Hoboken Awaiting Pfizer Doses, Hopes To Schedule Clinic For Kids

HOBOKEN, NJ — Just a day after shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine started being administered to children who were not eligible to receive them, Hoboken city officials said that health officials hope to begin delivering those shots here this weekend.

The city said Thursday is awaiting doses of the Pfizer vaccines and has planned a children's vaccination clinic for Saturday. Health officials are planning a clinic from 9 a.m.-12 .m. Saturday at Wallace Elementary School, which is located at 1100 Willow Ave.

The clinic will be available for all children between the ages of 5 and 11, regardless of where they attend school, health officials said. The clinic will be by appointment only, and as soon as the city receives its supply of pediatric vaccines, officials will update local residents with a link to schedule an appointment.

The City of Hoboken intends to work with local providers to host several clinics to vaccinate newly eligible children, following the recent authorization from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The City will announce a complete schedule of pediatric vaccine clinics as soon as it receives its supply. Unlike the vaccine for those 12 years old or older, the pediatric Pfizer vaccine is given in two injections, three weeks apart, at a lower dosage, city officials said in a news release.

According to the CDC, the pediatric vaccine is safe and effective, and in clinical trials, vaccine side effects were mild with the most common side effect being a sore arm.For more information on the CDC's authorization of the pediatric Pfizer vaccine, click here. For more information on the FDA’s authorization, click here.