BOOSTER SHOT UPDATES
CDC allows COVID-19 booster shots for kids 12-15, allows shorter time before booster
The CDC approved the use of a single-booster dose to include use in individuals 12 through 15 years of age.
The CDC also updated its recommendation for when many people can receive a booster shot, shortening the interval from 6 months to 5 months for people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or the Moderna vaccine. This means that people can now receive an mRNA booster shot 5 months after completing their primary vaccination series.
The booster interval recommendation for people who received the J&J vaccine (2 months) has not changed.
Further, consistent with its prior recommendation for adults, the CDC is recommending that moderately or severely immunocompromised 5-to-11-year-olds receive an additional primary dose of vaccine 28 days after their second shot. At this time, only the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for children ages 5-11.
“Vaccination and getting a booster when eligible, along with other preventive measures like masking and avoiding large crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, remain our most effective methods for fighting COVID-19,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D.
For more information, including answers to frequently asked booster questions, click above.
COVID-19 vaccine approved for children ages 5-11
Why children and teens should get vaccinated for COVID-19
The FDA and the CDC have approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11. This is an exciting step forward in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. With this approval, 94% of all Cook County residents are eligible to get vaccinated.
Clinical studies have shown the vaccine to be safe and very effective, preventing 90% of symptomatic infections in children ages 5-11.
While COVID-19 tends to be milder in children compared with adults, it can make children very sick and cause children to be hospitalized. In some situations, the complications from infection can lead to death.
Although children are at a lower risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19 compared with adults, children can:
- Be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19
- Get very sick from COVID-19
- Have both short- and long-term health complications from COVID-19
- Spread COVID-19 to others
Children with underlying medical conditions are more at risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared with children without underlying medical conditions. Children who get infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can also develop serious complications like multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a condition where different body parts become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.
- Vaccinating children can help protect family members, including siblings who are not eligible for vaccination and family members who may be at increased risk of getting very sick if they are infected.
- Vaccination can also help keep children from getting seriously sick even if they do get COVID-19.
- Vaccinating children ages 5 years and older can help keep them in school and help them safely participate in sports, playdates, and other group activities.
Young kids will generally experience similar but milder side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine than adolescents or adults, according to the FDA. Side effects may include pain at the injection site, tiredness, muscle aches, or headache. Kids are less likely to develop fever or chills after the vaccine than adolescents or adults.
You and your children ages 5-11 can walk in to any Cook County Health site to get vaccinated, or you can make an appointment by calling 833-308-1988 (Monday through Friday 8:00 am – 8:00 pm).
Patients and members of the community can also make an online appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine by visiting vaccine.cookcountyil.gov.
Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian in order to get vaccinated.
For a comprehensive list of vaccination sites, visit https://www.vaccines.gov/.
Learn more
Everyone age 5 and older is encouraged to get vaccinated!
Christmas spirit on display at our Food & Clothing Drive
Commissioner Silvestri and State Representative Stephens thank everyone who donated so generously to our Food & New Clothing Drive. A special shout out goes to our volunteers from Notre Dame High School!
This is only a small sampling of the great items we collected for the Leyden Community Food Pantry, the Maine Township Food Pantry, the Salvation Army Norridge Community Center, and the Windy City Community Food Pantry.
Statewide indoor mask mandate in effect
Just over 64 per cent of Illinois residents are fully vaccinated
The State of Illinois indoor mask mandate for all Illinois residents, regardless of vaccination status, is now in effect.
Because COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates continue to increase, the state is also requiring individuals who work in high-risk settings to get vaccinated against COVID-19. All health care workers, pre-k-12 teachers and staff, and higher education personnel and students are now required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Employees in all of these settings and higher education students who are unable or unwilling to receive the vaccine will be required to get tested for COVID-19 at least once per week.
The Cook County Department of Public Health issued an indoor mask mandate for suburban Cook County prior to the state mandate. All individuals age two and older who can medically tolerate a mask must wear one in public indoor spaces and common spaces of multi-unit residences. According to the order, businesses are required to post signage that states that masks are required. CCDPH has created a sign that can be posted by employers and it can be found on the CCDPH website at: https://cookcountypublichealth.org/ccdph-covid-19-communications/.
Forest Preserve Picnic & Event Permits for 2022
Get yours now!
Picnic and event permits are available online or by calling 800-870-3666.
You can purchase permits in-person from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Appointments are strongly encouraged to avoid long wait times. Picnic and event permits can be purchased at the Forest Preserves General Headquarters located at 536 N. Harlem Avenue in River Forest.
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Thanks for attending our largest ever shred/recycling event!
Everything you need to know about Cook County
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Cook County is responsible for providing essential services in the areas of public safety, public health, the court system, elections, tax assessment and appeals, recording deeds, and managing forest preserves. As an independent-minded member of the Board, I have worked hard to combine fiscal responsibility with social awareness. I am honored to serve the people of the 9th district, which includes: portions of the far northwest side of Chicago; Park Ridge, River Forest, Elmwood Park, Harwood Heights, Mount Prospect, Norridge, River Grove, Rosemont, and Schiller Park; portions of Arlington Heights, Melrose Park, Morton Grove, Niles, and Prospect Heights; and unincorporated Norwood Park, Maine, and Wheeling Townships.
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