Beach Cities Health District Begins COVID-19 Vaccines For Kids

REDONDO BEACH, CA — Beach Cities Health District will administer COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 beginning Monday in Redondo Beach.

So far, two days are already booked solid, the health district told Patch.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., this week endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer BioNTech pediatric vaccine.

Beach Cities Health District, in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the South Bay Consortium for School Vaccines, will host vaccine clinics in the South Bay. The clinics will be held at schools in the Hermosa Beach City School District, Manhattan Beach Unified School District and Redondo Beach Unified School District.

“This is a critical next step in the battle against COVID-19,” BCHD CEO Tom Bakaly said in a statement. “Having this safe, effective vaccine for young children adds another layer of protection for the community and we’re proud to serve our community in this important public health effort.”

According to the FDA, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was administered to approximately 3,100 children 5 to 11 years old, with no serious side effects detected in the ongoing study. Immune responses of these children were found to be comparable to those of individuals 16 to 25 years old. The vaccine was also found to be 90.7 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in children ages 5 to 11.

The vaccine clinics in the Beach Cities are by appointment only and are for children ages 5 to 11 only. Vaccines for people ages 12 and up will not be offered at these clinics.

Clinics for children in this age range will be held at the following times and locations:

• Mondays, Nov. 8 (FULL) and 15, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Washington Elementary School, 1100 Lilienthal Lane, Redondo Beach
• Tuesdays, Nov. 9 and 16, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Tulita Elementary School, 1520 S. Prospect Avenue, Redondo Beach
• Wednesdays, Nov. 10 (FULL) and 17, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Pacific Elementary School, 1200 Pacific Avenue, Manhattan Beach
• Thursdays, Nov. 11 and 18, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Hermosa Valley School, 1645 Valley Drive, Hermosa Beach
• Saturday, Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Beach Cities Health District, 514 N. Prospect Avenue, Redondo Beach

Registration information and more information about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 are available at www.bchd.org/schoolvaccines.

For families registering more than one child for a vaccine appointment, a separate appointment for each child is required, BCHD said.

Appointments are required, no walkups are allowed. Nov. 11 Veterans Day, a school holiday, and the vaccine clinic will take place as scheduled at Hermosa Valley School. No clinics will be scheduled for Thanksgiving week from Nov. 22 to 26.

Second dose clinics will take place between Nov. 29 to Dec. 9. Parents/guardians can schedule both first and second dose appointments through My Turn.

Anyone with questions can call BCHD’s School Well-Being Line at 310-374-3426 and press option 2, Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday: 8 a.m. to noon.

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