If you’ve been watching the news, then you’ve doubtlessly been seeing the ‘upward trend’ in positive headlines.
It seems that the world may finally be rounding a corner with the dreaded Coronavirus.
But on Monday, May 10th, the US Food and Drug Administration made an announcement that should really give us cause for optimism.
They expanded the authorization for the use of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccination to include people ages 12 to 15.
Here are the crucial details that you need to know.
The Data
To date, this is the first time a Covid-19 vaccine has been authorized in the United States for younger teens and adolescents.
Previously, the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for people ages 16 and up. The other vaccines, including the Moderna vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, were only authorized to be used in people ages 18 and up.
According to reports, the decision to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for young teens and adolescents came about after the FDA reviewed new data gathered from a clinical trial of the vaccine, submitted by Pfizer.
According to the data, 2,260 12 to 15 year olds who took the vaccine showed that its efficacy was 100%, and that it was well-tolerated.
By all accounts, it seems like a true ‘slam dunk’ against the virus, and could spell positive change for the virus curve in the coming months.
Where Will 12 To 15 Year Olds Be Able To Get The Vaccine?
According to news sources, administering the vaccine to children will differ state to state. In some states, children may not be able to just walk into a pharmacy and get their vaccine.
State licensing boards are the ones who make this decision. And so, it’ll be important for you to research guidelines in your local community, to find out where you can get your 12-15 year olds vaccinated as the vaccine continues to roll out.
Right now, it looks like pediatricians and family doctors are the most likely candidates to deliver the vaccine to this age group.
But this will obviously vary state by state.
The United States May Be Turning A Corner In The Covid Crisis
According to statistics provided by the CDC, about 58% of U.S. adults, and about 45% of the country’s total population, have received a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
In addition to this, about 34% of the total U.S. population has been fully vaccinated.
According to experts, when the number of adults who’ve received at least one dose reaches 60%, we’ll have hit a significant milestone where we can expect Covid-19 numbers to really begin to plummet.
In Conclusion
Could this be the beginning of the end of the dreaded Covid pandemic?
Allowing for a bit of cautious optimism, it looks like we may finally be able to let out a long-awaited sigh of relief.
From the looks of things, the pandemic may truly be in its final stages.
And I think we can all agree that that’s a very, very good thing!