The pending availability of a second COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to 17-year-olds has local infectious diseases experts hopeful it will spur young people to catch up on all vaccinations.
Moderna said Tuesday that the first dose of its vaccine was 93% effective in that age range following a study on more than 3,700 young people. The drug maker said it saw no COVID-19 diagnoses in study participants who got two doses.
The company plans to submit its data in early June to the Food and Drug Administration for the same emergency-use authorization given to the Pfizer vaccine. Our vaccination sites continue to see higher volumes of younger individuals ages 12 to 15 since the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for emergency use, Dr. David Priest, an infectious diseases expert with Novant Health said Tuesday.
The state, however, did enter what may become known as the personal responsibility phase.
Cooper and state Health Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen acknowledged as much when asked why the 54% of North Carolinians, or about 6.6 million, who arenât fully vaccinated should act now with most restrictions ending.
âThe CDC has affirmed that getting vaccinated is the way out of this pandemic,â Cooper said.
For herd immunity to kick in, at least 65% to 75% of the population would need to be vaccinated or have recovered from the coronavirus, according to most infectious diseases experts.
âCertainly, we donât know whether people are vaccinated or not,â Cooper said. âWeâre going to expect people to do the right thing, particularly since these new variants are even more contagious.â
People stand in line awaiting the COVID-19 vaccine at CaroMont Health.
Fifteen-year-old Allison Oberlin-Pope and her mom stopped by an east Charlotte COVID-19 vaccine clinic after school on Thursday afternoon. Oberlin-Pope sat under a white tent in a parking lot between a StarMed Urgent Care and a Planet Fitness to receive her first Pfizer dose.
“I don’t like shots, so I was kind of nervous in the beginning,” Oberlin-Pope said. “It doesn’t actually hurt that much. It’s like a flu shot. It’s just the anticipation is scary.”
Oberlin-Pope says she “barely did anything” last summer. Her family has been pretty strict during the pandemic about who she can see and where. Now, she said, she’s looking forward to a June camping trip with a friend.
The first round of vaccinating youths ages 12 to 15 is taking place at local mass-vaccination sites, although there are plans to potentially have doses available in pediatric offices by early fall.
Novant Health Inc. and Forsyth County Department of Public Health began providing first doses to that age group Thursday at their respective mass-vaccination sites at Hanes Mall and 799 Highland Ave.
Wake Forest Baptist Healthâs Brenner Childrenâs Hospital will hold a vaccination clinic for teens Saturday at Winston-Salem State Universityâs Anderson Center, 1545 Reynolds Park Road. Appointments can be made by calling (336) 702-6843.
Novant offers walk-in vaccinations at Hanes Mall from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, although making an appointment is preferable. The number of walk-in slots is subject to change based on supply.