Coronavirus vaccine and Delta variant updates for 10-27-2021

<p>This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for October 27th, 2021.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As expected, FDA advisors unanimously voted to endorse the Pfizer vaccine for kids five to 11. Federal authorization could come in the next few days. The pediatric version would be equal to a third of an adult dose. The panel said the benefits outweigh the risks that include a rare heart-related side effect seen in teens and young adults.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Things continue to look rough in Eastern Europe. The daily number of deaths in Russia hit another high yesterday even as most Russians stayed home from work this week. Ukraine and Bulgaria also reported record daily death tolls. In addition to closures, Russian authorities have strengthened enforcement of mask mandates. Further to the west, the Belgian government has reimposed some restrictions that were relaxed just a few weeks ago as hospitalizations increased 69%.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In the U.S., emergency rooms are slammed, but not with COVID patients. A secondary health crisis caused by the pandemic are all the people who put off seeking care for other issues, but who are now coming in even worse off. Many wind up on stretchers lining hallways for hours with plenty of noise and foot traffic going by. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Here’s a story about at least an attempt to return to normalcy. Louisiana is ending its statewide indoor mask mandate after seeing a sharp decline in new infections. However, the Governor is keeping some masking rules in place for the state’s K-12 schools. LSU said it’s keeping its indoor mask mandate no matter what the state says, and New Orleans indicated it also may not follow the Governor’s lead.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>A report from the American Psychological Association says stress from the pandemic has people struggling to make even small decisions. Almost a third of adults question even basic day-to-day choices like what to eat or wear. It’s especially a problem for parents and Millennials. And there are problems making big decis