Moderna, J&J Boosters, And Vaccinating Youngsters: RivCo COVID

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Like the rest of the nation, Riverside County and state health officials are awaiting word from federal leaders as to when a COVID vaccine might be available for children ages 5-11. Meanwhile, U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday emergency use authorization for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters that includes a "mix and match" approach.

The FDA gave emergency use authorization for a half dose of Moderna's vaccine as a booster for people fully vaccinated at least six months ago. The authorization applies to people who are at least 65, or who are at least 18 and at high risk of severe COVID-19 illness or have frequent exposure to the virus.

The FDA also authorized boosters for people 18 and older who received a single full dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

In September, the FDA gave emergency use authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (now marketed as Comiraty) as a booster for people fully vaccinated at least six months ago. Like the Moderna booster, the authorization applies to people who are at least 65, or who are at least 18 and at high risk of severe COVID-19 illness or have frequent exposure to the virus.

Boosters can be mixed and matched, according to the FDA.

"Today, the FDA is also authorizing the use of heterologous (or 'mix and match') booster dose for currently available (i.e., FDA-authorized or approved) COVID-19 vaccines," the agency said Wednesday in its released statement.

The FDA "determined that the known and potential benefits of the use of a single heterologous booster dose outweigh the known and potential risks of their use in eligible populations.

"A single booster dose of any of the available COVID-19 vaccines may be administered as a heterologous booster dose following completion of primary vaccination with a different available COVID-19 vaccine," the agency continued. "The eligible population(s) and dosing interval for a heterologous booster dose are the same as those authorized for a booster dose of the vaccine used for primary vaccination."

Booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine are already available in Riverside County. A county update announcing the availability of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters is expected from local health officials in the coming days.

Children under the age of 12 are not currently eligible for any COVID-19 vaccine, but that could soon change. On Wednesday, the White House unveiled plans to roll out the Pfizer vaccine for youngsters via childrens' medical facilities, schools and other community-based sites pending FDA authorization.

Vaccine advisers to the FDA are scheduled to meet next week to consider Pfizer's request for emergency use authorization of its vaccine in children ages 5 to 11.

The White House plan ensures that "if a vaccine is authorized for children ages 5-11, it is quickly distributed and made conveniently and equitably available to families across the country," the White House said in a news release.

The Pfizer vaccine currently has full FDA approval for people age 16 and older, and has emergency use authorization for kids 12 to 15.

If and when the Pfizer vaccine receives the federal emergency use authorization for younger children, state health officials are expected to approve availability across California for 5- to 11-year-olds. An announcement from Riverside County would likely follow.

Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would mandate vaccination in school children for in-person learning "starting the term following FDA full approval of the vaccine for their grade span (7-12 and K-6)."

According to Riverside University Health System data, 59.7 percent of the county's 12 and older population are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, however, children remain largely unvaccinated. In the 12- to 15-year-old age bracket, 56.8 percent are unvaccinated.

In ages 16-44, around 48 to 49 percent are unvaccinated. In residents ages 45-64, 30.4 percent remain unvaccinated, while the unvaccinated rate for people 65 and older is 28.6 percent, according to RUHS data.

The vaccination rates have slowly crept up as the number of COVID-positive patients hospitalized in Riverside County continues to decline.

According to RUHS, COVID-related hospitalizations countywide dropped to 243 Wednesday, compared to 268 on Tuesday. The number of those patients in intensive care was 61, down from 63 on Tuesday.

The cumulative number of COVID cases recorded since the pandemic began in March 2020 stood at 361,122 as of Wednesday, up from 360,743 on Tuesday.

Officials said on Wednesday a total of 5,118 deaths from virus-related complications have been recorded in the past roughly 19 months — up by 10 since Tuesday. The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates and can go back a month, sometimes longer.