CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Montgomery County health officials were briefed on Wednesday about the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 after the pediatric vaccine received federal approval this week.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children on Friday, and the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices voted to recommend to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children Tuesday.
School-aged vaccinations
Local health officials were debriefed on Wednesday by the Tennessee Department of Health, according to Joey Smith, director of the Montgomery County Health Department.
Smith told Clarksville Now that since receiving the EUA, the Montgomery County Health Department has also received the standard operating procedure and staff training specifically geared towards the pediatric vaccine.
However, Smith said Montgomery County still has yet to receive a delivery date for the pediatric COVID-19 vaccines to local health providers.
“As soon as our shipment of vaccine arrives, we’ll be ready to offer the pediatric Pfizer vaccine to children age 5-11,” Smith told Clarksville Now.
The pediatric vaccine comes in a vial that is a lower dose than the vaccine for ages 12 and up.
According to the CDC, children under 12 will receive one-third of the adult dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The doses will also be administered using smaller needles designed specifically for children.
Similarly to the 12 and older Pfizer vaccination, children ages 5-11 will need a second dose three weeks after their first shot.
Cases dropping locally
In the last week, Montgomery County has dropped down from “high” community transmission level to “substantial,” according to the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker.
“That’s based off of a transmission rate per 100,000 persons,” Smith said. “Anything equal to or greater than 100 per 100,000 is considered high.”
As of Tuesday, Montgomery County only registered 154 new cases in the prior week, meaning there were 73.69 new cases per 100,000 people during that timeframe.
If Montgomery County drops below 50 cases per 100,000 people, the area will be downgraded to the “moderate” community transmission level.
Active cases have been on the steady decline for the last month. On Oct. 5, there were 988 active cases in the area, and on Nov. 2, there were just 269.
Case rates are also looking better in the local school system.
As of Wednesday there were 28 positive student cases at Clarksville-Montgomery County schools, according to the school district’s self-reported dashboard. A month ago, there were 124 positive student cases.
According to the CDC’s data, 62.8% of the eligible population is vaccinated, meaning those 12 and older. Of that same population, 70.9% have received their first dose.