Officials with the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention opened Tuesday's FDA panel meeting by explaining how children 5 to 11 years old are impacted by the pandemic. They have accounted for over 1.9 million infections and over 8,300 hospitalizations, about a third of which have required ICU stays, officials said.
A student listens to the teacher's instructions at iPrep Academy on the first day of school in Miami.
Lynne Sladky/AP, FILE
Nearly 100 children in that age group have died from COVID-19, making the virus one of the top 10 causes of death in this age range at this time, officials said.
The independent FDA advisory panel on Tuesday is debating whether to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. The panel's nonbinding vote is expected Tuesday evening.
After the panel votes on whether or not to recommend Pfizer, the FDA will make a decision. Then, the matter heads to the CDC's independent advisory panel to deliberate and vote, which is scheduled for Nov. 2 and Nov. 3. Once the CDC panel votes, the CDC director is expected to make the final signoff.
-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik
Oct 26, 2021, 10:18 AM EDT
Unvaccinated Americans continue to drive infection, death rates: Federal data
The five states with the highest death rates over the last week -- Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, West Virginia and Idaho -- are also among the states with the lowest full vaccination rates, according to federal data.
People who have not been fully vaccinated are 6.1 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 and 11.3 times more likely to die from the virus, according to federal data.
Municipal workers hold placards and shout slogans outside city hall during a protest against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, in New York City, Oct. 25, 2021.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
Approximately 63.2 million eligible Americans have yet to get the shot, according to federal data.
But hospitalization rates are continuing to steadily trend down, with just over 51,000 Americans now hospitalized with the virus, compared to 104,000 people hospitalized in late August, according to federal data.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Oct 26, 2021, 9:11 AM EDT
FDA panel hours away from vote on Pfizer vaccine for kids
An independent FDA advisory panel on Tuesday will debate and vote on whether to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. The nonbinding vote is expected between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. ET.
Pfizer data submitted to the FDA has shown that this vaccine, which would be administered to children at one-third of the adult dosage, is nearly 91% effective against symptomatic COVID-19. There were no reported adverse side effects in the clinical trial group.
After the panel votes on whether or not to recommend this vaccine for children 5 to 11, the FDA will make a decision.
Then, the matter heads to the CDC's independent advisory panel to deliberate and vote, which is scheduled for Nov. 2 and Nov. 3. Once the CDC panel votes, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to make the final sign-off.
The earliest shots could be in arms is the first week of November.
-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik
Oct 26, 2021, 8:14 AM EDT
US sees 7th straight week of drop in daily pediatric cases
The past week marked the seventh consecutive week that the United States has seen a drop in pediatric COVID-19 infections since the pandemic peak of nearly 252,000 cases in early September.
Children ages 12 to 15 wait to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, May 13, 2021, in Tustin, Calif.
Jae C. Hong/AP, FILE
Last week, the U.S. reported approximately 118,000 new COVID-19 cases among children, compared to 131,000 cases the previous week, according to a weekly joint report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA).
But even with the decline, children still accounted for about a quarter of reported weekly COVID-19 cases. People under the age 18 make up roughly 22% of the U.S. population. Regionally, the Midwest continues to see the highest number of pediatric COVID-19 cases as the area experiences the beginnings of a viral resurgence.
The AAP and CHA wrote in the report that the case rate remains an "extremely high number" of newly diagnosed children, with over 1 million cases added over the past six weeks.
Since the onset of the pandemic, nearly 6.3 million children across the nation have tested positive for COVID-19.
Colin Sweeney, 12, gets a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as his mother Nicole put her hand on his shoulder, May 14, 2021, in Pasadena, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP, FILE
In a similar trend, the rate of pediatric hospital admissions per 100,000 people also continues to decline, alongside other age groups. In the last month, the pediatric hospital admission rate fell by more 43.5%.
Currently, severe illness due to COVID-19 remains "uncommon" among children, the two organizations wrote in the report. According to the nearly two dozen states that reported COVID-19 hospitalizations among children, 0.1% to 2% of all pediatric COVID-19 infections resulted in hospitalization. Similarly, in states that reported virus-related deaths by age, 0% to 0.3% of all child COVID-19 cases resulted in death.
However, AAP and CHA warned in the report that there's an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, "including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects."
Less than 45% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to federal data, and more than 48 million children under 12 remain unvaccinated. But that could soon change, should the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention green light COVID-19 vaccinations for kids ages 5 to 11 in the coming weeks.
