King County Rolls Out COVID Vaccines For Kids 5-11

KING COUNTY, WA — With the final approvals now in place, King County health care providers will soon offer COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11, via pediatricians, school clinics and pharmacies.

"With nearly 90% of eligible King County residents being vaccinated - and most of them fully vaccinated - it’s a critical moment to ensure that children are protected from the virus, keeping kids, families, and teachers safe", said King County Executive Dow Constantine. "Our equitable approach to vaccine distribution has never been more critical to the health of our community, as we ensure children in areas hit hardest by the virus will be able to get vaccinated as soon as possible."

Officials estimated Wednesday that roughly 183,000 King County children became newly eligible for low-dose Pfizer shots this week, following an authorization granted by the Food and Drug Administration and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Western States Scientific Safety Advisory Group.

Related: Washington Approves Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine For Kids 5-11

"A COVID-19 vaccine for 5-11-year-olds will allow these young people to take advantage of the most important prevention measure — one that older children and adults have already benefitted from," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, King County's health officer. "We're still learning about the impact of long COVID on children, and we know children can spread COVID-19 to others, including adults who may be vulnerable to severe outcomes. For these reasons, along with the strong safety record of the vaccine in older children and adults, we look forward to ensuring access to the pediatric vaccine as soon as possible."

A UW Medicine clinic in Shoreline administered the first doses to newly eligible children Wednesday afternoon.

While shots for younger residents will soon become widely available, Public Health - King County & Seattle said its partnership sites are still awaiting shipments and would not immediately have appointments available.

"CDC began shipping pediatric vaccines this week and some providers may not receive shipments until next week," officials wrote Wednesday. "The Pfizer vaccine for this age group is formulated specifically for children. Children aged 5-11 cannot get the Pfizer vaccine for ages 12+, so as pediatric doses become available, families should make sure to only make appointments for a Pfizer vaccination for the appropriate age."

Once doses have been delivered, families with younger children will be able to find appointments via King County's online tool. Some appointments may also be available through pharmacies, doctor's offices and community clinics.

Parents can learn more about the pediatric COVID-19 doses on King County's Public Health Insider blog.