Pinellas Health Department To Begin Vaccinating Kids 5-12 Friday

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — With the approval of an emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Oct. 29, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines can now be administered to children ages 5 to 11.

The Department of Health in Pinellas County will begin providing pediatric COVID-19 vaccines on Friday, Nov.12, at its clinics in St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park, Clearwater and Mid-County on Friday.

• Clearwater Health Department, 310 N. Myrtle Ave., Clearwater
• Mid-County Health Department, 8751 Ulmerton Road, Largo
• Pinellas Park Health Department, 6350 76th Ave. N., Pinellas Park
• St. Petersburg Health Department, 205 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg

The Pfizer COVID-19 for those age 5 and up will also be available at other clinics and pharmacies throughout Pinellas County including Walgreens, Winn-Dixie, CVS and Publix.

Click here to find locations.

Parents or guardians must accompany the child to the Pinellas County Department of Health clinics. Walk-in services are provided or appointments may be made by calling 727-824-6931.

Parents and guardians should check with their child's doctor for recommendations and more information about vaccine schedules that include the seasonal flu, COVID-19 and other immunizations.

The FDA said it based its authorization on a "thorough and transparent evaluation of the data that included input from independent advisory committee experts, who overwhelmingly voted in favor of making the vaccine available to children in this age group.

Key points for parents and caregivers from the FDA include:

• Effectiveness: Immune responses of children 5 through 11 years of age were comparable to those of individuals 16 through 25 years of age. In that study, the vaccine was 90.7 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 through 11.
• Safety: The vaccine's safety was studied in approximately 3,100 children age 5 through 11 who received the vaccine and no serious side effects have been detected in the ongoing study.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet this week to discuss further clinical recommendations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging parents to have their children vaccinated.

"As a mother and a physician, I know that parents, caregivers, school staff and children have been waiting for this authorization. Vaccinating younger children against COVID-19 will bring us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy," said acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. "Our comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the data pertaining to the vaccine's safety and effectiveness should help assure parents and guardians that this vaccine meets our high standards."

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 through 11 years of age is administered as a two-dose primary series, three weeks apart, but is a lower dose (10 micrograms) than that used for those age 12 and older (30 micrograms).

In the U.S., COVID-19 cases in children 5 through 11 years of age make up 39 percent of cases in children younger than 18 years of age.

According to the CDC, approximately 8,300 COVID-19 cases in children 5 through 11 years of age resulted in hospitalization.

As of Oct. 17, 691 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the U.S. in children under 18, with 146 deaths in the 5 to 11 years age group.

"The FDA is committed to making decisions that are guided by science that the public and healthcare community can trust. We are confident in the safety, effectiveness and manufacturing data behind this authorization," said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

"As part of our commitment to transparency around our decision-making, which included our public advisory committee meeting earlier last week, we have posted documents supporting our decision, and additional information detailing our evaluation of the data will be posted soon. We hope this information helps build confidence of parents who are deciding whether to have their children vaccinated," Marks said.