City Of Fairfax: Planning For COVID-19 Vaccinations For 5-To-11-Year-Olds: What You Need To Know Now

Press release from the City of Fairfax :

10/29/2021 10:30 AM

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received the recommendation of its independent advisory panel to expand the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer-BioNTECH COVID-19 vaccine to include children from the ages of 5-11 years. The FDA recommendation grants some 28 million children nationwide, including approximately 97,000 children in the Fairfax Health District, eligibility for vaccine.

Following FDA’s recommendation, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet Nov. 2 to evaluate the findings and consider authorization. The pediatric dose is 1/3 the amount given to those 12 years and older. However, despite the lower dose, vaccination trials have shown that 5- to 11-year-olds produce similar antibody levels as adults who received the higher dose. Like the adult dose, the pediatric dose requires two doses spaced 21 days apart.

If authorized by CDC, it is anticipated that pediatric doses could go into arms beginning in early November.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccination against COVID-19 offers the best protection against getting sick and passing the virus on to others.

Vaccine will be available through pediatric and family medical practices, as well as local pharmacies and the Tysons Community Vaccination Center. In addition, the health department will provide COVID-19 vaccine to children by appointment only. Since it is a different dose, it is not interchangeable with the COVID vaccine used for 12 years and above, so parents will need to wait to seek vaccine for their younger children.

Until the vaccine is authorized for the 5-to-11-year-olds, appointments will not be accepted for this age group. Once CDC grants authorization, parents are encouraged to contact their child’s medical provider to make an appointment. Families may also go to www.vaccines.gov to schedule an appointment at a local pharmacy or the Health Department. Families interested in getting their children vaccinated at the Tysons Community Vaccination Center will be able to schedule their child’s appointment at vase.vdh.virginia.gov.

Clinical trials in children ages 5-11 found the vaccine to be 90.7 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 when fully vaccinated (two doses).

Safety data from the trials showed no serious adverse events related to the vaccine. The most common reactions included pain at the injection site, fatigue and headache. Side effects were more common after dose two, usually mild in severity, and resolved within a few days.

The Virginia Department of Health has additional, up-to-date information on the background and details for the vaccination planning for children ages 5 to 11.

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