Rachel Silberstein is reporting for the Times Union more than half of New York elementary school students are ineligible for the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. That vaccine is designed to target both the original strains of coronavirus and the newer omicron variants, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. Federal Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent shot for children ages 5 to 11 and a Moderna version for ages 6 and up last week. However, the eligibility requirements exclude anyone who has not completed the initial vaccine series at least two months ago and only 42.5 percent of children ages 5 to 11 in New York have completed the initial vaccine series, according to CDC figures. And New York's COVID-19 immunization rates are higher than in the rest of the country, with an average immunization rate of 31.4 percent for the same age group. Completion of the initial COVID-19 series is higher for middle and high school students, at 76.4 percent for youth ages 12 to 17, making most middle and high school kids eligible for the new booster. For adults, more than 93 percent of people over the age of 50 have completed the series, according to the CDC. COVID-19 case numbers do remain relatively low statewide. The CDC is reporting the community levels in Greene and Columbia Counties are now at medium. But hospitalizations are again starting to spike in much of upstate New York, state Department of Health data shows. State data shows that hospitalizations and confirmed cases are primarily climbing among people over 65, suggesting that the vast majority of infections are going unreported. Local health officials expressed concern about rising COVID-19 levels last week. State officials are encouraging all New Yorkers to get the COVID-19 and flu vaccines as soon as possible. Residents are urged to contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or health care provider to get a booster; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations. Read the full story in the Times Union.