Kids under 5 are now eligible for COVID vaccines. Here’s where to get shots in Charlotte
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized use of the Moderna and Pfizer for children under 5 years old.
The FDA said it had evaluated the safety and efficacy of both vaccines to support the emergency use authorization.
“Many parents, caregivers and clinicians have been waiting for a vaccine for younger children and this action will help protect those down to 6 months of age,” FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf said in a statement. “As we have seen with older age groups, we expect that the vaccines for younger children will provide protection from the most severe outcomes of COVID-19, such as hospitalization and death.”
Here’s what you need to know about each vaccine, and where kids can get them in Charlotte.
Charlotte clinics and pharmacies offer kid vaccines
The Pfizer vaccine is available for kids 18 months through 4 years of age in all CVS MinuteClinic locations in Charlotte, the company said in an emailed statement to the Charlotte Observer.
Walgreens also announced the Pfizer vaccine is available in North Carolina for children 3 and older, WRAL reported.
Parents can also take their kids to these locations around Charlotte:
- Charlotte Community Health Clinic University, 8401 Medical Plaza Drive, Charlotte
- Novant Health Pediatrics Highland Creek & After Hours Care, 5370 Ridge Rd, Charlotte
- South Charlotte Pediatrics, 10410 Park Rd. Suite 100, Charlotte
- StarMed, 4001 Tuckaseegee Rd., Charlotte
- Campus Medical, 9430 University City Blvd., Charlotte
- Novant, 2630 East Seventh St., Charlotte
- Mecklenburg County Health Department, 249 Billingsley Rd., Charlotte
- VaxClinic, 4400 Park Rd. Suite 316, Charlotte
- Charlotte Community Health Clinic West, 5301 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte
Other locations can be found using the vaccine locator tool on the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services website.
How effective are the vaccines in young children?
Data from a clinical trial, conducted when omicron was the dominant variant, show the Moderna vaccine was 50.6% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 6 to 23 months of age, according to the FDA. For participants aged 2 to 5, the vaccine was 36.8% effective.
The Pfizer vaccine was proven to be 80.3% effective in children 6 months to 5 years of age during a clinical trial, the company said.
How safe are the vaccines for young children?
The vaccines were proven to be safe in multiple clinical trials, according to the FDA.
The most commonly reported side effects for children who participated in the Moderna clinical trial were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, fever and underarm swelling in the same arm as the injection.
In the Pfizer trial, the most commonly reported side effects were irritability, decreased appetite, fever, and pain, tenderness, redness and swelling at the injection site.
This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
