Orange County’s deputy county health officer, who is also a mom, has made a passionate plea to parents to talk to their pediatricians about getting their children vaccinated when COVID-19 shots for kids ages 5 to 11 are approved next week.
“I get it that some parents are going to want to wait,” Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong said on a weekly conference call with reporters. “But a lot of physicians (who are parents) are going to be first in line because we’ve seen the data. … I know I’m going to be first in line to get my child vaccinated. This is a very safe vaccine.”
Chinsio-Kwong noted that the careful review of the vaccine’s safety is why federal regulatory authorities have taken so long to approve the shot dosages for kids aged 5 to 11.
“This is why we have so many organizations looking at the data and having the different committees,” she said. “It’s why we’re taking so long to look into that.”
Chinsio-Kwong said the risk of an adverse reaction to the vaccines pales in comparison to the effects of COVID-19.
“I get it as a parent that you always want what’s best for your child,” Chinsio-Kwong said. “But the last thing I want is for any of my kids to get COVID.”
The threat of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, a COVID-related malady that can develop in youngsters infected with the virus, is “very scary,” the doctor said.
“We do know with COVID that some studies are showing that kids who have had COVID have higher rates of depression and anxiety or have more difficulty concentrating in school and have headaches,” she said. “And we really don’t know how long that it affects that child — if it goes into adulthood. I’d rather take the risk of any side effect of a vaccine over any of my kids getting COVID.”
She added: “I hope parents can really have that discussion with their physician … because they have been caring for patients with COVID. … If you have not already gotten your questions answered, seek those answers from a medical professional.”
Chinsio-Kwong also encouraged frontline workers such as firefighters and police officers, who have generally lower rates of inoculation, to get vaccinated.
“In order to be a hero to others you have to protect yourself first,” Chinsio-Kwong said.
If they’re embarrassed about not getting a shot yet, she added, “You can go to a local pharmacy. No one needs to know.”
Chinsio-Kwong also urged parents to “be careful” while celebrating Halloween or Dia de los Muertos.
“I know many kids are excited because over the last year or two many have not been able to celebrate” the holidays, Chinsio-Kwong said. “But we want to remind people to be careful out there.”
She advised wearing bright clothing or carrying a “glow light so people can see you” in the darker hours, she said.
She also recommended keeping a safe distance from others, and said it is better to celebrate outdoors than indoors. Also, make liberal use of hand sanitizer as candy is dumped in the bags of children.
For those who are especially vulnerable to coronavirus, she suggested putting candy out on the porch with a sign inviting kids to take what they want, Chinsio-Kwong said.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county again ticked down, while three more fatalities were logged, according to data from the Orange County Health Care Agency released Friday.
The county’s COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped from 195 Thursday to 193 Friday, with the number of intensive care unit patients decreasing from 53 to 49.
County hospitals have 24.4% of their ICU beds and 70% of their ventilators available, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
The county also logged 325 more infections, raising the cumulative to 304,693. The death toll rose to 5,595.
The county’s case rate per 100,000 residents was 6.2, compared to 6.3 last Friday, Chinsio-Kwong said, adding that the vast majority of patients hospitalized are unvaccinated.
The hospitalization numbers being reported reflect patients who are primarily being treated for COVID-19, Chinsio-Kwong said. Before, many of those listed as COVID-19 patients just happened to have the virus but were in the hospital for some other reason and subjected to mandatory testing.
“My understanding is now the cases that we’re reporting are people hospitalized for COVID reasons,” Chinsio-Kwong said.
The county’s exit from the Delta variant-fueled summer surge has been gradual, unlike previous surges, but experts do not know exactly why.
“We do know across California our state is open,” she said. “We do realize that people are getting tired of wearing masks and there’s waning immunity… and still many are not vaccinated. We expect the case rates will remain the same or increase.”
An increase in testing could also be a factor in the rate of infections, she said.
“I think it’s a combination of things,” Chinsio-Kwong said.
The increase in testing could be attributed to physicians being advised to test for the flu and COVID-19 since there’s not much difference in the symptoms other than the loss of taste or smell for those afflicted with coronavirus, Chinsio-Kwong said.
The number of fully vaccinated residents in Orange County increased from 2,162,820 last Thursday to 2,177,053 this week.
That number includes an increase from 2,019,902 to 2,032,863 residents who have received the two-dose regimen of vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna. The number of residents receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine increased from 142,918 to 144,190.
There are 187,552 residents who have received one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
The case rate among the unvaccinated has seen a marked increase, and a slight increase among the unvaccinated, according to the OCHCA.
The case rate per 100,000 unvaccinated residents was 14 on Oct. 16, but increased to 15.7 as of Oct. 23, the latest data available. For fully vaccinated residents it was 2.8 on Oct. 16, but 3.4 per 100,000 residents by Oct. 23.
The top providers of vaccines are the OCHCA at 26.10%, CVS at 18.50%, Walgreens at 6.20%, Kaiser Permanente at 5.40%, UC Irvine Health at 2.70%; Walmart at 2%, Safeway, Vons and Pavilions at 1.30%; Families Together of Orange County at 1.10%, and multiple others below 1%.
Orange County officials are confident that healthcare providers and pharmacies can handle demand for child vaccines, Chinsio-Kwong said.
“We have a lot of providers to give that vaccine,” she said, adding there are about 50 pediatric practices authorized for inoculations of COVID-19 vaccines as well as more than 100 pharmacies.
The county’s weekly COVID case rate per 100,000 residents, which is released on Tuesdays, improved from 6.6 to 6 this week, while the test positivity rate fell from 2.5% to 2.3%. The county’s Health Equity Quartile positivity rate — which measures progress in low-income communities — dropped from 2.5% to 2.3%.
All of the fatalities logged Friday occurred this month, raising October’s death toll to 44. Only three were fully vaccinated and they were older than 65 with significant underlying health conditions, Chinsio-Kwong said.
September’s death toll stands at 165. The August death toll is 172.
In contrast, the death toll before the more contagious Delta variant-fueled surge was 29 in July, 19 for June, 26 for May, 46 for April, 200 for March, 615 for February, 1,585 for January — the deadliest month of the pandemic — and 977 for December, the next-deadliest.