The Los Angeles Post

New Updated Fall COVID-19 Booster Approved for Children as Young as 5 Years Old

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Booster Offers Protection Against Newer Variants – 1,329 New Positive Cases and 15 New Deaths Due to COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

Earlier this week, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the updated bivalent booster for children ages 5 and older. This is after the Food and Drug Administration provided emergency use authorization for the Pfizer bivalent booster for children ages 5-11 and the Moderna bivalent booster for children ages 6-17.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna updated Fall COVID-19 boosters are bivalent vaccines, meaning they protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the more recently spreading Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. Although the two subvariants are different, they have the same spike protein, and these new Fall boosters offer protection against both.

The Pfizer bivalent booster is for children ages 5-11, and the Moderna bivalent booster is for children ages 6-17. The Moderna pediatric booster is available now, and Pfizer vaccines are expected by next week.

In order to be eligible for the boosters, children need to have completed their primary vaccine series at least two months prior. More than 300,000 children in LA County are now eligible for the bivalent boosters.

Out of the nearly 900,000 children ages 5-11 in LA County, there are over 500,000 children that have not yet received their primary vaccine series.  A child can receive their primary vaccine series now and then receive the bivalent booster two months after. The brand of booster administered does not have to match the primary series.

Across the county, there are 625 sites planning to begin administering the bivalent booster for children ages 5 and older, starting as soon as next Wednesday, October 19. These sites include providers, pharmacies, Public Health sites, and mobile health sites.  Public Health recommends calling a pharmacy or provider to confirm if the vaccines are available.

These updated Fall COVID-19 boosters will provide a significant amount of protection against Omicron during the upcoming winter holidays.

Public Health recommends all eligible residents receive their updated Fall boosters before the winter season because immunity from earlier vaccines, and/or getting infected, wanes over time. The virus has also mutated significantly over the past two-and-a-half years, and the new strains can evade some of the protection from earlier vaccines or infections.

To find sites where bivalent vaccines are available for children, visit: ph.lacounty.gov/howtogetvaccinated. On this page you can select the type of vaccine you are looking for and your zip code to find a vaccine site that fits your need.

Overall, the county does continue to report improved COVID-19 metrics. The 7-day average case count in the county is 946, a 17% decline from one week ago when the 7-day average of 1,138 cases was reported.

Over the past seven days, the average number of daily COVID-positive patients in LA County hospitals declined slightly to 467, a 7% decline from one week ago when the average number of daily COVID-positive patients per day was 502.

Deaths, which typically lag hospitalizations by several weeks, remained relatively stable at 10 deaths reported each day this past week.

“I send my deepest sympathies and wishes of peace and comfort to the many families who have lost a loved one from COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “What we know about COVID-19 now is very different than what was known at the beginning of the pandemic, in March of 2020. We now know more about how it spreads, how it mutates, and how we can protect ourselves and the community. We encourage everyone to use the available tools to reduce the impact of this disease. As you prepare for the fall and winter, please know that the actions you take help protect the most vulnerable in the community, as well as your family and yourself.”

Today, Public Health reported 15 additional deaths and 1,329 new positive cases. Of the 15 new deaths reported today, two people were between the ages of 30-49, four people were between the ages of 50-64, two people were between the ages of 65-79, and five people were aged 80 years or older.  For information about the two deaths reported by the City of Pasadena, visit pasadena.net. Of the 15 newly reported deaths, 11 had underlying health conditions. To date, the total number of deaths in L.A. County is 33,811.

Public Health has reported a total of 3,470,848 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County. Today’s positivity rate is 3.9%.

There are 446 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized. Testing results are available for more than 12,600,997 individuals, with 24% of people testing positive.

A wide range of data and dashboards on COVID-19 from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health are available on the Public Health website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov including:

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:

For more information:

 

Total Cases

Laboratory Confirmed Cases

3,470,848

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

3,282,575

— Long Beach

151,987

— Pasadena

36,286

Deaths

33,811

— Los Angeles County (excl. LB and Pas)

32,045

— Long Beach

1,333

— Pasadena

433

Age Group (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

– 0 to 4

103,751

– 5 to 11

275,019

– 12 to 17

269,107

– 18 to 29

716,597

– 30 to 49

1,056,136

– 50 to 64

557,109

– 65 to 79

227,693

–  over 80

74,790

–  Under Investigation

2,373

Gender (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Female

1,685,378

–  Male

1,509,650

–  Other

1,555

–  Under Investigation

85,992

Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

6,208

–  Asian

235,114

–  Black

168,722

–  Hispanic/Latino

1,422,360

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

16,696

–  White

446,854

–  Other

372,442

–  Under Investigation

614,179

Hospitalization (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  Hospitalized (Ever)

157,057

Deaths Race/Ethnicity (Los Angeles County Cases Only-excl LB and Pas)

–  American Indian/Alaska Native

74

–  Asian

4,071

–  Black

2,999

–  Hispanic/Latino

16,114

–  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

112

–  White

8,232

–  Other

363

–  Under Investigation

80