MD Child Dies From COVID-19, Bivalent Booster Open To Kids 5 And Older

MARYLAND — A child age 9 or younger died recently from COVID-19, according to the state dashboard, bringing to 10 the total number of young children who died from coronavirus complications to date.

Eighteen youths between the ages of 10 and 19 have died from COVID. The state dashboard says 15,197 Marylanders have died from the pandemic; 1,258,813 cases of the respiratory disease have been tallied.

In other COVID-19 news, the Maryland Department of Health on Thursday said residents 5 years old and older are eligible to receive the updated COVID-19 bivalent booster shot at any time. This expands the state’s COVIDReady campaign to encourage Marylanders to maximize their protection against COVID-19 this fall and winter.

“Marylanders 5 to 11 years old who have gotten their last COVID-19 primary vaccine or any recommended booster shot at least two months ago are now eligible for the updated COVID-19 bivalent booster shot,” said MDH Secretary Dennis R. Schrader in a news release. “We urge all Marylanders 5 years old and older to get the bivalent booster shot as soon as they can to be COVIDReady and together safely enjoy the colder months and upcoming holidays.”

According to the state COVID dashboard, 95 percent of Marylanders have received at least one shot and 4,788,664 people are fully vaccinated.

The state health department has pre-ordered 49,000 doses of Pfizer bivalent boosters for 5- to 11-year-olds for use at local health departments, federally qualified health centers, and others across the state.

The state also receives a weekly order of up to 43,900 doses of Moderna bivalent boosters, which can be used for 6- to 17-year-olds. This is in addition to allocations that the federal government has sent directly to hundreds of pharmacy partners across the state.

Maryland health officials expect doses to arrive early next week.

Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines add Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein components to the current vaccine composition, helping to restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination and targeting recent Omicron variants that are more transmissible and immune-evading, the health department said.

One of the best ways to stay COVIDReady is by vaccinating and boosting against COVID-19, health officials said.

Marylanders can schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at covidvax.maryland.gov or by calling 1-855-MD-GOVAX.

For more information on COVID-19 resources, visit covidLINK.maryland.gov.