Vaccinations of Juveniles Will Likely Begin This Week

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The Food and Drug Administration is giving emergency approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid Vaccine for use in juveniles from 12 to 15 years old.  Several of the vaccine manufacturers are conducting limited trials for younger groups.

Vaccinations of young people will not only increase the percentage of the population with immunity to Covid, but also make full opening of schools more feasible which in turn means more parents can return to work.

To support the extended use, the FDA reviewed data submitted by Pfizer. The company said at the end of March that a clinical trial involving 2,260 12-to-15-year-olds showed the vaccine's efficacy is 100% and it is well tolerated…

The FDA's independent Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee did not meet to vote on whether to recommend the expansion of the EUA to 12-to-15-year-olds. But the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to meet Wednesday to advise CDC on whether to recommend use of the vaccine in this age group. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky will then decide whether the agency will recommend the vaccine's use in the new group.

Pfizer has also applied for regular use of its vaccine with the FDA. All the vaccines currently only have emergency approval. If the vaccine achieves that status, it would remove one argument that people use to avoid vaccinations. 

For the US population as a whole, 45.8% have received at least one dose of vaccine, as of yesterday. Adult Americans are 58% vaccinated with at least one shot. Senior Americans have achieved a level of 83.6% with at least one jab. About 2.16 million doses are going into American arms daily, a rate that has fallen off in the last month.

Incentives Hopefully Increase Vaccinations

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Free food and drinks have similarly been offered up to the vaccinated. Krispy Kreme, Budweiser and Nathan's Hot Dogs are offering free doughnuts, beer and wieners, respectively, while New Jersey introduced a “shot and a beer” program to give free beer to those who get vaccinated.

Most directly, a few states have offered to pay those who get vaccinated. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said last week he wanted the state to offer a $100 savings bond to residents 16 to 35 who get vaccinated. Maryland has also offered $100 to state employees who get vaccinated.

Approval of Biden’s Pandemic Efforts Remain High

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In the fourth month of his presidency, Biden's overall approval rating sits at 63%. When it comes to the new Democratic president's handling of the pandemic, 71% of Americans approve, including 47% of Republicans.

US Vaccinations 1 or more shots by age (Cumulative %)

Age                4/13               4/23                 5/3                       5/9

75>               78.5%               80.5%              81.8%                82.5%

65-74            79.6%              82.5%               84.3%                85.3%

50-64            53.9%             59.9%                63.6%                65.5%

40-49            40.8%             47.5%                51.7%                53.9%

30-39            34.5%             40.9%                44.9%                47.1%

29-18            25.0%             31.4%                35.6%                37.8%

<18               1.3%                2.3%                    3.0%                 3.4%

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How are vaccinations going in your state and county?

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Bloomberg’s Vaccination Tracker

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