Vaccines For Babies As Young As 6 Months Old Available In San Diego

SAN DIEGO, CA — Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego Tuesday began administering COVID-19 vaccines to children from 6 months to 5 years old, numerous outlets report. The hospital is not the only place in the county administering the Pfizer and Moderna shots following FDA authorization, but the hospital said that it is especially well-prepared.

“Our hospital has a track record of ordering at the moment that you can start your pre-order. We got hundreds and hundreds of doses in last week and we’re continuing to get them in this week, so we are ready to go,” John Bradley, medical director of infection diseases at Rady Children’s Hospital, told Fox San Diego News.

The hospital told CBS San Diego that it is scheduled to give out 500 doses Tuesday, and has about 7,000 shots ready.

Vaccines will soon be available at pediatrician’s offices, community clinics and pharmacies. Parental approval is required.

Parents have the option to administer either Pfizer or Moderna doses. The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for children from 6 months to 4 years old, and is administered in three doses. The first two shot are given three weeks apart, and the final shot is given at least three months later.

The Moderna vaccine is authorized for children from 6 months to 5 years old, and is administered in two doses given four weeks apart.

Vaccines for children this age contain only one-tenth of the adult dose, according to a news release from San Diego County.

“While children have not been as susceptible to COVID-19, it’s important that they, too, are vaccinated to keep them from getting sick and passing the virus to others,” San Diego County Health Officer Wilma J. Wooten said in a statement. “Some parents have been eagerly anticipating the COVID vaccine for their younger kids. They should make an appointment to get them vaccinated as soon as possible.”