By Paul Hughes, Republican-American
HARTFORD — Parents and guardians of 170,000 youths ages 12 to 15 in Connecticut can now sign up their children for COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
Gov. Ned Lamont on May 12 announced vaccination clinics across the state can start administering the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to youths in this age group.
The announcement followed the decision May 12 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to recommend the vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds.
“This is welcome news for many parents, school officials, summer camp directors and students themselves,” said Dr. Deidre Gifford, the acting public health commissioner, who urged parents and guardians to get children in this age group vaccinated.
State officials reminded parents and guardians that only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for this younger age group, so they should only seek clinics offering that vaccine. To be vaccinated, children in this age group must be accompanied by or have the consent of their parent or legal guardian.
The state Department of Public Health on May 12 reported 187 new COVID-19 cases out of 17,891 test results for a positive test rate of 1%.
DPH officials also reported a net decline of 28 patients hospitalized for a total of 243 statewide and five more deaths for a total of 8,161.
State health officials reported there have been 3,494 COVID-19 cases in Naugatuck, 934 in Prospect and 565 in Beacon Falls since last March.
There have been 93 coronavirus-associated deaths in Naugatuck, six in Beacon Falls and five in Prospect, according to state officials.
Elio Gugliotti contributed to this report.
