The attached interview is from SDPB's daily public-affairs show, In the Moment.
New COVID vaccine protocols have been released for children ages five to 12.
Dr. David Basel is the vice president of clinical quality with Avera Health. He says the COVID-19 Delta Variant does present risks to kids five through 12, despite hospitalization and death being rare for this age group.
“COVID is hard on the body, more long-term effects – long-hull COVID certainly affects children and can be a very long process of getting back to prior levels of functioning – even for children. So yes, children absolutely get affected by this.”
Doctor Basel says the research is in favor of children in this age group getting vaccinated, despite rare side-effects from the vaccine.
“The benefit ratio is still clearly in favor of vaccinating, even at the younger age group.”
Weekday COVID-19 numbers update:
- State’s death toll: 2,234 (+3 from the previous report)
- Note: 'Death toll' indicates the number of deaths among people with COVID, but COVID may not have been the sole cause of death.
- Deaths verifiably caused by COVID: 1,954
- Active cases: 5,393 (-71 from the previous report)
- People 12 and older who are fully vaccinated: 57.91%
- Due to updated/data clean-up efforts of federal vaccination data and additional state residency information, the completed vaccine coverage rate decreased 2.52%.
- Currently hospitalized: 204 (+5 from the previous report)
- Note: Currently Hospitalized numbers include COVID-19 cases and people that are in the hospital under transmission-based precautions. The number may include out-of-state cases and people
The South Dakota Department of Health says unvaccinated people make up the vast majority of newly reported deaths and hospitalizations.
They say, "The more the virus that causes COVID-19 circulates in a community, the more opportunities it has to transform into variants that can spread more easily. Help stop the spread and further mutation of the Coronavirus by getting vaccinated."
Find a vaccine: https://vaccines.gov