StarMed letting parents pre-book COVID vaccine appointments for children
Parents in the Charlotte region can now sign up their children for a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
StarMed Healthcare this week opened its website to pre-book an appointment for children ages 5-11. The move comes after a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted Tuesday to recommend a pediatric dose of the vaccine. The recommendation will now head to the FDA, then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for full approval.
The CDC will meet next Tuesday to decide on fully authorizing the vaccine for children, said Dr. Arin Piramzadian, chief medical officer at StarMed Healthcare.
If it’s approved, North Carolina would ship out doses to StarMed the following day. StarMed expects to start giving out its first doses by Thursday, Piramzadian said.
There are 892,795 children in North Carolina eligible for the shot, he said.
Piramzadian said that timing is “crucial” as schools open and the country heads toward the holiday season. He also noted that while mortality rates in children from COVID-19 are lower compared to older populations, children under age 18 still make up 30% of the cases in North Carolina.
“Obviously if you want to be with your families safely and kids aren’t spreading it to grandma and grandpa, this is the way to do it,” Piramzadian said.
Charlotte-based Atrium Health said it too is preparing for full approval of the vaccine for children.
“Once vaccines are approved by all advisory committees for 5-11-year-olds, vaccines will be available at any location children are currently able to receive their immunizations, including their pediatrician’s office,” the healthcare system said in a statement. “Once the vaccine is approved, parents/caregivers can visit AtriumHealth.org/COVID19Vaccine to schedule.”
Novant Health, Charlotte’s other large health care provider, said it is “working to ensure we’re prepared to start administering as soon as there is authorization to do so.”
StarMed’s Piramzadian said he believes it unlikely the vaccine won’t win full approval next week, saying its effectiveness in the 5-11 age group is 91%. That’s beyond many other vaccines in history, he added.
He said the risks associated with getting the vaccine is minimal. He pointed to concerns parents might have over pericarditis and myocarditis, or inflammations of the lining around the heart. Both have been tied to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, particularly in younger men, according to The New York Times.
But Piramzadian said studies have shown either myocarditis or pericarditis is 6,000 times more likely to develop from a disease like COVID-19 than the vaccine itself.
At least 1,900 appointments for the age group have already been booked, Piramzadian said.
Parents can go to StarMed’s website, click on “register now” for a vaccine and select “pediatric Pfizer” to book an appointment. Several appointments around Mecklenburg County, and in several surrounding counties, were still available as of late Friday morning.
StarMed has been offering COVID-19 testing and vaccinations clinics across 18 locations in Charlotte. Parents can also come get vaccinated with their children or receive a booster shot.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 11:58 AM.
