Task force provides information on COVID-19 vaccine for children; 3 deaths in Cambria County

Randy Griffith, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Jul. 1—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — With the region's COVID-19 case counts jumping this week, the Cambria-Somerset COVID-19 Task Force is reaching out to parents with information about vaccines for children.

"We just really wanted to be a little proactive and get this information out there, now that the CDC has recommended that everybody 6 months and older get the vaccine," said task force member Jeannine McMillan, executive director of the 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health.

Parents have several vaccine options for the youngest children, the task force says in a newly released information sheet.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires three doses for kids aged 6 months to 4 years or two doses for those 5 to 17 years. The Moderna vaccine requires two doses for children aged 6 months to 17 years. There are also options for children who are immunocompromised.

It seems younger children may experience fewer side effects after COVID-19 vaccination than teens or young adults. They include fever, tiredness, headache, chills, muscle or joint pain and swollen lymph nodes. Very young children are also prone to have irritability or crying, sleepiness and loss of appetite.

The task force paper says these side effects tend to be mild, temporary and similar to those experienced after routine vaccinations. Serious side effects are rare but may occur.

Doctors say even children who have already had the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 should get the vaccine, and any child can get the vaccine along with other immunizations.

Meanwhile, Cambria and Somerset counties reported their largest seven-day case totals in three weeks, the Pennsylvania Department of Health's weekly update showed on Thursday. Cambria added 217 cases this week, and Somerset added 116.

All eight counties in the region saw significant increases in new positives. Bedford County added 42 new cases, Blair County added 135, Indiana County added 123, Clearfield County added 106, Centre County added 205 and Westmoreland County added 510 new cases.

Somerset and Clearfield were the only counties not reporting additional COVID-19 deaths. Westmoreland, Centre and Bedford counties each reported one death, Blair County had two, Cambria County had three and Indiana County added four new fatalities in seven days.