Using the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker and using Wednesday as the last day of the week, here is the FEHBlog’s chart of weekly new COVID cases for this year:
New cases continue to fall as do new COVID hospital admissions. What’s more, new weekly COVID deaths, a lagging indicator are trending down now too.
Finally, here’s the FEHBlog’s chart of weekly new COVID vaccinations distributed and administered from the 51st week of 2020 through the 42nd week of 2021:
Over two thirds of the vaccination eligible U.S. population (age 12 and older) is fully vaccinated. Medscape adds that
Pfizer says its vaccine for children is 90% effective at preventing COVID-19 infections.
The Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 is 10 micrograms, roughly one-third of the dose given to adolescents and adults. * * *
The vaccine effectiveness data comes from a study of more than 2,000 kids ages 5 to 11. Two-thirds of the children were randomly assigned to receive a child-sized dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while the other third was sorted into the placebo group.
According to the company’s analysis of its own studies, side effects seen in the study were nearly all mild. The most common side effect reported was pain at the site of the shot. Kids in the group that received the vaccine also had fatigue, headaches, fever, and chills at higher rates than were seen in the placebo group. These were most common after the second dose. Some skin reactions were seen in the study, like itching and rashes, but these were mostly mild and went away within a few days.
Kids also could have swollen lymph nodes after their vaccinations, as adults sometimes do, but these reactions were temporary.
One child developed a tic, a recurring involuntary muscle twitch or vocal sound, that came one week after their second dose of the vaccine. It was judged by study investigators to be related to the vaccine. The company says it was going away by the time the study was being published.
Reassuringly, no cases of heart inflammation called myocarditis were found in the study. Myocarditis is rare and temporary, but it requires hospital care. The highest rates of myocarditis are seen in males younger than 30. That group has a risk of about 11 cases for every 100,000 doses given, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Also, here are links to the Health and Human Services Department’s new COMBAT COVID website (catchy!) and the CDC’s interpretation of this week’s COVID statistics.
The CDC’s most recent Flu View (October 16) sums it up as follows: Seasonal influenza activity in the United States remains low. Just like last year so far.
In other news, CNBC informs us that
The standard Medicare Part B premium is projected to be $158.50 per month [in 2022], up from $148.50 this year. However, the rates for next year have not been officially announced. * * *
People with incomes above certain levels will pay more for Medicare Part B coverage. This is known as the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, or IRMAA.
A new table for Medicare Part B premiums for 2022 has also not yet been released. However, this year’s IRMAA rates will likely be reasonably close, Elsasser said.
Both Social Security and SSI beneficiaries will be notified by mail in December as to what their benefit payments will be next year. That information will also be available online through personal My Social Security accounts.
New benefit amounts for 2022 will not be calculated for those covered by Medicare until after the premiums for next year are announced. Medicare changes for 2022 will be available at Medicare.gov.