HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Health concerns are varied as COVID-19 cases in Hampton Roads climb back into the “yellow/medium zone,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Monday, the CDC county check showed community levels in yellow (medium) for most of Hampton Roads.
- Virginia Beach – yellow
- Chesapeake – yellow
- Suffolk – yellow
- Newport News – yellow
- Hampton – yellow
- Norfolk – green
- Portsmouth – green
These ratings are determined by hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area.
This comes as news that Pfizer says three small doses of its COVID-19 vaccine protects children under the age of 5 and that it plans to give the data to U.S. regulators later this week.
The 18 million tots under 5 are the only group in the U.S. not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.
The Food and Drug Administration has begun evaluating data from rival Moderna.
The FDA has set tentative dates next month for its scientific advisers to publicly debate data from Pfizer and Moderna.
Dr. Douglas Mitchell, pediatrician and medical director for CHKD Medical Group, told News 3, "Once the FDA approves it, CDC approves it and the American Academy of Pediatrics, we will be following those recommendations and recommending it to the younger children as well."
Dr. Mitchell said they're seeing a variety of reactions about a possible vaccine for the youngest children.
"We saw the same thing in the 5 to 11’s — those that were the ones standing in lines waiting for it to be approved, and then we have those who will say ‘never in my child.’ And then we’ve got those in the middle who will wait and see," described Mitchell. "We saw that in the 5-11s and expect we’ll see the same as it’s approved in the younger children."
Dr. Mitchell did say they're noticing other viruses affecting patients recently.
"Now that there’s less masking, many of the other viruses that were relatively uncommon for the last two years are back," Mitchell stated. "It’s a little confusing. Is it COVID or not?"
He recommends staying home from school or work to lessen the chances of spreading illness.
