County Begins Administering Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine To Kids 12-15

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — San Diego County public health officials reported 190 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, as county vaccination clinics began offering vaccines to San Diegans ages 12-15.

The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup — an interstate compact comprised of the public health departments of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado to fight the pandemic — approved the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds Wednesday, allowing the county's 175,864 residents in that age group to make appointments to receive the shots.

Parental consent is required prior to vaccination for anyone under the age of 18. In addition to parental consent, minors will have to show photo ID and proof of age, or have the parent, guardian or caregiver who accompanies the minor to the appointment verify their age and identity.

If a parent or legal guardian cannot accompany the minor to the vaccination site, they will need to schedule an appointment on MyTurn.ca.gov to provide their consent in advance.

All of the county's static vaccination clinics will have Pfizer vaccines on hand for drop-in appointments — as opposed to the mobile clinics, which use primarily Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Additional information about scheduling appointments and what types of documentation youths will need to get vaccinated is available at coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine.

"Data from our federal and state partners shows that the Pfizer vaccine is both safe and effective for use in young people," said Dr. Wilma J. Wooten, county public health officer.

"Getting youths 12 to 15 years old vaccinated will better protect vulnerable San Diegans and younger children who are not eligible to be vaccinated yet."

San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher said the county expects at least 200,000 vaccine doses next week, Pfizer representing two-thirds of them. This follows a week in which the county received 302,030 doses from all vaccine manufacturers.

Thursday's data increased the total case count to 278,591 and the death toll remains 3,729.

Of 15,749 tests reported to the county's Health and Human Services Agency Thursday, 1% returned positive. The 14-day rolling average remained 1.6%.

Hospitalizations increased to 151 from Wednesday's reported 149, while patients in intensive care units decreased to 43 from Wednesday's 44. There are 58 available, staffed ICU beds in the county.

The county has received 3,737,305 doses of coronavirus vaccine and has administered 3,250,026 of them.

A total of 1,754,766 people have received one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, 87% of the way toward reaching the county's goal of vaccinating 75% of San Diego County residents 16 and older, or 2,017,011 people.

A total of 1,298,773 — or 64.4% of the county's goal — in the 16-or- older age range are fully inoculated with either two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Those percentages are likely to change significantly when the 12-15 age cohort is added to county data this week.

— City News Service