RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen shared an update on COVID-19 Wednesday. She talked about the latest push to eradicate the virus -- vaccines for children.
Children ages 5-11 can now get vaccinated against COVID-19, and there is "plenty of supply," Dr. Cohen said.
She also shared the news that her two young children got vaccinated, and encouraged other parents to sign their children up for the shot.
Children's vaccine appointments have been available for about a week now. So far, state leaders say 24,000 North Carolina children in the 5-11 age group have gotten vaccinated - that's about 2-3% of that age group.
Dr. Cohen said the children's Pfizer vaccine is 90% effective at preventing young kids from getting the virus. It is a two-shot vaccine, like the adult version, but a lesser dosage.
Several Greensboro area providers are offering appointments for Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 shot.
Latest COVID-19 numbers
On Wednesday, North Carolina labs confirmed more than 2,100 new COVID-19 cases. They accounted for 5% of all recent tests. Nearly 1,100 people remain hospitalized with COVID-19 - not much of a dip from the previous day.
Fifty-six patients are at Cone Health in Greensboro.
Next Monday, Guilford County commissioners will re-visit the county-wide indoor mask mandate, which has been in place since delta surged in August.
One criteria commissioners will consider is the county's positivity rate over the past three weeks. The goal is to keep it below 5%, on average. Guilford County looks to be meeting that goal but did see a slight uptick in positivity rate after Halloween.
