What You Need to Know-Week of September 13th
The most important weekly updates for you to keep your community healthy
In this Update:
1. Urgent Updates: COVID-19 Metrics
2. All Things Vaccines: When will children younger than 12 be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine?
3. Kids and COVID-19: Staying safe in schools
Article on antibody testing after vaccination is coming on 09-27!
1. Urgent Updates: COVID-19 Metrics
Updated as of: 09-13-2021
Weekly case, death, and hospitalization counts
| In the past week, there has been an average of: | |
| Cases per day | 2,581 |
| Deaths per day | 27 |
| Compared to two weeks ago: | |
| Cases per day | Decreased by 19% ↓ |
| Deaths per day | Increased by 1% ↑ |
| Hospitalizations per day | Increased by 1% ↑ |
View all data related to covid19 in arizona state
Hospital Capacity Metrics:
| Percent of Arizona hospital beds currently in use | 93% |
|---|---|
| Percent of Arizona hospital beds currently in use by COVID-19 patients | 33% |
Vaccine Information:
| Number of Arizonans | Percentage of Arizonans | Percentage in United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizonans who are fully vaccinated | 3,612,590 | 50% | 54% |
| Arizonans who have received at least one dose (of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine) |
4,091,474 |
58% |
63% |
7,500,825 total COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Arizona
See breakdown of vaccination by Arizona counties
See updated vaccine information and data in Arizona
2. All Things Vaccines: When will children younger than 12 be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine?
Answer: Clinical trials are currently underway for children younger than 12! Experts are suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines will likely be available for children aged 5-11 near the end of Fall 2021 and for children 2-5 years sometime in early winter after the new year. Keep reading for more information!
Data prior to the Delta variant suggested that while children were still able to develop and spread the virus to others, their risk of developing severe COVID-19 was significantly lower as compared to adults. However, COVID-19 hospitalizations for children have been on the rise since Delta became widespread across the United States. This coincides with most schools resuming in-person learning. This means that in order to slow transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and prevent child hospitalizations and deaths, it is imperative for children to receive a vaccination when it becomes available to them.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was found to be safe and effective for use among children between the ages of 12 and 15 years old after rigorous clinical trials! Since the vaccine was recently authorized for use among this population, more than 5,000,000 12-15 year old children have received the vaccine. This is great news, and many people are now wondering when a COVID-19 vaccine will be available for children younger than 12. Fortunately, clinical trials for this group are already underway! The ongoing studies are examining the safety and efficacy of three different age groups: 5 – 11 year olds, 2 – 4 year olds, 1 – 6 month olds. While the exact timeline for these age groups to receive the vaccines isn’t certain, Pfizer has indicated they will likely seek approval for vaccination of children 2-11 in September 2021 pending favorable results from the trials. Moderna plans to seek approval by the end of the year.
learn more about the current COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial for children under 12 years old
3. Kids and COVID-19: Staying safe in schools
We know many of you are worried about your unvaccinated children being at school. You can lower your child’s risk of exposure by doing the following:
Have your child wear a comfortable, snug fitting mask, there should be no gaps around the sides.
-
KF 94 are a nice option that provides breathability and comfort and they make them in child sizes.
-
If you reuse disposable masks due to it being cost prohibitive to buy a new one each day, you can rotate several masks so there are days between. Do this by putting them in labeled paper bags for each day. You can also rotate and have them sit outside in the sunlight. However, avoid reusing masks more than 5-6 times for maximum effectiveness. It may also be a good idea to send an extra mask or two with your child in case they misplace it during recess or just need one to give to a friend.
-
If you use reusable cloth masks, be sure to wash them regularly (everyday if possible)
Avoid public transportation, if and when possible
- Avoid public transportation to and from school, unless you are aware that the bus driver is strictly enforcing the rules, or has a windows down policy to increase air circulation in the bus.
Have your child eat lunch outside whenever possible
-
Many schools have mandatory masking policies, but then kids cluster together in the school cafeteria to eat. This can be a time of higher risk of exposure and transmission. Ask if there are places outdoors for your child to eat.
Avoid after school activities if it is possible for you.
-
These activities may be less structured than the classroom and have poorer mask compliance or more crowded conditions.
Talk to your child about the importance of being a “hero” and wearing their mask to protect themselves and everyone else around them from COVID.
- Most kids love to be a hero and help their classmates and teachers be safe.
The next update will cover information about booster shots. If you would like to learn more about this and other topics related to COVID-19 in Arizona, please complete next week’s AZCOVIDTXT survey that you will receive via text in about a week.