Florida’s New Vaccine Guidance May Put Kids at Risk
Two key characteristics of the currently authorized COVID-19 vaccine make it a good choice for children: first, it offers substantial protection from hospitalization and severe disease, and, second, serious side effects are very rare, according to research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Yet this week, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo recommended that healthy children do not get COVID-19 vaccinations. Vaccines are still available to kids in Florida, and the state released somewhat toned-down guidance yesterday that “healthy children aged 5 to 17 may not benefit from receiving the currently available COVID-19 vaccine.” But denying that the shot helps protect kids is dangerous, wrong, and diametrically opposed to the CDC’s guidance, as my colleague Jamie Ducharme writes in her new story.
"Getting kids vaccinated has been an uphill battle,” Jamie says. Only 26% of U.S. kids ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated. “While some parents rushed to do it as soon as possible, many others either didn't see the point or had concerns about safety and side effects. Much to experts' dismay, Florida's new guidance could become the deciding factor for some concerned parents who are still on the fence."
That would be a mistake for any parent who wants to lower their child’s risk of being hospitalized with COVID-19, says Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s vaccine advisory committee. He and others feel that Florida’s new rule is more a “political statement” than true public health guidance. Offit recounts a single week in December during which 18 children were admitted to his hospital with COVID-19—with five of them having to go to the intensive care unit. “If you can avoid that safely [through vaccination], then avoid it,” he said.
More than 449.7 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 12 a.m. E.T. today, and over 6 million people have died. On March 8 there were more than 1.8 million new cases and 7,373 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending, in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 6 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 79.3 million coronavirus cases as of 12 a.m. E.T. today. More than 961,000 people have died. On March 8, there were 29,805 new cases and 1,532 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Mar. 9, 12 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
While many school districts are ending their mask mandates, a study from the CDC published yesterday suggests that mask requirements in schools substantially slowed the spread of COVID-19 when they were in place. According to the study, school districts in Arkansas with universal mandates had a 23% lower incidence of COVID-19 among staff and students from August to October 2021 than districts in the state that didn’t require masks.
Austria scrapped its nation-wide vaccine mandate today, the New York Times reports. The rule had only been in place since early February, and enforcement was scheduled to begin next week; police were planning to conduct random checks and issue fines up to 3,600 euros (about $4,000) to anyone who refused to get the shots after being caught without proof of vaccination. Officials said that the law was too aggressive considering that Omicron causes milder symptoms than past variants. “Just as the virus is very agile, we need to be flexible and adaptable,” minister Karoline Edtstadler, who is responsible for constitutional affairs, told reporters.
Yesterday, Hawaii became the last U.S. state to announce a plan to drop its universal indoor mask mandate. Gov. David Ige said the requirement will end when the current emergency proclamation related to the pandemic expires on March 25. Dr. Elizabeth Char, the state health director, said the government still recommends mask-wearing for people who are over 65, unvaccinated, or in classrooms.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s former prime minister and leader of the opposition Likud party, tested positive for COVID-19 today, the New York Timesreports. His spokesperson said that he is feeling well and following the country’s health directives, which include isolating for at least five days. Netanyahu has received four shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, click here.
Today's newsletter was written by Tara Law and edited by Mandy Oaklander.
沒有留言:
張貼留言