Boosters received

Booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech (Pfizer) and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in Carbon County. 

Amanda Brown, Nurse Manager of Carbon County Public Health, provided the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) with a number of updates surrounding vaccines during their November 2 meeting. These included the status of booster doses in Carbon County, pediatric doses of Pfizer and their availability, and Carbon County's vaccination rate.

Boosters

"I've been getting a lot of questions on our booster doses," said Brown. "In our community, anybody can be eligible. If you read the requirements, there are: age 65 and older, residents of long-term care facilities, anyone 18 plus with underlying medical conditions or somebody that lives and works in a high-risk setting. Pretty much, if you are over the age of 18 and work outside the home you would qualify. Really, we haven't seen anybody that doesn't qualify."

Guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stated people who were age 65 and older should receive the booster shot as should people between the ages of 50 and 64 who have underlying health conditions. People with underlying health conditions between the ages of 18 and 49 and people working in high-risk settings between the ages of 18 and 64 may get a booster shot "based on their individual risks and benefits".

According to Brown, the only stipulation regarding boosters of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines had to do with the timing of the second dose. Brown echoed guidance from the CDC, which states those who had received the second shot of either vaccine would need to wait at least six months before receiving the booster shot.

booster shot.

"We have seen a few people that waited and didn't get it in that initial push," said Brown. "We have to wait until at least that six months after that second dose."

Brown also informed the commissioners the booster dose was not dependent on which vaccine a person received first. Indeed, according to the CDC, a person could receive any booster of the approved COVID-19 vaccines.

"We can mix and match so, no matter what series you got, you can get another vaccine. There are some studies out there showing that there's a little bit broader coverage if you do mix and match, but those studies are still ongoing," Brown said. "They're a little bit smaller studies. Some people are preferring to stick with the same, some are mixing and matching."

Though a six month period between the second dose and booster shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines is required, the time frame is much less for those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines. While the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines which produce a spike protein to trigger an immune response, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses the traditional viral vector and includes a modified virus to create an immune response.

According to the CDC, the Johnson & Johnson vaccines have a lower effectiveness compared to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Due to this, those who are over the age of 18 and have gone two months since receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get a booster shot. As of November 2, Carbon County Public Health had ordered boosters of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Pediatric vaccines

Brown informed the BOCCC her department had received pediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine. On October 29, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of pediatric doses of Pfizer for children between the ages of 5 and 11.

"The vaccine is a little bit different than the Pfizer we are offering now. This is just for younger than 12. The dose is a little bit different, it's a little lower of a dose. They're not interchangeable," said Brown. "It's a different vaccine that we have to use for that age group than the over the (age of) 12 (population). Logistically, we're trying to make sure we have enough of both because, depending on the age of the person, we have to give a different vaccine."

Brown told the county commissioners that Carbon County Public Health was to receive their shipment of the pediatric doses of Pfizer on November 2. Though they had received approval from the FDA, her office was waiting for approval from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) before administering the doses. Approval from ACIP on the pediatric doses was announced the same day by the CDC.

"The data on this is actually really good. The study that they did for the 5-11 (age group) shows about 90.7 percent coverage for preventing COVID infections. So we're hoping to get this out to the communities as much as possible, get more people vaccinated," Brown said. "It does look like it will be two dose series but we're not sure on guidelines or anything like that until it is released from the ACIP."

Get those numbers up

As the United States and Wyoming cruise past the 18 month mark of the pandemic, vaccination numbers continue to trend below 50 percent through most of the state. The only exception is Teton County with a nearly 80 percent vaccination rate as of November 8. 

On November 2, according to Brown, the statewide vaccination rate was approximately 39 percent. According to the Wyoming Department of Health, as of November 8 40.34 percent of Wyoming residents-or 233,484-were fully vaccinated. Carbon County, meanwhile, had a vaccination rate of 38.42 percent or 5,686 individuals fully vaccinated.

"We're doing okay as far as coverage," said Brown. "I'd like to see it a little bit higher but we are slowly getting there."

Brown went on to state that Carbon County, as of November 2, had 105 active cases which included both laboratory confirmed and probable cases. Brown noted there were several clusters throughout Carbon County which her officer was monitoring.

Since March 2020, Carbon County has had 2,960 laboratory confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 40 deaths COVID-related deaths. The four most recent deaths were added to the total on November 2, part of 69 new deaths announced by the Wyoming Department of Health.

The next meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners will be at 9 a.m. on November 16 at the Carbon County Courthouse in Rawlins.