NORFOLK, Va. — Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters health experts say the latest data from Pfizer shows promise to help decrease the number of COVID-19 cases among children.
CHKD's Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control, Dr. Laura Sass, said the number of children and teens testing positive for COVID-19 has reached a six-month high.
"As of this [Monday] morning, we had 1,112 positive tests for the month of September, which is almost as many as we had for the entire month of August," Dr. Sass explained. "We've also reached now to 41 admissions."
Dr. Sass said the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-11 would use a different dose of the mRNA strand than what is used in the doses for people ages 12 and up.
She said it's meant to adhere to the health of younger children since their bodies are different than the older community.
Sass said the 41 COVID-19 patients at CHKD vary in age, from infants to teenagers. She said no matter the age, none of these patients are vaccinated.
Sass said she expects the number of COVID-19 patients to continue to rise going into the month of October.
She said she hopes families will consider vaccinating their children once the Pfizer dose receives full approval from the FDA.
"We hope everyone embraces the vaccination because we know it does modify the infection. You generally don't get as sick," said Dr. Sass. "I think you also have to use all the mitigation strategies we've been using and not going to school sick."
Meanwhile, the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health said it is teaming up with local school divisions to prepare for this potential approval of the Pfizer vaccine for young children.
Emergency Coordinator, Bob Engle, said, "Schools are already on board. We've been working together for months on this. So, once the approval is given, we've got schools designated, we will conduct vaccination clinics at schools."
The Pfizer vaccine still needs to go through multiple panel reviews before it receives recommendations from government agencies. It then has to wait for full approval by the FDA.
Dr. Sass said the best thing to do right now is to have an open discussion with your pediatrician about the vaccine and what's the best choice for your child.