District II Public Health Waiting for Clearance Before Offering Pediatric COVID Vaccines

While the CDC has recommended the release of the Pfizer pediatric COVID vaccine to children ages 5-11 years old, don’t rush down to your local health department just yet.

District II Public Health has released a statement saying they will not begin offering the pediatric COVID vaccinations until they receive more guidance from the CDC, which they expect to have in the coming days.

However, the Pfizer pediatric COVID vaccine is already being offered at pharmacies, such as Walgreens and CVS.

District II Public Health spokeswoman Natasha Young said there are approximately 987,000 children 5-11 years old in Georgia now eligible for the COVID vaccine.

The pediatric Pfizer COVID vaccine is authorized for children as a 2-dose series taken 3 weeks apart.

The dose for children ages 5-11 is one-third of the dosage of the vaccine for adolescents and adults.

In clinical trials, vaccination was nearly 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 among younger children.

Vaccine side effects were mild and temporary. The most common side effect was a sore arm.