Parents Can Schedule Pfizer Vaccine For Children Now
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, for children ages 5 to 11 years old is now available in Tarrant County. Parents and legal guardians should first talk to their pediatrician or local pharmacy to obtain their vaccination. Tarrant County Public Health will also be offering the children’s vaccine for those who cannot obtain it elsewhere.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine received final approval for use with children from the CDC on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. On Oct. 29 the vaccine received its Emergency Use Authorization from the EPA. The EPA and CDC reviewed extensive data from trials to ensure the vaccine is safe for younger children. Critical points found during the studies include:
Effectiveness: Immune responses of children 5 – 11 years of age were comparable to those of individuals 16 through 25. In addition, the vaccine was found to be 90.7 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 – 11.
Safety: The vaccine’s safety was studied in approximately 3,100 children age 5 – 11 who received the vaccine and no serious side effects have been detected in the ongoing study.
Dosage: The dose is just one-third (10 micrograms) of the dose for those 12 years of age and older (30 micrograms).
Children age 5 – 11 will receive two doses, 21 days apart, similar to those in the older groups already vaccinated. If a child cannot receive their second dose at 21 days, they are encouraged to get their second dose as soon as possible. Once the series has begun, there is no reason to restart; just finish up when it is possible. At this time, a booster dose is not recommended for children.
This morning CVS and Walgreens in the DFW area were scheduling appointments as soon as saturday.
Cook Children’s Medical Center received a shipment of the vaccine Tuesday. The hospital said it has enough doses to vaccinate about 3,000 children and that it plans to soon announce details of a mass vaccination clinic to be held with Cook patients for those with existing MyCookChildren’s accounts. There is no need for families to call to schedule appointments with Cook Children’s. All scheduling will occur through their MyCookChildren’s account and details, including the schedule for the vaccination clinics, will be posted on CookChildrens.org.
