Moderna looks to expand vaccine eligibility as Florida reports 1,898 new COVID-19 cases

ORLANDO, Fla. – Moderna is looking to expand eligibility for its two-dose COVID-19 vaccine.

The drug manufacturer said Tuesday its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, an announcement that could put the shot on track to become the second option for that age group in the U.S.

The company studied more than 3,700 12- to 17-year-olds. Preliminary findings showed the vaccine triggered the same signs of immune protection in kids as it does in adults, and the same kind of temporary side effects such as sore arms, headache and fatigue.

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Moderna now says it will sub its data on teens to the Food and Drug Administration early next month. This comes just weeks after Pfizer’s vaccine was approved for that age group by regulators in the U.S. and Canada.

Pfizer is also running new clinical trials on its vaccine. The pharmaceutical company is studying a third dose of the vaccine. The first participants received their shots Monday.

The booster shots are co-administered with a pneumococcal vaccine candidate, which would protect against illnesses like pneumonia.

The trial is looking at safety when the vaccines are co-administered and will follow up six months after.

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In the meantime, Florida is seeing a decline in new COVID-19 cases. The state saw 3,883 fewer cases of COVID-19 from May 15 to May 22 — a 17% decline — than the previous 7-day period. The Department of Health reports there were 18,251 total COVID-19 cases from May 15 to May 22.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: State reports 1,602 new COVID-19 cases as Florida hits vaccine milestone]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on May 25.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 1,898 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,313,815 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 81 new virus-related deaths Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 37,316. This number included the 735 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were currently 2,116 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since March 2020, 94,401 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 225 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Monday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 3.75% Tuesday out of 50,633 tests. The numbers reported daily by the state reflect test results from the day prior. Health officials say the rate should remain between 5% and 10% to prove a community has a hold of the virus and is curbing infections.

The positivity rate has remained below 5% for over 10 days in Florida.

Vaccinations

The Florida Department of Health began releasing a daily report in December 2020 on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

FDOH reports 8,038,941 people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These individuals either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or completed a two-shot series.

As of Tuesday, 10,075,311 people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Below is the Central Florida region breakdown of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations for Tuesday.

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