COVID-19 Update
As the pandemic rages on, an increasingly alarming rate of children are contracting COVID-19. As of today, 27% of COVID cases in the United States are children. This can be partially attributed to the fact that younger children only recently retained access to the vaccine. It can also be lended to the fact that the Delta Variant is more dangerous to children than any past strains of the virus. The newest strain of COVID-19, the Delta Variant, is particularly dangerous for children ages 12 and under. After sequences of not-so-promising COVID-19 news, the Pfizer vaccine recently instilled hope in many Americans when Pfizer announced that their COVID-19 vaccine trials were wildly successful on young children. After “robust” antibody results in the trials, Pfizer obtained approval from the CDC for vaccine distribution for children 5-11. Currently, children 12 years and older are eligible to receive the vaccine, but approval for younger children is a major step in vaccinating America. Schools across America are grappling with the effects of COVID-19 as children begin to return indoors. As the weather rapidly becomes colder, the necessity for a vaccine in young children has never been so strong; last year, we saw a tremendous spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths in winter and health officials are looking to avoid a repeat of that this year.
As the number of COVID-19 related deaths in America begin to close in on 750k, virus numbers are beginning to decline for the first time since April of this year. Many medical officials are also concerned regarding the impact of the flu this year. In an extreme year, the flu can result in up to 50,000 deaths across America, not nearly as dangerous as COVID-19, but still a threat to many immuno-comprimised Ameicans. Many medical experts predict a treacherous flu season in addition to a winter COVID-19 spike, so this holiday season could be devastating for America. Those conditions considered, vaccine approval for the younger age group seems that much more important.
In additional news, a booster vaccine for eligible adults has been tested and approved. Since the original vaccines were first made available, we’ve come to realize that they are not quite as effective as originally anticipated. While hospitalizations and deaths are almost unseen in vaccinated adults, there have been a few breakthrough cases. The hope is that a booster shot will limit those breakthrough cases and eventually bring down COVID-19 transmission. The approval of the booster shot further lends to the idea that COVID-19 will be a permanent struggle that Americans will have to deal with, much like the flu.
In other news, health officials have begun looking into a pill to treat COVID-19. While the pill has shown outstanding results thus far, there is not enough evidence to believe this pill could be an accessible recourse to treat COVID-19. While the eradication of COVID-19 seems like a nearly impossible task, decreasing the current virus numbers would certainly be a massive step forward. As we approach the two year anniversary of the beginning of America’s COVID-19 crisis, booster shots and vaccine approval for kids provides a light at the end of the tunnel for our nation.
By Sawyer Sugarman