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Friday, May 20, 2022
Graphic with dark blue texture, the Fairfax Health Department logo, and the words, "News from the Health Department."

Children 5 to 11 Years of Age Now Eligible for a Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Booster


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) met on May 17 and amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, authorizing use of a single booster for children ages 5 through 11 years of age, at least five months after completing a primary series with the Pfizer vaccine. Following this authorization, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met May 19 and now recommends a booster for this age group to provide additional protection against the virus and to help stem community spread.

While children are typically at lower risk than adults of becoming severely ill or hospitalized from COVID-19, the effects of the virus are unpredictable. If infected with COVID-19, children can potentially become very ill, have short- and long-term health conditions, and spread COVID-19 to loved ones, and others at school and in the community.

Because protection decreases over time, boosters are recommended to help restore and provide continued protection. Staying up to date, which means getting vaccinated and boosted when you are eligible, is still the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 and prevent severe disease, hospitalization, long-term complications, and death.

Most Vaccinated Children Now Eligible
As of May 19, 57,065 or almost 53 percent of children ages 5 -11 in the Fairfax Health District, have been fully vaccinated. Of these, most are now eligible for the booster because it has been at least five months since their second dose. More than 18 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been given to children in this age group in the U.S. The vaccine is safe and effective.

Data showed that side effects from a booster dose for children aged 5–11 years were similar to those seen after the primary series. They were generally mild and could include pain at the injection site, fatigue and headache.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to contact their child’s medical provider to make an appointment. When making an appointment, ask your provider if your child is caught up on their routine and school-required immunizations. COVID-19 booster doses can be given at the same time, or any time before or after, other vaccines.

Parents and caregivers may also go to www.vaccines.gov to find a location offering COVID-19 vaccines or visit a Health Department clinic.

Stay Up to Date with Boosters and Vaccinations
Cases of COVID-19 continue to increase in the Fairfax Health District, as well as around the state, and it is a good time to make sure you and your loved ones of all ages are up-to-date with boosters.

In addition to the new booster guidance for 5–11-year-olds, the CDC also strengthened its recommendation that those 12 and older who are immunocompromised and those 50 and older should receive a second booster dose at least 4 months after their first.

To help people keep track of their vaccination status, the CDC has launched a new COVID-19 booster tool to learn if and when you (or your child) are eligible or recommended to get a booster.

It is never too late to get vaccinated or get the added protection offered by a COVID-19 booster – even if you have already had COVID-19. By staying up-to-date, we are helping to protect all people in our community from further community spread of the virus.
Graphic from Fairfax Health with the words, "COVID-19 Update, Testing Continues to be a Critical Strategy to Slow COVID-19 Transmission." A photo of caucasian hands holding an at-home COVID test.

Health Department: Testing Continues to be a Critical Strategy to Slow COVID-19 Transmission

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase in the Fairfax Health District, testing remains a critical action to help stop community transmission. This is especially important as we see increases in the community and a growing number of outbreaks in schools and childcare facilities. Testing is important as prevention because those who are positive should stay home and away from others (isolate), reducing the chance of spreading infection to others in one’s family, to co-workers, or to people in the community.

Testing is available at pharmacies and many other sites around the area. The Health Department also will continue to offer free testing at its mobile testing clinic, see: dates locations and important details. In addition, you can now order more at-home tests from the federal government at no charge.

To help slow the spread of COVID-19, the Health Department continues to encourage you to get tested whenever you have symptoms of COVID-19. Even if you think your symptoms probably are allergies or “just a cold”, getting tested is important because COVID-19 can cause illness that may be confused with allergies or a cold but can progress to more serious disease, or can spread to others who can get more seriously ill.
Graphic from Fairfax Health. The background is a rendering of COVID molecules -- yellow with pink spikes. These words are present: "COVID-19 update: Treatment for COVID-19 Prevents Hospitalization in High-Risk Individuals."

Health Department: Treatment for COVID-19 Prevents Hospitalization in High-Risk Individuals

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Staying up to date with vaccination, and continuing to practice layered prevention strategies remain critical to stem the spread of COVID-19 illness in our communities. Vaccination not only prevents COVID-19 but also makes illness less severe if you do become infected.

But what if you have chosen not to get vaccinated or still get sick even after receiving vaccine, and are at increased risk because you are older or have a chronic medical condition? This is where treatment can be important.

Effective Treatment Available

If you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, effective treatment is now available that can prevent illness from becoming worse leading to hospitalization and death. People who are more likely to get very sick include older adults, people with chronic medical conditions or a weakened immune system, those who are overweight, and women who are pregnant.

Several types of treatment are available, which may be used at different times or in different groups of patients. Talk with your healthcare provider to get more information about the range of options.

An expert panel of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified Paxlovid (ritonavir boosted nirmatrelvir) as the preferred therapy with strong evidence supporting its use. In a randomized clinical trial, Paxlovid was 88% effective in preventing hospitalization or death from COVID-19 among high-risk patients. In that trial, there were no deaths among people who received Paxlovid compared with 12 deaths among those who received placebo.

Other Treatment Tips

The Fairfax Health District shares the following information about COVID-19 treatment:

  1. If you test positive and are an older adult or someone who is at increased risk of getting very sick from COVID-19, treatment is available. Contact a healthcare provider after a positive test to determine if you are eligible for treatment, even if you only have mild or moderate symptoms.  You can also visit a Test to Treat location and, if eligible, receive a prescription from a provider at that location.
  2. Follow CDC guidance on testing for COVID-19 and use the Treatment Locator or call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to find a testing location that can provide treatment if you test positive.
  3. Don’t delay: Treatment must be started within the five days of when your symptoms began.
  4. Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccination is still the best way to prevent serious outcomes of COVID-19, including severe disease, hospitalization and death.

Medications to treat COVID-19 are free, whether or not you have health insurance. While there is no cost for tablets (such as Paxlovid), there may be a co-pay for infusion or injection of a monoclonal antibody product. For those using the Test to Treat program at a pharmacy clinic, health insurance, including Medicaid, also will pay the cost of the consultation; those who do not have health insurance would be responsible for the consultation fee.

More information on COVID-19 treatments and therapeutics can be found here.

Links to Bookmark

If you're interested in staying up on the latest COVID-19 data while this newsletter moves to an infrequent publishing schedule, here are they key links:

Where to Find Important Information
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