The day after the CDC okayed the use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines in children ages 5-11, CVS and Walgreens opened up appointments for parents to make.
Beginning Sunday, CVS will start vaccinating kids ages 5-11, and Walgreens will begin on Saturday. Appointments can be made online.
Stores are currently waiting on shipments of the vaccine to arrive and Walgreens is expecting then sometime this week.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, sees children’s new eligibility as a time to celebrate after taking the time and effort to be sure kids are safe taking the vaccine.
According to Dr. Kristen Navarette, Medical Director at MVP Health Care, 28 million kids are waiting to get the vaccine.
“All children in the trial were closely monitored for side effects, and similar to other vaccines, those who experienced side effects were most likely to report pain at the injection site, fatigue and/or headache, with most symptoms resolving within 1-2 days,” Dr. Navarette wrote in an email.
“No children in the trial had severe effects related to the vaccine, including myocarditis,” she added. “This is a very rare adverse effect seen in some adolescents and young adults who received the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials had the most intense safety monitoring process in U.S. history and will continue long after the vaccine is approved for children in this age group.”
Related: When it comes to COVID-19, only 27% of parents plan to vaccinate their children ages 5-11
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].