City Of Fairfax: Children Ages 5-11 Now Eligible For COVID-19 Vaccination

Press release from the City of Fairfax :

11/03/2021 7:00 PM

On Nov. 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director endorsed CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation for use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine among children between the ages of 5 and 11. This means that children ages 5-11 are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.

“Since late August, children have experienced the highest rate of COVID-19 infection in our community,” said Fairfax County Health Department’s Director, Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu. “While children are less likely to get serious disease than adults, some have been hospitalized and, like adults, suffering symptoms that can last for months. Children with asymptomatic infections can spread the virus to other household members. For these reasons, we encourage parents and guardians to get their child[ren] vaccinated as soon as possible.”

How To Get Vaccinated in the Fairfax Health District

In the coming days, the COVID-19 vaccine authorized for the 5-11 year old population will be widely available in the community. Many pediatric and family practice offices stand ready to make appointments for families. Parents are encouraged to call their child’s healthcare provider if with questions or to make an appointment.

There are also multiple opportunities to get COVID-19 vaccine in Fairfax. Most sites will be providing vaccine by appointment only at this time. These include:

• Pediatric and Family Medicine Providers: call your child’s doctor to make an appointment.
• Pharmacies, grocery stores, and urgent care facilities: visit vaccines.gov (www.vacunas.gov) to search for a vaccine appointment.
• Health Department Vaccination Centers: visit the website to make an appointment, or call 703-324-7404 if you need assistance.
  • Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, 22035
  • Mount Vernon District Office (Gerry Hyland Government Center), 8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, 22309
• Tysons Community Vaccination Center, 7950 Tysons Corner Center, Tysons: Visit here or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users call 711). Appointment assistance is available in English, Spanish, and more than 100 other languages.
• Inova Children Vaccination Clinic: visit here to make an appointment for their weekend clinics at the Inova Center for Personalized Health, 8100 Innovation Park Drive, Fairfax.

When looking for an appointment, be sure to search for Pfizer pediatric vaccine since it is the only vaccine currently available for use in children 5-11 years old. 

Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or another adult at all community vaccination sites.

There will be enough vaccine for every child who is eligible, however, it is possible that during the initial week, certain locations may not have received their full allocation. Appointments should become available very soon as we move through the weeks ahead.

The Health Department is working on strategies to ensure equity in access to vaccination for children who experience difficulty in scheduling an appointment or attending one of the other community options. This includes plans to offer vaccine clinics in some schools and at community centers during off-school hours. Details will be shared soon.

COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe and Effective

More than 200 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine have been safely administered in the United States and many million more around the world. Independent scientific advisory committees to both FDA and CDC have concluded that the benefits of vaccinating children 5-11 years old far outweigh the rare side effects that occur.

The dosage that children ages 5-11 years old receive is one-third of the amount given to those over age 12. Despite the lower dose, vaccinated 5- to 11-year-olds have similar antibody levels as adolescents and young adults who received the higher dose.

The vaccine for 5–11-year-olds is given in two doses, separated by 21 days. Children are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving the second dose. Side effects in this age group included pain or redness in the arm where the vaccine is given, fatigue, headache and muscle aches.

Vaccinations Help Keep Kids in School and Activities

The COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in preventing children from getting and spreading the virus. Vaccination will help a child stay in school and reduce the risk of disrupted learning. Vaccinated children without symptoms do not need to quarantine and can remain at school even if they are exposed.

Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s pediatrician with questions. You may also visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/novel-coronavirus. The Virginia Department of Health has additional, up-to-date information on the background and details for the vaccination planning for children ages 5-11.

Stay Informed About COVID-19

• If you have questions about COVID-19 vaccines, please call 703-324-7404. Call the Health Department Call Center at 703-267-3511 with Coronavirus questions. Both call centers are open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday thru Friday.
• Text FFXCOVID to 888777 to receive updates from Fairfax County about COVID-19; text FFXCOVIDESP to 888777 for updates in Spanish.
• Email questions or concerns to ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov. This email account will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m.
• Learn more about COVID-19 on the Health Department Coronavirus (COVID-19) Webpage or FAQ page.
• Follow the Health Department Facebook Page.
• Follow @fairfaxhealth on Twitter.

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.