Children ages 5-11 are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a lower dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children in this age group.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now expanded its vaccine recommendations to roughly 28 million newly-eligible children. An estimated 400,000 doses of the low-dose Pfizer shot will make its way to North Carolina within the next week.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), said shots for younger children will be available at more than 800 locations across the state — including at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, pediatricians’ offices, and hospitals.
“Children are vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus just like everyone else,” Cohen said. “The authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine provides a safe, tested way to protect them from serious illness and provide healthier, happier experiences in and outside of the classroom.”
See where you can find a Pfizer vaccine for kids age 5-11 across North Carolina here, with some local sites shared below.
Chapel Hill
- Harris Teeter on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
- Harris Teeter on West Barbee Chapel Road
- The CVS off 15-501 Highway
- Village Pediatrics in Southern Village (vaccination appointments Monday through Saturday)
- Chapel Hill Children’s Clinic (by appointment with mass vaccination clinics 11/11 and 11/12)
Carrboro
- The CVS on North Greensboro Street
Hillsborough
- The Walmart on Hampton Point
- Hillsborough Pharmacy (vaccination appointments are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays by appointment only)
Durham, Near the Chapel Hill Border
- The CVS on Renaissance Parkway
- Southpoint Pharmacy on Fayetteville Road
- The CVS on Durham Chapel Hill Boulevard
Chatham County
- The Chatham County Public Health Department in Siler City (Wednesdays and Fridays)
- The StarMed Healthcare at the Goldston Town Hall (beginning November 10)
Orange County
- StarMed is offering vaccination clinics at Orange County Schools. Click here to find a spot.
Vaccine trials included 4,500 children overall, with 3,000 5- to 11-year-olds receiving the COVID vaccine and 1,500 receiving a placebo. Of those who received the vaccine, Pfizer reports that it proved to be 90.7 percent effective in preventing symptomatic infection.
According to the CDC, vaccine side effects in clinical trials were mild, self-limiting, and similar to those seen in adults — similar to other vaccines recommended for children. The most common side effect was a sore arm.
The vaccine for kids ages 5-11 is one-third of the dose given to older children and adults and is administered with a smaller needle. It requires two doses three weeks apart, plus two more weeks for full protection to kick in. That means children who get vaccinated before Thanksgiving will be covered by Christmas.
Outside of being a reduced dose, the Pfizer vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds is identical to the one currently available for adults. It will, however, have different color-coded packaging to reduce the risk of mix-ups during the administration process.
Distribution of pediatric vaccinations across the country started this week, with plans to scale up to full capacity starting the week of November 8. Pfizer said it expects to make 19,000 shipments totaling about 11 million doses in the next several days, and that millions more will be available to order on a weekly basis.
During the most recent surge of the coronavirus, pediatric cases of COVID-19 rose by about 240 percent in the United States, according to the NCDHHS.
This vaccine becomes available to young children as more than 1.9 million COVID cases have been reported among children ages 5-11, with more than 8,300 children having been hospitalized according to federal data.
Lead photo via the Associated Press.
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