With the May 12 recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control that children age 12-15 be vaccinated against Covid-19, Greene County public health has set a goal to “meet kids wherever they might be this summer,” according to public health director Becky Wolf.
Clinical trials found the Pfizer vaccine to be 100 percent effective in stimulating a robust antibody response and preventing Covid in that age group.
The local public health department will start with school-based vaccine clinics at both the Greene County and Paton-Churdan schools prior to the last day of school, using the Pfizer vaccine. Approval of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for that age group is expected n the next few months.
As will all vaccines, public health must obtain parental/guardian consent prior to administering the injection to anyone under the age of 18. All Covid-19 vaccines are provided free of charge.
“We encourage all parents to consider Covid-19 vaccination for their families,” Wolf said. “Please take this critical step forward to help end the spread of Covid-19 in our communities.”
Local providers may offer the Pfizer vaccine for 12-15 year-olds depending on demand. Providers include Greene County Family Medicine Clinic, McFarland Clinic, Medicap Pharmacy, HyVee Pharmacy, and public health.
As with adults, common side effects, typically lasting 1-3 days, may include pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, chills, muscle aches, fever and joint pain. Some people may not experience any of these symptoms.
As of May 12, the 14-day positivity rate for Covid testing was 2.4 percent in the county. There has been a total of 864 known cases of the virus, with 109 active cases. Ten persons have died of Covid.
Wolf also explained herd immunity: Herd immunity occurs when enough people become immune to a disease to make its spread unlikely. As a result, the entire community is protected, even those who are not themselves immune. Herd immunity is usually achieved through vaccination, but can also occur through natural infection. The more contagious a disease is, the higher the percentage of the population needs to be immune in order to stop the chain of spreading from person to person.
She also explained there are challenges in relying on everyone getting the virus to build immunity.
- Reinfection: It’s not clear how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19, even if you have antibodies
- Health impact: Experts estimate that 70 percent of the U.S. population (more than 200 million people) would have to recover from COVID-19 to halt the pandemic
