Bogen hopes for ‘robust’ demand for new kids’ vaccine

Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen hopes “demand is robust” after the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 receives its impending approval.

On Tuesday, an advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration voted that the vaccine for children be approved for emergency use, a move Dr. Bogen on Wednesday called “very encouraging news.”

The FDA still has to approve the vaccine, followed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is set to meet next week for discussion.

“This really is another important step,” said Dr. Bogen during a news briefing. “Getting the vaccine not only protects your children, [but also] it contributes to the greater good by protecting the people who encounter your child.”

In conversations with local providers, many in the county indicated that they have pre-ordered doses from the state, Dr. Bogen said.

“They are prepared to offer vaccines when it is approved,” she said. “I’m confident that the county’s many vaccine providers will handle this latest vaccine rollout smoothly.”

Most of the providers are planning smaller vaccine clinics or individual appointments to vaccinate children in this age group, Dr. Bogen added.

Across Pennsylvania and in Allegheny County, about 71% of the 18 and over population has been fully vaccinated, according to data from the CDC and the Department of Health.

More than 80,000 booster doses of the vaccine have been given in Allegheny County since mid-August, according to the state Health Department.

Dr. Bogen encouraged parents, and anyone else, who is hesitant to receive a vaccine to talk to their primary care providers.

During the first week or two that the vaccine is available for the young children, it may be difficult to schedule an appointment, but after that Dr. Bogen said she expects “the rush to lighten.”

Even as talks of increased vaccinations continue among health officials, Allegheny County continues to see a stagnation in the number of COVID19 cases.

“Numbers are kind of plateauing and not going down as much as we’d like but certainly not going up, which is good news,” said county Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

The county added 408 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, bringing the county’s total to 131,032 infections.

Of the over 400 new cases, the majority were among those age 25 to 49, following the pattern set in the county’s most recent surge.

Allegheny County is still in the high category of community transmission, based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measurements, but may be nearing the lower, substantial level of spread.

To qualify as having substantial community spread, the county must have between 50 and 100 cases per 100,000 or a positivity rate between 8% and 10%.

Based on the last seven days, Allegheny County has about 188 cases per 100,000 and a positivity rate of about 6.5%, according to CDC data.

The CDC notes that if the indicators suggest different levels, the higher level is chosen, as is happening in Allegheny County.

“We’ve really been at similar numbers for about a month, even more now,” Dr. Bogen said.

Although cases have remained relatively the same, deaths in the county continue to increase.

Allegheny County reported 12 new COVID-19 related deaths on Wednesday, marking 105 deaths so far in October alone. For the month of September, the county reported 92 deaths.

One of Wednesday’s newly reported deaths was a person between the ages of 19 and 24; the county’s third in that age group.

The other 11 deaths were 65 or older.

“These are mostly preventable deaths,” Dr. Bogen said. “So I remind you all to please go get your vaccine.”

Eleven of the newly reported deaths were from an “import of data” from the state’s death registration system, the county Health Department said.

The deaths occurred between Oct. 2 and Oct. 26.

A total of 2,299 people have died of COVID-19 in Allegheny County since the pandemic began in March 2020. The state added 142 virus-related deaths on Wednesday, bringing the state’s death toll to 31,197.

After an uptick in hospitalizations that began in mid- July, Allegheny County’s average number of patients per day has been decreasing since Oct. 15 and currently sits at about 347 patients, according to data from the state.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 322 patients in the county were hospitalized with COVID-19, 41 of whom were on ventilators.

Pennsylvania, which saw an increase of 4,178 cases Wednesday, has also started to see a decline in hospitalizations, which began on Oct. 21.

The average number of people hospitalized across the state is 2,901, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.