COVID Vaccine For Kids Under 12: Where To Get One In GA

GEORGIA —Federal health officials have given the go-ahead to COVID-19 vaccinations for Georgia children ages 5-11, setting off a new, long-awaited phase in the battle against the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's authorization for younger children makes about 987,000 Georgia kids immediately eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinations will begin once the Georgia Department of Public Health receives clinical guidance from the CDC, which is expected in the coming days, the department said in a news release Tuesday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already granted emergency use authorization. You can book appointments beginning Saturday at Walgreens and Sunday at CVS locations across Georgia.

Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the CDC, 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 on Tuesday — paving the way for inoculations for some 28 million youths across the country.

"Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation's fight against the virus that causes COVID-19," Walensky said.

COVID-19 cases in children can result in hospitalizations, deaths, MIS-C (inflammatory syndromes) and long-term complications, such as "long COVID," in which symptoms can linger for months, the CDC said.

The spread of the delta variant resulted in a surge of COVID-19 cases in children throughout the summer. During a 6-week period in late June to mid-August, COVID-19 hospitalizations among children and adolescents increased fivefold, the CDC announcement said.

The pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for children as a two-dose series taken three weeks apart, and the dosage for those age 5 to 11 is one-third the dosage of the vaccine for adolescents and adults.

In clinical trials, vaccination was nearly 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 among younger children, Georgia health officials said Tuesday. Vaccine side effects were mild and temporary, and the most common side effect was a sore arm.

CVS Health on Wednesday said the pharmacy chain's 1,700 locations nationwide — including dozens of sites in Georgia — are now accepting appointments for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 pediatric vaccine to children ages 5 to 11.

Vaccines will be available beginning Sunday at CVS, upon receipt and confirmation of vaccine supply. Parental or legal guardian consent is required, and children must be accompanied by an adult.

"We know many parents have been waiting for the opportunity to vaccinate their young children and are looking for convenient access to a trusted resource for vaccinations," said Dr. Troyen A. Brennan, executive vice president and chief medical officer of CVS Health, in a news release. "Our immunizers have been preparing for this important role, and stand ready to help answer parents' questions, guide them and their children through the process, and administer the vaccines safely, with kindness and caring."

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