November 4, 2021

Family Health has limited supply of pediatric COVID-19 vaccine

MOBILE, Ala. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11 years of age in the U.S. The COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine for this age group is a reduced dose (10 microgram), two-dose series.

The Mobile County Health Department (MCHD) follows the guidance of the CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding vaccination recommendations. The ACIP recommendation applies to all children 5-11 years of age, including those with underlying conditions and previous COVID-19 infection.

Family Health, the primary care division of MCHD, has received a limited amount of pediatric vaccine that is available by appointment only (call 251-690-8889 for times and locations). MCHD’s new walk-in vaccination and testing clinic at the Festival Centre in West Mobile is not expected to have the pediatric vaccine until at least sometime next week.

The Alabama Department of Public Health has provided the following information from the CDC:

• 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 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,

• COVID-19 vaccines have undergone – and will continue to undergo – the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history,

• Vaccination, along with other preventative measures, can protect children from COVID-19 using the safe and effective vaccines already recommended for use in adolescents and adults in the United States,

• 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. 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,

• Vaccinating children will help protect them from getting COVID-19, 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.