Last night, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup completed its review of the federal process and has unanimously concluded that the PfizerBioNTech vaccine is safe and effective for youth 5 to 11 years of age.
The Workgroup thoroughly reviewed safety data for the vaccine, including the absence of any severe adverse events among vaccine recipients in the clinical trial. Reactions were mild and similar to those seen in adolescents and adults and with other vaccines routinely recommended for children and were less common at ages 5-11 years than at 16-25 years.
Despite the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for youth 5 to 11 years of age, the vaccine may not be available right away. Local COVID-19 vaccine providers expect to receive the Pfizer vaccine for ages 5 to 11 sometime this week and next week.
“Vaccination is our way out of this pandemic. It is the safest and most effective way to obtain protection against COVID-19 for all individuals 5 and over,” says Dr. Jim Shames, Health Officer for Jackson County Public Health. “The greater the number of people who are immune to the virus, the quicker we can get back to our normal way of life. Remember, kids can get COVID. Some may need to be hospitalized to recover, a very traumatic event for a child. Children can have long-lasting effects from COVID, just like adults. And children can carry and spread the disease to others. I am so thankful that we now have a way to protect our children from COVID.”
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control found that vaccination offers higher protection than previous COVID-19 infection. Study participants were over 5 times more likely to have COVID-19 if they were unvaccinated and had a prior infection.
COVID-19 Vaccinations
COVID-19 Testing
Daily Number of New COVID-19 Cases
As of 12:01 a.m. on November 3, 2021, Jackson County Public Health is reporting 77 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total cases in Jackson County to 23,697.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations for Region 5 (Jackson and Josephine Counties)
As of 10:00 a.m. on November 3, 2021, the number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 is 53, and there are 18 patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit.
The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.
COVID-19 Related Deaths
Jackson County Public Health reports 5 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total to 328 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Jackson County’s 324th COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old woman who tested positive on May 13 and died on May 24 at their private residence. They had underlying health conditions.
Jackson County’s 325th COVID-19 death is a 52-year-old man who tested positive on October 1 and died on November 1 at Providence Medford Medical Center. They had underlying health conditions.
Jackson County’s 326th COVID-19 death is a 33-year-old woman who tested positive on October 2 and died on October 31 at Rogue Regional Medical Center. They had underlying health conditions.
Jackson County’s 327th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old man who tested positive on October 14 and died on November 1 at Providence Medford Medical Center. They had underlying health conditions.
Jackson County’s 328th COVID-19 death is a 79-year-old woman who tested positive on October 15 and died on October 28 at their private residence. They had underlying health conditions.
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