Vermont Governor Phil Scott’s weekly briefing focused on the state’s plans to vaccinate young children as soon as federal approval occurs.
Vermont’s Republican governor prefaced his briefing noting that most of his commissioners’ presentations would focus on the state’s plans to immunize children aged 5 to 11 against COVID-19. Department of Financial Regulation Commissioner Michael Pieciak included data on youth cases during his weekly report.
“What you’ll see from the data is that those who are infected and who are also fully vaccinated have a much higher average age than those who are not fully vaccinated and infected. That makes sense." Pieciak explains, "The vaccination rates for those in their 30’s and 20’s are lower than the rest of the population and those under 11 or under 12 are not able to be vaccinated. And we’ve seen some really high case rates there. Which is certainly good news relating to the potential opening of vaccination age groups this week.”
Governor Scott said with the CDC’s advisory committee meeting Tuesday, approval is likely imminent.
“If approval comes tonight registration will launch tomorrow at 8 a.m. for parents and guardians to sign their kids up. Which means we could begin vaccinations as soon as Thursday or Friday. This will be an enormous step forward and a significant opportunity to protect as many people as possible," says Scott. "Obviously this decision is up to parents. But I hope you’ll consider these critical benefits. Top health agencies like the FDA and CDC and top pediatric doctors would only recommend this if it was safe and the right thing to do for our kids.”
Dr. Rebecca C. Bell is a UVM Medical Center Pediatric Critical Care Physician and President of the Vermont Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She explained what to expect from the pediatric vaccination.
“The dose will be one-third the dose of the vaccine for those 12 and older. The timing of doses is similar to those of adolescents and adults. So it’s two doses three weeks apart." Dr. Bell continues, "I want to really underscore for families that the recommendations for use were made specifically looking at the risks of COVID-19 illness in children in this age group, which we know to be less than that for adults but still exist. And the data are clear that the vaccine is beneficial.”
Community sites and school located clinics and pharmacies are likely to receive the youth doses first. Pediatrician and family medicine practices are expected to receive shipments of the vaccine in mid-November. The Vermont Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics will hold a series of twice weekly online forums in November and December with local pediatricians to answer family questions about youth vaccinations.
