Covid Vaccine Now Available For California Children Ages 5-11
The Food and Drug Administration met last week, and authorized 28 million children in California and other western states ages 5 to 11 to receive the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine in a continued effort to eradicate the novel Coronavirus. Children will need two doses of the vaccine, three weeks apart. Each dose is a third of what is given to people age 12 and older. Children ages 5 to 11 comprise approximately 9% of California’s population.
Next Steps
Just days after its approval by Director Rochelle Walensky of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health officials are now urging parents and caretakers to contact their pediatrician to ask questions, and set up an appointment for their child to be vaccinated. Major pharmacy chains such as Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS will be offering appointments as early as November 7. Parents are advised to book an appointment either with their child’s pediatrician or one of these major pharmacy chains.
Safety Monitoring
According to the CDC,
“COVID-19 vaccines have undergone – and will continue to undergo – the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. 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.
– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Effectiveness
Although side effects are still being monitored, the FDA stated that the Pfizer vaccine has met all criteria for safe administration for emergency usage in children ages 5 to 11.
In an FDA news release it states:
“The vaccine was found to be 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 through 11. The vaccine’s safety was studied in approximately 3,100 children age 5 through 11 who received the vaccine and no serious side effects have been detected in the ongoing study.”
-Food and Drug Administration
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Elk Grove Unified School District
In a recent letter issued to families in the Elk Grove Unified School District regarding the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, it states:
” It (vaccine) will not take place until full FDA approval is given. The anticipated timeline is for the summer of 2022 starting with children in grades 7-12.”
-EGUSD Communications Department
In the meantime, vaccine clinics will be set up for families who wish to have their age 5-11 student vaccinated, and will be available at the following sites:
Saturday, Nov. 13 / 10 AM – 1 PM / Valley High School
Clinic available for anyone 5 years and older. Pfizer 1st, 2nd and 3rd booster doses available.
Thursday, Nov. 18 / 3 – 7 PM/ Samuel Kennedy Elementary School (Flu vaccine also available)
Clinic available for anyone 5 years and older. Pfizer 1st, 2nd and 3rd booster doses available.
Saturday, Dec. 4 / 10 AM– 1 PM/ Valley High School
Clinic available for anyone 5 years and older. Pfizer 1st, 2nd and 3rd booster doses available.
Thursday, Dec. 9 / 3 – 7 PM / Samuel Kennedy Elementary School (Flu vaccine also available)
Clinic available for anyone 5 years and older. Pfizer 1st, 2nd and 3rd booster doses available.
Will the EGUSD COVID-Clinic Testing Locations Change Hours With the Time Change?
Yes. Starting Monday, November 8th, the new hours for the EGUSD COVID-19 Testing locations will be from 7:30 AM to 5 PM. We will update our testing location information next week, which will also note holiday closures. Stay tuned for more information.