COVID Vaccine For Kids Under 12: Where To Get One In NJ

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey families will be able to get their 5- to 11-year-olds vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as Wednesday, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday.

Some vaccine providers, including CVS and Walgreens, already have online appointments open to the 5 to 11-year-old public. Other sites, such as the Burlington County Health Department and Essex County are offering resident-specific clinics.

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Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the CDC, endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine on Tuesday.

That now expands vaccine recommendations to about 28 million children in the United States in this age group and allows providers to begin vaccinating them as soon as possible.

“Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against the virus that causes COVID-19," Walensky said. "We know millions of parents are eager to get their children vaccinated and with this decision, we now have recommended that about 28 million children receive a COVID-19 vaccine."

"As a mom, I encourage parents with questions to talk to their pediatrician, school nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the vaccine and the importance of getting their children vaccinated," she said.

Ahead of the announcement, New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said the state would be ready to roll it out Wednesday morning.

"Opening up eligibility for our younger kids can be an absolute game-changer in our fight against COVID, especially in making our schools safer places and enhancing protection for our families and communities," Gov. Phil Murphy said during Monday's news conference.

And with 560,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 in the Garden State, Persichilli said protecting that age group helps further protect everyone else.

COVID-19 cases in children can result in hospitalizations, deaths, MIS-C (inflammatory syndromes) and long-term complications, such as “long COVID,” in which symptoms can linger for months, the CDC said.

The spread of the delta variant resulted in a surge of COVID-19 cases in children throughout the summer. During a 6-week period in late June to mid-August, COVID-19 hospitalizations among children and adolescents increased fivefold, the CDC announcement said.

Similar to what was seen in adult vaccine trials, vaccination was nearly 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 among children aged 5-11 years, the CDC announcement said. In clinical trials, vaccine side effects were mild, self-limiting, and similar to those seen in adults and with other vaccines recommended for children. The most common side effect was a sore arm.

"COVID-19 vaccines have undergone – and will continue to undergo – the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history," the CDC announcement said. "Vaccinating children will help protect them from getting COVID-19 and therefore reducing their risk of severe disease, hospitalizations, or developing long-term COVID-19 complications. Getting your children vaccinated can help protect them against COVID-19, as well as reduce disruptions to in-person learning and activities by helping curb community transmission."

The state has received 51 requests for school-endorsed vaccination events in 14 counties since Oct. 21, Persichilli said during Monday's news conference.

"We have ordered 203,800 doses, and more than 230 sites will receive those doses," Persichilli said. "The department has been in daily communication with vaccination providers, helping them to prepare for this next step."

In New Jersey, sites in all 21 counties are set to receive the vaccine for ages 5 to 11. These sites include:

• 65 primary care practices, including pediatricians;
• 40 independent pharmacies and 18 chain pharmacies;
• 37 county and local sites;
• 35 acute care hospitals;
• 27 federally qualified health centers;
• Urgent cares;
• University sites; and
• The Gloucester County megasite.

"We know that parents have concerns and want to do what's best for their children," Persichilli said. "We also know that COVID does affect children. While case rates are declining across the state and the nation, younger children are now the predominant positive cases."

These concerns include the speed with which the trials were conducted, but State Medical Examiner Dr. Edward Lifshitz called that a "tribute to the scientists working on the vaccine who conducted years of research, and the volunteers who participated in the trials."

"While nothing is 100 percent without risk, these are clearly safe vaccines," Lifshitz said. "There's nothing to suggest they're any riskier in this age group than any other age group."

While children haven't been impacted by the pandemic the way adults have, COVID-19 is still among the top 10 causes of pediatric deaths, Lifshitz said. He said any risk from the vaccine is lower than the risk of the coronavirus itself.

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