dr. Herschell Servies, a Boone County health official, said the number of COVID-19 cases has increased across the country, and Boone County is no exception.
At a meeting of Boone County Commissioners on Nov. 15, Servies said the Boone County Health Department reported 158 positive COVID-19 cases for the reporting week ending Nov. 12. are reported during the department’s next reporting period.
“Two or three weeks ago we were in the low hundreds and looking really good,” Servies said. “What’s interesting, of those 158 positives, 20 were younger than 11. This age group younger than 11 is where we see it (scattered).”
In addition to increasing cases in children, there is a limited supply of pediatric doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of the pediatric vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 on Oct. 29, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention soon after recommended children in the age group receive it.
But local health officials report supply shortages just days after the first doses of the pediatric vaccine arrived. The BCHD initially received 300 doses of the pediatric vaccine and was exhausted by the end of the first week.
“Now the state is telling us they have no idea when we’re going to get more,” Servies said, adding that some counties still have doses.
Hamilton County Health Dept. Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Christian Walker said the supply is also a limiting factor for his department. He said the department is coordinating with the Indiana State Department of Health to determine how to receive more pediatric doses.
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