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COVID-19 Child Doses of Pfizer are Now Available in Tarrant County

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, for children ages 5 to 11 years old is now available in Tarrant County. Parents and legal guardians should first talk to their pediatrician or local pharmacy to obtain their vaccination. Tarrant County Public Health will also be offering the children’s vaccine for those who cannot obtain it elsewhere.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine received final approval for use with children from the CDC on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. On Oct. 29 the vaccine received its Emergency Use Authorization from the EPA. The EPA and CDC reviewed extensive data from trials to ensure the vaccine is safe for younger children. Critical points found during the studies include:

Effectiveness: Immune responses of children 5 – 11 years of age were comparable to those of individuals 16 through 25. In addition, the vaccine was found to be 90.7 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 – 11.
Safety: The vaccine’s safety was studied in approximately 3,100 children age 5 – 11 who received the vaccine and no serious side effects have been detected in the ongoing study.
Dosage: The dose is just one-third (10 micrograms) of the dose for those 12 years of age and older (30 micrograms).

Children age 5 – 11 will receive two doses, 21 days apart, similar to those in the older groups already vaccinate. If a child cannot receive their second dose at 21 days, they are encouraged to get their second dose as soon as possible. Once the series has begun, there is no reason to restart; just finish up when it is possible. At this time, a booster dose is not recommended for children.

“The more than 204,000, 5 to 11 year-olds in Tarrant County will now be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and help reduce the spread across our community,” said Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja. “The fastest and easiest way to get a vaccine will be through the family pediatrician or at the local pharmacy. Public Health will offer the vaccine at each of its clinics across the County for those who need it.”

While younger children do not typically have severe outcomes when they contract COVID-19, they do act as spreaders taking it from home to school or from school to home, school to sports, school to daycare. In Tarrant County, there have been six deaths of people under the age of 18.

To find a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Tarrant County, visit its website at www.tarrantcounty.com/vaccinefinder.

The COVID-19 vaccines are free to the recipients, whether they are insured or uninsured.

COVID-19 causes a respiratory illness with cough, fever and shortness of breath and may lead to bronchitis and severe pneumonia. For more information, go to coronavirus.tarrantcounty.com or call the Tarrant County Public Health information line, 817-248-6299, Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday – Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 10/11/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 353,440

COVID-19 related deaths: 4466

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 329,183

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County updated Monday, October 11, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 10/06/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 350,366

COVID-19 related deaths: 4386

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 321,774

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County, updated Wednesday, October 6, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 09/15/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 329,527

COVID-19 related deaths: 4047

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 292,244

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County, updated Wednesday, September 15, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.

Viral Sampler – Public Health Notes

by Catherine Colquitt, MD
Tarrant County Public Health Medical Director

This article was originally published in the September/October issue of the Tarrant County Physician. You can read find the full magazine here.

With healthcare systems, policy makers, and community partners preoccupied with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, other infectious diseases are percolating in the United States and across the globe, reminding us that Hamlet was right: “There are more things in heaven and on earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”¹

Recently, the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) issued a rapid release describing the effects of COVID-19 on U.S. life expectancy, which declined overall by 1.5 years between 2019 and 2020, from 78.8 years to 77.3 years.² It is the sharpest decline in U.S. life expectancy since 1943, when World War II casualties were to blame for the decline from 1942 to 1943. Life expectancy decreased by 3.0 years for persons of Hispanic origin, and by 2.9 years for the non-Hispanic Black population over the same time period. The magnitude of the drop in life expectancy and the disparate effects of COVID-19 based on race and ethnicity are sobering.

In addition, many epidemiologists and public health experts are anticipating a busy influenza and other respiratory virus season after very low incidences of flu and other non-COVID respiratory infections in 2020 (attributed to COVID-19 shutdowns of schools, workplaces and businesses, masking requirements, and social distancing guidance). The CDC says to plan for “resumption of seasonal flu virus circulation” in the population with decreased “immunity due to lack of flu activity since March 2020” along with “co-circulation of flu, SARS-CoV-2, and other viruses like RSV” which may “place a renewed burden on the health care system.”³

The Texas Department of State Health Services attributes drops in vaccination rates to “stay-at-home measures, school and school-based clinic closures, and business closures” during the COVID-19 shutdown along with healthcare providers “suspending or postponing wellness visits including vaccinations in some cases.”⁴ From April 2019 to April 2020, vaccination rates through TVFC program decreased by 43 percent and remain well below 2019 rates even now. ImmTrac2, the Texas Immunization Registry, reported on July 1, 2021, that age-specific benchmarks for most VFC-supported immunizations (including pertussis, Hepatitis B, Hemophilus influenzae, rubella, measles, mumps, and varicella) remain well below benchmarks with schools soon to reopen for in-person classes.

Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services reported 100 cases of Hepatitis A in 2020 (an increase from an annual average of 19 cases for the prior 10 years) and has already recorded 52 Hepatitis A cases in the first three months of 2021.⁵ The outbreak in Dallas County is associated with drug use (both injection and non-injection) and homelessness. Tarrant County is working with the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition and John Peter Smith Hospital among other partners to offer homeless Tarrant County residents Hepatitis A vaccines (highly efficacious at preventing future Hep A infections).

And in July, the CDC issued a statement on Monkeypox in Texas.⁶ The infected U.S. resident had recently returned from Nigeria and traveled by air from Lagos to Atlanta and then to DFW International Airport. A contact investigation is underway; Monkeypox is rare in the U.S. The last large outbreak occurred in 2003 and was associated with transmission from pet prairie dogs to humans. Monkeypox can cause serious morbidity and is usually contracted through contact with infected animals (bites, scratches, or dressing wild game) but can be transmitted via respiratory droplets, body fluid contact, or fomite spread (via contaminated clothing or bedding). More information about monkeypox is available at https://www.cdc.gov/pox virus/monkeypox,index/html.

Stay tuned!

References

1. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5.

2. “The 2020 Decline in Life Expectancy.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July 21, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/podcasts/2021/20210721/20210721.htm. 

3. “Frequently Asked Influenza (Flu) Questions: 2021-2022 Season.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 6, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2021-2022.htm. 

4. “Preliminary Report on the Texas Vaccines for Children Program: Impacts of COVID-19 on TVFC Vaccine administration.” Texas Department of State Health Services, September 16, 2020. https://www.dshs.texas.gov/immunize/docs/COVID19impactTVFC.pdf

5. Dallas County Health and Human Services Health Alert, April 5,2021. https://www.dallascounty.org/Assets/uploads/docs/hhs/health-advisories/2021/DCHHS-HealthAlert-HepatitisA-04.05.2021.pdf

6. “CDC and TEXAS Confirm MONKEYPOX in U.S. Traveler.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July 16, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0716-confirm-monkeypox.html.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 09/03/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 309,051

COVID-19 related deaths: 3907

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 279,153

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County, updated Friday, September 3, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.

North Central Texas COVID-19 Regional Infusion Center Now Accepting Walk-ins

The North Central Texas COVID-19 Regional Infusion Center, which is located in Fort Worth, is now accepting both scheduled and walk-in patients; however, it is not guaranteed that walk-in patients will be able to get an appointment. The Emergency Medical Coordination Center said that it is best if patients talk to a doctor before pursing treatment.

“It is strongly recommended that patients visit a physician to see if they are eligible for the treatment and have their physician submit the referral form to the Regional Infusion Center to schedule an appointment,” the group said in a statement. “Walk-in patients will be seen by a medical professional but turned away if they do not meet the Eligibility Criteria.”

Walk-in patients are also required to provide documentation of a positive COVID-19 test.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 09/01/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 305,996

COVID-19 related deaths: 3881

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 276,983

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County, updated Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.

North Central Texas COVID-19 Regional Infusion Center Opens in Fort Worth

Today, a COVID-19 Regional Infusion Center offering the monoclonal antibody treatment Regeneron – COV (Casirivimab plus Imdevimab) opened in Fort Worth. According to the Infusion Center Info Sheet, “[t]his site will accept patient referrals from healthcare providers across TSAs C, D, and E to help administer COVID therapeutics quickly and safely with the goal of preventing patients from needing hospitalization.”

Referrals are required for treatment. To see if your patients qualifies, check the North Central Texas COVID-19 Regional Infusion Info Sheet. If they are eligible, you can complete the referral by filling out this form and sending in in by fax (210-208-5295) or email (InfusionReferral@bcfs.net).

Walk-up COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for the Fridays in August

Today and on Friday, August 27, you can receive a free COVID-19 vaccine from Tarrant County Public Health at Sundance Square Plaza Pavilion. All three vaccines will be available.

August 20 hours: 11am-8pm

August 27 hours: 11am-6pm

You can call Tarrant County Public Health’s COVID-19 hotline for more information at 817-248-6299.