Elsinore, Wildomar Kids Likely Eligible For Vaccine Next Month

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Vaccine advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted 17-0 with one abstention Tuesday to recommend emergency use authorization of the two-shot Pfizer BioNTech COVID vaccine (now marketed as Comirnaty) for children ages 5 to 11.

Pfizer cut its vaccine recommendation to one-third of the adult dose for children under 12 and said clinical trials showed the lower dose protected kids against serious illness caused by the virus.

The FDA will now take the committee's vote under consideration and is likely to extend the authorization for younger children in the coming days. Vaccine advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet next week, and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky will have the final word. If the vaccine does get emergency use authorization for kids 5-11, Riverside County officials will await a go-ahead from state health officials. It's likely the vaccine will be available countywide early next month for the 5-11 age group.

Moderna, J&J Boosters Begin in Riverside County

On Tuesday, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID booster shots began being administered across Riverside County following federal and state authorization.

For those who received the Johnson & Johnson shot, boosters are available for people 18 years or older and who received their original dose no sooner than two months ago.

For those who received the two-shot Moderna vaccine, boosters are available for people who are 65 years old or older, 18-64 years old with underlying medical conditions, and those who are 18-64 years old and are at increased risk of COIVD-19 exposure due to occupational or institutional settings. People must have received the last dose of the original Moderna vaccine at least six months ago to qualify for a booster.

"This is one more important step in getting us through the pandemic," said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, Riverside County public health officer.

The Pfizer booster received emergency use authorization last month and has been available in Riverside County.

The county is not requiring documentation for boosters.

Leung said that, in addition to boosters, "there also continues to remain opportunities for those who still need an initial dose to receive it at any of our community clinic and provider locations throughout the county."

To schedule a vaccination appointment, visit myturn.ca.gov/index.html.

The Latest Riverside County COVID Figures

The number of COVID-positive patients hospitalized in Riverside County remained at 210 Tuesday, while 1,063 new cases were confirmed and 12 new virus-related deaths were reported.

According to the Riverside University Health System, of the 210 COVID-related hospitalizations — the same total as Monday — 52 were in intensive care, down from 53 Monday.

The total number of COVID cases recorded since the pandemic began in March 2020 stood at 363,498 as of Tuesday, up from 362,435 on Monday.

Officials said Tuesday a total of 5,156 deaths from virus-related complications have been recorded in the past roughly 19 months. The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates and can go back a month or longer.