ALBANY COUNTY — On Thursday, Albany County adolescents aged 12 to 15 started getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had endorsed the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the new age group, following the Food and Drug Administration’s expansion of emergency use authorization on Monday night.

The state’s health commissioner, Howard Zucker, and New York’s Clinical Advisory Task Force conducted a concurrent review, and then the governor on Wednesday night authorized all providers enrolled in the state’s COVID-19 vaccination program to expand eligibility in the 12-to-15 age group immediately. Albany County had prepared ahead so started administering the shots on Thursday.

“We know that vaccine is the way we’re going to get through this,” said Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen at a Thursday morning press briefing.

Whalen said of the expanded eligibility for adolescents, “This decision was not made lightly and was made after thorough review of data on safety.”

She outlined the advantages for that age group to get vaccinated. With vaccine effectiveness on the order of 95 percent, Whalen said, youth will be able to reunite with family members, “visiting elderly relatives.”

Also, students will be able to attend in-person classes at school consistently. Being out of school, she said, has been “very hard on kids.”

“Once you are fully vaccinated … you do not need to quarantine,” said Whalen.

After a first Pfizer shot is given, a second shot is administered three weeks later; then, after a two-week wait, the recipient is considered fully vaccinated.

A parent or guardian of an adolescent age 12 to 15 must be present for the vaccination and must sign a consent form. No birth certificate or Social Security number is needed.

To entice kids to get vaccinated, the county is handing out stickers and Stewart’s Shops has donated 500 vouchers for ice-cream cones, Whalen said.

Whalen noted that the population under age 18 accounts for about 20 percent of COVID-19 cases nationwide, calling it “a significant driver of infection.”

She went on, “Although our numbers are going down, we are still seeing people that are being … hospitalized and unfortunately we are seeing deaths. These can be prevented with broader vaccination of our population.”

Whalen said the county would be happy to share the vaccine it is given with local providers and encouraged pediatricians to get certified to give the shots at their offices. She also said, “We encourage pediatricians to come and help us out at our clinics.”

Whalen concluded, “If you look at countries where vaccination rates are better, you see countries with less disease … We want to get to the point of eradication … so we can all assume life as we knew it before.”

Vaccine outreach

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said that the county’s vaccination rate has slowed. “It’s now an increase by 2 percent each week. In the beginning, we were literally at 4 percent or more … We’re hitting that wall. We need to get more people vaccinated,” he said.

According to the state’s vaccine tracker, Albany County has given at least one shot to 57.3 percent of its 301,117 residents. Statewide, 48.9 percent of New Yorkers have received one shot and 40.4 percent have completed a vaccine series.

Albany County, partnering with the Capital District Physicians Health Plan and Focus Churches of Albany, continues to hold weekly Pfizer vaccination clinics at Emmanuel Baptist Church at 275 State Street in Albany. On Fridays, May 14, 21, and 28, residents can get vaccinated between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. without an appointment. Second doses will be scheduled at the time of the first dose.

The county’s health department also continues to administer vaccinations and to answer questions about vaccines at its Green Street office. Walk-ins are welcome for Pfizer shots from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Free transportation is available for anyone 60 or older by calling the County Department for Aging at 518-447-7198 in advance.

“We will come to your house. We will pick you up — you and your aid. We will get you there and get you vaccinated and back to your home,” said McCoy.

Relaxing masks rules

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after more than a year of advising mask-wearing, changed its guidance to say that fully-vaccinated people can take their masks off in most indoor settings; the requirement had already been lifted for outdoors.

CDC guidance does not override orders issued by states and a number of states had already lifted mask requirements.

Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a statement on Thursday, saying, “We have received the newly revised guidance from the CDC regarding mask wearing and social distancing for those with vaccinations and are reviewing them in consultation with Dr. Zucker and our partners and health experts in surrounding states.”

Newest numbers

McCoy announced 23 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county’s tally to 24,088.

Of the new cases, 17 did not have clear sources of infection identified, five had close contact with someone infected with the disease, and one is a healthcare worker or resident of a congregate living setting.

The five-day average for new daily positives decreased to 17.4 from 19.6. There are now 120 active cases in the county, down from 140 on Wednesday.

The number of Albany County residents under quarantine increased to 364 from 358. So far, 78,428 residents have completed quarantine. Of those, 23,968 had tested positive and recovered. That is an increase of 41 recoveries since Wednesday.

There was one new hospitalization overnight, and there are now 17 county residents hospitalized from the virus — a net decrease of two. There are currently five patients in intensive-care units, down one from Wednesday.

The county’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 378.

According to the state’s dashboard, as of Wednesday, as a seven-day rolling average, Albany County has an infection rate of 1.0 percent.

Statewide, the infection rate, also as of Wednesday, as a seven-day rolling average, is 1.3 percent.