‘We’ve been waiting for this day.’ Here’s what NC doctors say about COVID shots for kids
Kids ages 5 to 11 will get access to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for the first time this week, after doctors got the final OK from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Tuesday.
On Tuesday evening, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the vaccine for use in kids 5 to 11. And late Tuesday night, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signed off on the shots, meaning the Pfizer vaccine will soon be widely available to many kids.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of the Pfizer vaccine in those age groups on Friday for the first time.
Local doctors celebrated the expected roll-out of vaccines among children in recent interviews. Here’s what doctors from Charlotte’s major hospital systems, Atrium Health and Novant Health, say you need to know about the shots.
Who is eligible for COVID-19 shots now?
The latest roll-out will allow children ages 5 to 11 to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are still available only to adults age 18 and older.
The FDA is assessing the use of the Moderna vaccine in children ages 12 to 17, and Johnson & Johnson is still studying the use of its vaccine in that age group.
The roll-out of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 5 to 11 could protect more than 28 million people throughout the country, Novant Health infectious disease expert Dr. David Priest told reporters last month.
The Pfizer vaccine was rolled out to children ages 12 through 15 in May.
Is the vaccine safe for kids?
Yes. About 3,100 children ages 5 through 11 got the vaccine in a study — and no serious side effects were detected in the ongoing study, according to the FDA.
And vaccine side effects are far less common and less risky than the effects of actually getting COVID-19, Priest said.
More than 500 children have died related to COVID-19 in the U.S., he said. Fewer than 1% of people who have died due to COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County have been under the age of 20, according to the county.
“When we get the vaccine rolling, that will be an important tool to prevent that from happening,” Priest said.
Why do kids need the COVID vaccine?
In the U.S., kids age 5 through 11 make up 39% of coronavirus cases in people under the age of 18, according to the FDA. And roughly 8,300 children in that age group have been hospitalized due to COVID-19, according to the CDC.
Though children are hospitalized for COVID-19 at a lower rate than adults, such hospitalizations can be very serious for kids, Atrium Health pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Amina Ahmed told reporters last week.
Hospitalization numbers are rising in children, she said. And at Atrium facilities, 30% of kids hospitalized with COVID-19 go into the Intensive Care Unit, Ahmed said.
But the vaccine can help prevent hospitalization in children. In the vaccine study, no vaccinated child ended up in the hospital, she said.
“We know that in real life, (the vaccine) definitely works in adolescents,” Ahmed said. “So we’re very excited to have this available for (ages) 5 to 11. We’ve been waiting for this day.”
Many children don’t have symptoms when they get COVID-19, Ahmed said. But those kids are still able to spread the virus to other children and adults.
“(Getting the vaccine) is the only way we’re going to end up ending this pandemic,” Ahmed said. “…We want to be able to keep our children safe and we want to end this pandemic.”
Is the Pfizer vaccine for kids different than the one for adults?
The vaccine dosage for kids is smaller than the dosage for adults, Ahmed said. But this is not a brand new vaccine.
“This vaccine is really the same product as the Pfizer vaccine that’s been around since December,” Ahmed said.
The dose for children is one-third of the adult dose. And The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 will be administered in two doses, three weeks apart.
“It’s an mRNA vaccine, which is very, very safe,” she said. “There’s no virus (in the vaccine).”
How do I sign up to get a vaccine for my children?
Once the vaccines available for children ages 5 through 11, parents can sign up for vaccine appointments at providers across Mecklenburg County online.
Novant Health
Make an appointment through Novant Health MyChart or GetVaccinated.org or by calling 855-648-2248
Atrium Health
Make an appointment at MyAtriumHealth or at AtriumHealth.org/COVID19Vaccine or calling 704-468-8888.
Mecklenburg County Public Health
Make an appointment for vaccine clinic locations online or by calling 980-314-9400.
StarMed Healthcare
Make an appointment at starmed.care/vaccine or by calling 980-445-9818.
Other pharmacies and locations
To find other COVID-19 vaccine locations, visit Vaccines.gov to search by ZIP code.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 2:06 PM.
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