FILE PHOTO: Pfizer vaccine
In a decision announced Monday, the Food and Drug Administration approved use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for those 12-15 years old.
“Today’s action allows for a younger population to be protected from COVID-19, bringing us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy and to ending the pandemic,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting FDA commissioner. “Parents and guardians can rest assured that the agency undertook a rigorous and thorough review of all available data.”
Bear River Health Department spokesman Josh Greer said Monday a CDC advisory group will meet Wednesday to make recommendations on the vaccine’s distribution.
“If that meeting goes as expected we hope to offer the vaccine immediately,” said Greer.
A single coronavirus death was part of the Monday COVID-19 report from the state health department, leaving the state’s list of total coronavirus fatalities in the pandemic at 2,224.
Also Monday, the state reported there were 207 new positive COVID-19 cases detected statewide, 14 of them from northern Utah. There are now 21,591 positive cases in Cache, Box Elder and Rich counties.
Since the start of the pandemic among the 21,591 total positive cases in Cache, Box Elder and Rich counties, 21,205 of those patients are described as “recovered.” Most of the cases were found in Cache County (16,064) followed by Box Elder County (5,361) and Rich County (151).
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests is 333 a day. The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” is 6.5 percent. The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” is 3.5 percent
Utah’s current COVID-19 hospitalizations on Monday are now at 142 people, three more than Sunday. There are 61 people in intensive care units which is two fewer than Sunday. A total of 16,381 people have been hospitalized during the pandemic.
The number of Utahns fully vaccinated has grown to 1,054,451.
In Idaho 2,061 residents have lost their lives to the virus and there are 188,869 confirmed coronavirus cases. In the three southeast Idaho counties case counts include 1,182 positive cases in Franklin County, 382 in Bear Lake County and 360 in Oneida County.