With new COVID-19 infections increasing, CDC recommends all Americans over age 5 be vaccinated

76% of Americans over age 5 have been vaccinated with at least one dose

Posted 12/13/21

 Unvaccinated persons are 13 times more likely to be infected with COVID-19 ...

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With new COVID-19 infections increasing, CDC recommends all Americans over age 5 be vaccinated

76% of Americans over age 5 have been vaccinated with at least one dose

Posted
 
New COVID-19 cases in the United States are rising, compared to previous week, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The average new case positivity rate for the 7-day period ending Dec. 10, for the country was 7.5%.  In Florida, covid positivity rates were up slightly from 2.5% for the 7-day period ending Dec. 3 to 2.6% for the 7-day period ending Dec. 10. 
 
Nationwide, more than 1,200 deaths per day were reported last week. Per the CDC, 63,995 people in the United States were hospitalized for covid last week.
 
New Hampshire leads the country in recent cases per capita. Michigan has the highest hospitalization rate in the U.S. Federal medical teams have been sent to Michigan to help hospitals there handle the surge in patients.
 
The highest risk of hospitalization and death remains among the unvaccinated segment of the population. Vaccinated persons can still get COVID-19, but they are significantly more likely to have no symptoms or only mild symptoms. According to a study by the Texas State Department of Health, unvaccinated persons are 13 times more likely to become infected with COVID-19 than vaccinated persons. In addition, of those who do become infected with COVID-19, unvaccinated persons are 20 times more likely to die than unvaccinated persons.
 
While omicron viruses have been detected in the United States, the delta variant still currently accounts for over 99.9% of all circulating SARS-CoV-2 viruses in the country, according to the CDC.
 
COVID-19 vaccination, along with consistent use of prevention strategies, remains the best tool available to protect people from COVID-19, slow transmission, and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging, the CDC advises.
 
According to the CDC, in the United States, 76.3% of those age 5 and older have been vaccinated with at least one dose. 
 
As of the Dec. 10 report from the Florida Department of Health, 70% of Floridians over the age of 5 have been vaccinated. 
 
Florida vaccination rates by age group are:
• 5-11: 11%
•12-19: 57%
• 20-29: 58%
• 30-39: 68%
• 40-49: 76%
• 50-59: 81%
• 60-64: 87%
• 65+: 90%.
 
Vaccination rates in South Central Florida, as of Dec. 9 were:
• Collier County -  74%;
• Glades County -  50%;
• Hendry County -  55%;
• Highlands County -  60%;
• Martin County -  67%;
• Okeechobee County -  48%;
• Palm Beach County -  72%.
 
New case positivity rates in South Central Florida, as of Dec. 9 were:
• Collier County -  2.8%;
• Glades County -  no data available;
• Hendry County -  2.7%;
• Highlands County -  3.7%;
• Martin County - 3.2%;
• Okeechobee County - 3.3%;
• Palm Beach County -  2.6%.
 
New covid cases in South Central Florida, for the week of Dec. 3-9 were:
• Collier County -  218
• Glades County - no data available;
• Hendry County -  16;
• Highlands County - 61;
• Martin County - 83;
• Okeechobee County -  18;
• Palm Beach County -  292.
 
The CDC recommends that:
 
• Everyone 5 years and older protects themselves by getting fully vaccinated.
• Everyone ages 18 years and over gets a COVID-19 booster dose.
• Teens 16–17 years old who received Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines can get a booster dose.
• Immunocompromised people talk with their healthcare professional about additional primary doses and booster doses following the primary series.
 
All adults who completed a primary vaccination series with the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines at least six months ago and those who received a Johnson & Johnson shot at least two months ago are eligible for a booster. On Dec. 9, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use as a booster in people ages 16 and 17, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended it for this age group.
 
Nationwide, new covid positivity rates were up last week. In Florida, new case positivity for the week of Dec. 3-Dec. 10 was 2.6%, up slightly from last week’s rate of 2.5%.
 
According to the CDC, new hospitalizations in the past seven days included:
• Collier County - 17 (down from 25 last week);
• Glades County - no data available;
• Hendry County - 0 (same as last week);
• Highlands County - 10 (up from 6 last week);
• Martin County - 6 (down from 12 last week);
• Okeechobee County - 2 (up from 0 last week);
• Palm Beach County - 58 (down from 64 last week).
 
According to World Health Organization (WHO), it will take weeks to determine how effective the vaccines currently in use will be with the omicron variant.
 
WHO reminds individuals “to take measures to reduce their risk of COVID-19, including proven public health and social measures such as wearing well-fitting masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, improving ventilation of indoor spaces, avoiding crowded spaces, and getting vaccinated.”
 
Since Nov. 9, non-citizen travelers to the United States have been required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the U.S.
 
Immigrants to the United States are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as part of their medical exam prior to being issued a visa.
 
 
covid, vaccinations

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