Marion County Public Health Department will offer COVID vaccines for kids 5 and older beginning Thursday

Jill Sheridan

A vial with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children five to 12 years is seen at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, in the Bronx borough of New York. The U.S. enters a new phase Wednesday in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with shots now available to millions of elementary-age children in what health officials hailed as a major breakthrough after more than 18 months of illness, hospitalizations, deaths and disrupted education.
*AP Photo/Mary Altaffer*

The Marion County Public Health Department will offer COVID-19 vaccinations to young children starting Thursday.

The pediatric Pfizer vaccine will be administered at existing clinics for youth ages 5-11. The vaccine received final authorization from the CDC on Tuesday. Children will get a smaller dose of the vaccine that has been shown through clinical trials to be safe and effective. Walk-ins and appointments are available at five clinics in Marion County. Children will need a second shot.

Find a COVID-19 vaccination site and register

In a written statement Dr. Virginia Caine, director and chief medical officer of MCPHD said she’s “thrilled” that the protection offered by the vaccine will now be available for Marion County’s 5-11-year-olds.

“I encourage any hesitant parents to do their homework by reading about the vaccine and approval process from reputable sources like our local media partners, and talk to their pediatrician about the benefits and risks of the COVID vaccine for their child,” Caine said.

Tags:coronavirus COVID-19 COVID-19 vaccine

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