Onondaga County could soon see a jump in vaccination numbers with news that the Pfizer vaccine will soon be approved for people ages 12 to 15 years old. Opening up the vaccine to that age group would mean about 20,000 more county residents would be eligible to receive a shot.
County Executive Ryan McMahon said a new group of people eligible means built in demand.
“So right now, we’re out, right now, chasing down arms in neighborhoods, and trying to, struggling to do that,” said McMahon. “This would be a new group, so we know we’d be, there’ll be some demand right away which is efficient. It’s an efficient use of all of our time. And I’ve been saying it for weeks that I think this is when we really turn the corner.”
McMahon expects around half of those ages 12 to 15 to take immediate advantage of the new eligibility.
About 54% of the county’s population is vaccinated. The county is slowly climbing to what epidemiologists consider herd immunity. McMahon said there is additional immunity from people who have tested positive for the virus.
“So there’s a level of natural immunity and there’s other, obviously those who had COVID who never got tested positive, that have some level of immunity, too. So outside of the vaccination numbers, there’s a bump there,” said McMahon.
McMahon said exactly how much of an immunity boost it provides is unclear. A Johnson & Johnson clinic will be held at the OnCenter Friday. Appointments are available and walk-ins are welcome. Find more information about the county’s vaccination schedule on the county’s website.
