LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has received formal FDA approval.
And with that being one of the top reasons for many holdouts, doctors are hoping the news will encourage more people to get vaccinated--especially for people under the age of 50.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitalizations for that group are at the highest levels since January. When it comes to our younger populations, there may be an explanation for the cases.
"I mean they're social," said Dr. Daliah Wachs, a family medicine physician. "Me too. Once I got the vaccine, I was like, 'Let's party.' But we have to realize the vaccine doesn't protect us 100 percent."
The youngest age able to get vaccinated is 12. And even at those ages, sometimes we need some convincing.
"I wanted to see how it would affect other people first before I decided to get it," said Jordyn Ramsey, a 13-year-old Las Vegas resident on waiting on the vaccine.
And with FDA approval, it has made the decision a little easier for those holding out.
"I had seen other people around me get the vaccine and they were doing good," she said. "And it just gave me an idea that I could get the vaccine."
And most of the ongoing hospitalizations, especially among youths, are preventable. Dr. Fadi Salibi at Henderson Hospital told me that more than 90 percent of their COVID cases are from unvaccinated individuals.
"It could have happened to me and it's unfortunate that somebody that age could possibly lose their life like that," said Ramsey.
"This pathogen doesn't care if you're young or you're old, if you're a girl or a boy--it doesn't care," said Wachs. "It's going to find an opportunity."
There will be opportunities to get tested and vaccinated Tuesday and Wednesday, 5:30-10:30pm, at the UNLV International Gaming Institute/Stan Fulton building at University Drive and Flamingo Road.
