Sheridan adds 50 positive cases over weekend, Moderna looks to vaccinate 6 – 11 year-olds

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Sheridan County has had 4,046 lab confirmed cases, adding 43 since Friday. 

Seven new probable cases have been added to the total of 1,192 probable cases since Friday.

There are now 230 cases of COVID-19 currently active in Sheridan County. 

According to COVID-19 Public Information Officer Jennifer Graves, there have been 71 cases of the virus that have recovered since Friday. 

Currently, there are 18 patients hospitalized in Sheridan County battling the virus.

The county has lost 48 residents to the virus.

According to the Associated Press, Moderna said Monday that a low dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and appears to work in 6 to 11 year-olds, as the manufacturer joins Pfizer in moving toward expanding shots to children.

Pfizer’s kid-size vaccine doses are inching closer to widespread use. They are currently undergoing evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration for youngsters in nearly the same age group, 5 to 11, and could be available by early November. The company’s vaccine has already been authorized for anyone aged 12 or older.

Moderna has not yet received the go-ahead to offer its vaccine to teens but is studying lower doses in younger children while it waits for approval.

Researchers tested two shots for the 6 to 11 year-olds, given a month apart, that each contained half the dose given to adults. Preliminary results showed vaccinated children developed virus-fighting antibodies similar to levels that young adults produce after full-strength shots, Moderna said in a news release.

The FDA hasn’t yet ruled on the company’s application to expand its vaccinations to 12 to 17 year-olds, although some countries have cleared Moderna’s shots for adolescents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list Sheridan County’s level of community transmission as HIGH.  

More COVID-19 information is available at www.sheridancounty.com/covid-19/.