Pa. health department ready to give covid vaccines to young children

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Pa. health department ready to give covid vaccines to young children

Ryan Deto | Saturday, June 18, 2022 5:23 p.m.

A nurse holds a vial of the Pfizer covid vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, right, and a vial of the vaccine for adults, which has a different colored label, at a vaccination station.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said Saturday that providers across the state are prepared to begin providing covid vaccines for young children starting early next week.

The announcement comes shortly after the approval of two vaccines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

The federal agencies have approved the use of a three-dose Pfizer vaccine for children under 5 and a two-dose Moderna vaccine for children under 6. Both vaccines are approved for children as young as six months.

Pennsylvania’s Acting Health Secretary and Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson called the approval welcome news for Pennsylvanians.

She said that parents can start to schedule appointments early next week, and vaccines should be administered as early as Tuesday.

Pharmacists across the state are only allowed to provide vaccines to children ages three and older. Parents or guardians with children under three years old, should contact their pediatrician, family doctor or other qualified physicians.

You're hearing a lot about kids vaccines today

So what do America's Pediatricians (you know, the folks who actually take care of children) think?

Yeah -- they are pretty excited

Dancing band-aids and all

Its a big day for kids under 5 https://t.co/gXXSLOklED

— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@AshishKJha46) June 18, 2022

Pfizer’s vaccine requires three doses and uses three micrograms per shot, which is one-tenth of what is used in the Pfizer shot for adults. Children receiving the Pfizer shot should receive the second dose three weeks after the first, and the third shot eight weeks after the second shot.

The Pfizer vaccine is available for children under five and as young as six months.

The Moderna vaccine requires two doses, and the second dose should be administered 28 days after the first dose. It is available for children ages six months through five years, and contains 25 micrograms per shot, which is one-quarter of the dose given to adults.

Johnson said it’s important that children receive vaccines and that they are administered completely, so the vaccines can reach their peak efficacy.

“It is critical for parents to make sure their children receive the complete series of shots for the vaccine to be as effective as possible,” said Johnson.