — the number of births a hypothetical group of 1,000 people would have over their lifetimes — was 1,663.5 births per 1,000 women.
This is still below what experts refer to as replacement level, the level a population needs to replace itself, which is 2,100 births per 1,000 women.
The team found birth rates among women aged 25 and older increased while decreasing for those aged 24 and younger.
“That sort of suggests [that] when we saw the decline in births from 2019 to 2020, probably a lot of births were postponed,” Hamilton said. “People were waiting to see what happened [with the pandemic] and rates rose in older women as they may have proceeded to have that child.”
Among teenagers aged 15 to 19, the rate of birth declined 6% from 15.4 per 1,000 to 14.4 per 1,000 — a record low for this age group.
Teenage births have been continuously falling since 2007 by an average of about 7% through last year.
“When you look at it across time, that’s a 77% decline since 1991 and 65% decline since 2017. That’s astonishing,” Hamilton said. “That’s certainly good news. And it will be interesting to see when we go into next year if it continues on.”
Meanwhile, for tweens and teens aged 10 to 14, the rate of birth was 0.2 per 1,000, which is unchanged since 2015, the report found.
Additionally, researchers also looked at births by race and found that white and Hispanic women each saw the number of births increase by about 2% from 2020 to 2021.
Meanwhile, Black and Asian women saw the number of births decline by 2.4% and 2.5%, respectively, over the same period, while American Indian/Alaskan Native women saw their numbers fall by 3.2%.
The report also examined the type of delivery and how early the babies were born.
Data showed that 32.1% of babies were born via cesarean delivery in 2021, up from 31.8% in 2020 and the second increase in a row after the rates had declined from 2009 to 2019.
The percentage of C-sections increased among all racial and ethnic groups, with the highest seen among Black women, from 36.3% to 36.8%.
While C-sections can lower the risk of death in women with high-risk pregnancies, they are associated with complications such as infection or blood clots, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The preterm birth rate also rose by 4% in 2021 from 10.09% to 10.48%, which is the highest reported rate since 2007. Increases were seen in babies born early preterm, which is before 34 weeks gestation, and later preterm, which is 34 to 37 weeks gestation.
Premature babies are at a greater risk for problems with feeding, breathing, vision and hearing, as well as behavioral issues.
“Whenever you see an increase in preterm births, that’s concerning,” Joyce Martin, from the Division of Vital Statistics and co-author of the report, told ABC News. “And we saw an increase in early-term babies, and they’re at greater risk than later-term babies of not surviving the first year of life.”
Martin said it’s not clear what’s behind the rise in preterm birth rates but said mothers younger than 18 and older than 35 are more likely to have premature babies.
“And we did see an increase in older moms’ birth rates. It’s not clear if it influences this change yet,” she said.
In what now seems like an inevitable turn of events, Ice Nine Kills has announced a horror convention.
The three-day event, dubbed Silver Scream Con, takes place August 26 to August 28 in Danvers, Massachusetts, just outside the metal band’s hometown of Boston. Or, as the Silver Scream Con trailer puts it, “Less than 5 miles from historically spooky Salem.”
“The Silver Scream Con will bring horror fanatics and INK fans from all over the world together to celebrate their love of on-screen slaughter,” says frontman Spencer Charnas. “This is the chance for our loyal psychos to not only interact with the band, but to meet the stars of the very films that our music pays tribute to.”
Ice Nine Kills’ music, of course, is heavily inspired by horror films. Their latest album, 2021’s The Silver Scream 2: Welcome toHorrorwood, features songs referencing movies Child’s Play, American Psycho, Resident Evil and My Bloody Valentine.
Like any good convention, Silver Scream Con will feature a variety of guests, including Scream‘s Skeet Ulrich, Halloween’s original Michael Myers, Nick Castle, and Danielle Harris, of Rob Zombie’s Halloween. Additionally, Ice Nine Kills will be giving an intimate performance.
The female lead in Jack Harlow‘s video for his #1 hit “First Class” is Brazilian superstar Anitta. But given that Jack’s from Kentucky, how did the two connect? Well, you can blame Miley Cyrus for that.
“Jack Harlow … was the first hug of my year!” Anitta told ABC Audio at the Billboard Music Awards recently. “This year, we spent New Year’s together doing a Miley Cyrus event.” Specifically, the two appeared on Miley’s New Year’s EveParty, which aired on NBC December 31, live from Miami.
“We’d met before, but then we started to have a connection,” Anitta explained. “And then he came to Brazil and we had a great time there. And he invited me … [he said], ‘Do you want to be the girl of my video?’ And I said, ‘Yes!'” She laughed, “It just felt great. I love it. And Brazil went crazy!”
Anitta, who recently graced the cover of Billboard magazine, said she feels that she and Jack are on similar paths, and she’s glad that they’re both doing so well.
“I’m so happy about, like, the way we connected as friends and the way we are in our careers, like, very similar right now,” she said. “And I’m really happy about everything he’s doing … everything I’m doing … I mean, it’s just a time for celebrating!”
Anitta’s new album, Versions of Me, just came out in April and features her hit “Girl from Rio,” plus collaborations with Saweetie, Khalid, Ty Dolla $ign and Cardi B. Jack’s new album, Come Home The Kids Miss You, is currently #6 on the Billboard 200.
Imagine feeling physical symptoms so unusual that you think an at-home cancer test is necessary. Now imagine that same test, which reads positive for cancer cells, is disregarded by your doctor — only to later learn it was, in fact, an accurate reading. That is the case of one of the few women who will join Tamron Hall on her show Tuesday for a discussion about the inequities among women and people of color within America’s health system.
“Medical gaslighting” is a term used to describe incidents in which patients say their illnesses and symptoms were dismissed by doctors or medical professionals. Speaking to ABC Audio ahead of Tuesday’s hour-long special, Hall says most patients who experience medical gaslighting are women and people of color.
“Fifty percent of women say that they are not believed aka medically gaslit by their physicians. And for women of color that number is even higher,” Hall said. “You have far too many women going into doctor’s offices and leaving with the clear understanding that they’re not being listened to.”
The Emmy-winning talk show host explained her desire to shed light on the disparities, citing new awareness on the topic and the fact that many members of her predominately female-staffed team had personal stories to share.
“The minute I said to my team I wanted to do this show … everyone had a story,” she said.
Hall said the brave guests who’ll share their experiences aren’t out to keep women from going to the doctor. Instead, “they want women to be empowered to challenge what they are hearing and also for doctors to do better.”
Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee, of the award-winning documentary Aftershock, will also join Hall to shed light on the disproportionate number of Black women who die due to childbirth complications in America.
Whether medical gaslighting is happening more frequently or if women are simply talking about it more, Hall said she believes conversation and awareness on the topic can encourage other women to share their stories.
Tyler Hubbard‘s new single, “5 Foot 9,” is a sweet tribute to his wife, Hayley, but he admits the title has one slight error.
In the heartfelt song, Tyler sings of a woman who is “5 foot 9” with “brown eyes in a sundress,” but it turns out, he accidentally missed his wife’s height by an inch.
“She’s actually 5’10”. I went home that night and said, ‘Babe, remind me again how tall you are exactly. You’re about 5’9″, right?’ She said, ‘Yeah, I’m 5’10”.’ And I thought, ‘Well, here’s a new song I wrote today. I’m sorry I cut you short by an inch, but I hope you like it,'” he reveals.
“5 Foot 9” is Tyler’s debut single as a solo artist after spending nine years as one half of the duo Florida Georgia Line. The Georgia native has been on a songwriting kick since embarking on his solo career, writing a collection of new material that tells his story in a unique way. He says that “5 Foot 9” is a “prime example” of a successful day in the writing room and is one of 18 songs that he plans to release.
“I love all of the songs about equally, which made it very difficult. They all have a different purpose and a different feel, and it’s all a little piece of who I am and tells my story,” he says of the unreleased music. “But I think ‘5 Foot 9’ was a good launchpad and a good foundation for the rest of this music and what’s to come in my story and where I’m at.”
Tyler recently signed a record deal as a solo artist under EMI Records Nashville.
A permanent Blue Plaque marker commemorating the late Jimi Hendrix‘s last residence in London, then known as the Cumberland Hotel and now the site of the Hard Rock Hotel in the Marble Arch section of the U.K. capital, will be unveiled on June 10.
The unveiling will be presented by the Hard Rock Hotel London in partnership with Experience Hendrix L.L.C., the family company that oversees the guitar legend’s music and legacy.
The new marker will become the second Blue Plaque honoring Hendrix in London. The first, which was unveiled in 1997, is located at the building where Jimi resided in 1968 and ’69 in the city’s Mayfair section. While living at the Cumberland Hotel, Hendrix wrote lyrics to his sings “Look Over Yonder” and “Suddenly November Morning” on the hotel’s stationary.
In conjunction with the new plaque’s debut, a special ticketed event will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel that will include a screening of the 2020 documentary Music, Money, Madness…Jimi Hendrix in Maui, and a Q&A with longtime Hendrix studio engineer Eddie Kramer; the film’s director, John McDermott; and Experience Hendrix CEO Janie Hendrix, Jimi’s sister.
“I’m so proud of my brother Jimi and his being honored again in London,” says Janie. “His mission was to spread love across the world through his music, and we continue to see that come to fruition all these years later. Eddie, John and I all look forward to interacting with people on June 10, whose lives were touched by Jimi in London — a city that was so important to him and his career.”
Tickets for the screening and Q&A can be purchased at Universe.com.
