Covid Update: 12+ Booster Clinic; Warning from mother about MIS-C; Continued decline in cases (Updated – Again)

Above: The Town is holding a special Booster Clinic for ages 12+ a week from Friday. (image cropped from Town website)

[Updated (2/24/22 12:02 pm): The clinic is being rescheduled due to the forecast storm. Those who registered are being contacted by the Public Health Dept.]

This afternoon, the Town has announced that it will be holding a Covid Booster Clinic at the Southborough Senior Center on Friday, February 25th from noon to 3:00 pm. (That’s during February break, so it doesn’t interfere with public school.) It’s open to anyone who has been fully vaccinated for more than 5 months (or in the case of the J&J vax, 2 months). To learn more or register, click here. (You can also scroll to the bottom of this post for more details from the Board of Health.)*

Related to that news, and before I get into the latest stats (which show continuing decline in community spread), I’m sharing a story about a Southborough family that was in the news this week.

WBSM covered a rare case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome. It referred to a WCVB story in November about 11 year old Julian Benoit. (The text version didn’t mention his hometown.) 

In the original channel 5 news story, Nia Benoit described her son’s Covid case as initially a typical one for children – not that serious and followed by a return to normalcy after a 10 day quarantine. It was a few weeks later that symptoms appeared starting with a headache then progressing to frightening symptoms serious enough to land him in Boston Children’s Hospital ICU for six days. He was eventually diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome post-COVID-19.

Now WBSM writes, Nia Benoit is looking to warn other parents:

Benoit said the major takeaways from this “bad dream” include becoming aware of what MIS-C is, and the need to vaccinate everyone in the family who’s eligible.

“It’s a very touchy subject because it’s hard to tell other parents what to put inside the bodies of their kids. Especially now, when so many people are getting COVID, who had all the shots,” she said. “Getting vaccinated is a personal choice, and I totally respect that. For our family, though, we believe it’s best to get vaccinated and do everything that promotes staying healthy.” . . .

“If your child has had COVID, even if they were asymptomatic, and you notice any symptoms pop out of the blue four to six weeks later like running a high fever, a wet cough or a skin rash, please seek medical attention right away,” she said. “The biggest thing is to spread the word to others about MIS-C. We don’t want other families to suffer what happened to us.” (read more)

If the February 25th Clinic doesn’t work for you, you can click here to find other options for a Covid Vaccine or booster.

That leads me to the Town’s latest figures for Covid vaccinations and cases.

Evaluating the state’s data it seems about 94% of ages 5+ were fully vaccinated by Tuesday, February 8th. And about 63% of ages 12+ already have a booster shot to boot. 

In our public schools, over 88% of ARHS students were vaccinated, and Southborough K-8 schools rates ranged from 75% – 82%. (More details are in charts and graphs below. For additional details on those groups, plus race/ethnicity, click here.)

Covid cases posted by the Town yesterday afternoon continued trending down for the fifth straight week since the mid-January peak. Over the past 8 days there were 21 new/probable cases reported. Only 12 are still in isolation. (That’s the lowest “active case” count since October, but this winter there are also more people relying on at-home tests that aren’t tracked by the state.) 

Thursday night’s state report (based on results by February 10th for tests taken by the 5th) showed a decline in Average Daily Cases over 14 days for the third straight week. It was the 4th week of declining positivity rates for tests taken.

The trends are also reflected in the schools’ latest Dashboard for February 3 – 9 (not posted, but displayed at last week’s School Committee Meeting). There were 36 cases last week. That’s the lowest weekly count since before Christmas break. 

The school’s pooled screening tests identified 8 cases last week. The February 9th Dashboard was the last reporting period to include the Test to Stay program. That has been replaced by giving out weekly rapid at-home tests for families that opt in. (The pooled tests are collected on Mondays and at-home to be taken on Thursdays.) Recently, Duggan told School Committee members that the screened results are now generally coming back in less than 24 hours.

As I covered last night, the NSBORO mask policies are under review by school committees this week for possible revisions. Rather than basing decisions on Covid cases, the recommendation will be to evaluate the impact on Attendance Rates to help decide when masks mandates can be lifted or should be reinstated. Decisions and timing may differ by district and grade. You can read about that here.

*Updated (2/16/22 4:46 pm): I discovered that the Health Department emailed me for details to share with readers about the Booster Clinic:

Vaccine Brand: Pfizer ages 12 + formula, 0.3 mL dosage

Open Appointments: 90 booster appointments for eligible individuals ages 12+

Details: 

• Pre-registration is required. Clinics are open to the public.
• Please enter your insurance information when registering online. You will receive an email confirmation once registered.
• Please bring your COVID-19 Vaccination Card (for boosters) and a photo ID if available. 
• Wear short sleeves. Follow signs when you arrive. Entrance through the rear parking lot to the senior center activity space.
• Booster Eligibility: Everyone 12 and older can get a booster shot at least 5 months after completing a primary COVID-19 vaccination series. Click here for more information on eligibility.
• If you have any questions please call the Southborough Health Department at 508-481-3013

Who is eligible to get a booster?

The Pfizer COVID-19 booster is available to anyone ages 12 and older.

You’re eligible for a booster if:

• Moderna: It’s been at least 5 months since your second dose
• Pfizer: It’s been at least 5 months since your second dose
• Johnson & Johnson: It’s been at least 2 months since your first dose  

You can mix and match vaccines. You do not need to get the same vaccine brand for your booster as your original COVID-19 vaccination. If you are ages 12-17, you can only get a Pfizer booster.

Use VaxFinder to find a pharmacy or other location to get your booster if not available to come to this clinic.

Again, to register, click here.