Pfizer Boosters For Kids 12-15: What GA Parents Need To Know

GEORGIA — The Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized the Pfizer COVID-19 booster for children as young as 12 in our area, broadening access to the third dose of the vaccine as COVID-19 daily infection rates remain in record territory.

The shots won’t be available to adolescents and younger teens in Georgia immediately, though. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is expected to rule on the expanded access later this week.

Also, regulators authorized a third Pfizer vaccine shot five months after the second dose, shortening the wait period for the booster by a month, and authorized the boosters to immunocompromised children ages 5-11.

Booster shots are already recommended for everyone over 16. They're available in Georgia at CVS, Publix, Walgreens, Sam's Club, Ingles, Costco and Walmart pharmacies, as well as other commercial providers. Some providers require appointments; be sure to check online or by phone before heading there to get vaccinated.

Some locations across Georgia offering the COVID-19 vaccines include:

• Walgreens
  • 595 Piedmont Avenue NE, Atlanta
  • 6410 E. Johns Crossing, Johns Creek
  • 2323 Canton Highway, Cumming
  • 173 S. Main St., Alpharetta
  • 12075 Highway 92, Woodstock
  • 101 N. Tennessee St., Cartersville
  • 4442 Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway, Hiram
  • 4692 Ridge Road, Douglasville
  • 585 DeKalb Industrial Way, Decatur
  • 23 S. Marietta Parkway SW, Marietta
  • 2390 S. Cobb Drive SE, Smyrna
• CVS
  • 2539 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta
  • 5950 State Bridge Road, Johns Creek
  • 11710 Alpharetta Highway, Roswell
  • 4895 Post Road, Cumming
  • 2022 Cumming Highway, Canton
  • 13 N. Tennessee St., Cartersville
  • 495 Charles Hardy Parkway, Dallas
  • 2950 Chapel Hill Road, Douglasville
  • 2458 Candler Road, Decatur
  • 300 Powder Springs St., Marietta
  • 2994 Atlanta Road, Smyrna
• Publix
  • 2900 Peachtree Road, Atlanta
  • 1425 Market Blvd., Suite 600, Roswell
  • 11800 Haynes Bridge Road, Alpharetta
  • 5475 Bethelview Road, Cumming
  • 12165 Highway 92, Woodstock
  • 300 Cherokee Place, Cartersville
  • 51 E. Paulding Drive, Dallas
  • 4300 Chapel Hill Road, Douglasville
  • 2720 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur
  • 1860 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta
  • 2955 Atlanta Road SE, Smyrna
• Kroger
  • 1715 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta
  • 3000 Old Alabama Road, Johns Creek
  • 570 E. Crossville Road, Roswell
  • 12050 Highway 92, Suite 112, Woodstock
  • 125 Main St. Market Place, Cartersville
  • 8501 Hospital Drive, Douglasville
  • 2875 N. Decatur Road, Decatur
  • 2100 Roswell Road, Suite 300, Marietta
  • 3240 S. Cobb Drive SE, Smyrna
• Walmart
  • 835 MLK Jr. Drive NW, Atlanta
  • 2395 Peachtree Parkway, Cumming
  • 970 Mansell Road, Roswell
  • 1550 Riverstone Parkway, Canton
  • 965 Joe Frank Harris Parkway SE, Cartersville
  • 4166 Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway, Hiram
  • 2525 N. Decatur Road, Decatur
  • 210 Cobb Parkway South, Marietta
• Sam's Club
  • 10600 Davis Drive, Alpharetta
  • 9464 Main St., Woodstock
  • 6995 Concourse Parkway, Douglasville
  • 2901 Clairmont Road, Suite A, Atlanta
• Costco
  • 2855 Jordan Court, Alpharetta
  • 113 Lincoln St., Woodstock
  • 1715 Charles Hardy Parkway, Dallas
  • 2900 Cumberland Mall, Atlanta

To find a vaccine provider near you and/or schedule an appointment, visit dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine or vaccines.gov.

The FDA’s authorization comes as health experts warn of a “blizzard of infections” following a busy holiday season bookended by two full weekends of celebration.

“We are going to see the number of cases in this country rise so dramatically, we are going to have a hard time keeping everyday life operating," Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, told MSNBC.

“The next month is going to be a viral blizzard,” he said. “All of society is going to be pressured by this.”

COVID-19 infections are likely to rise throughout January, according to a statement last week by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and President Joe Biden’s science adviser on the coronavirus task force.

The CDC said last week it had significantly overestimated the prevalence of omicron, the coronavirus variant that is behind the current surge of infections. The agency said on Dec. 18 that omicron was responsible for 73 percent of COVID-19 infections, but slashed that figure to 23 percent.

The early data on the omicron variant has shown it is less severe than the delta variant, but health officials are still pushing vaccinations, masks and physical distancing.

Vaccinations offer strong protection against any variant of the coronavirus, but federal health officials urge everyone who is eligible for a booster shot to get one as their best chance to avoid serious COVID-19 breakthrough infections from the highly contagious omicron variant.

Children tend to have milder COVID-19 illnesses than adults, yet child hospitalizations are soaring during the omicron wave, most of them among unvaccinated children.

The vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech is the only one authorized in the United States for children. About 13.5 million youths ages 12 to 17 — just over half of those eligible — have gotten two Pfizer shots, according to the CDC.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

For more information about finding a booster shot near you, visit one of these links:

• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Alpharetta-Milton
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Roswell
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Johns Creek
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Cumming
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Cartersville
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Canton
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Woodstock
  
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Marietta
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Smyrna, Vinings
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In East Cobb
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Decatur
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Dacula
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Loganville
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Douglasville
  
• COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Dallas, Hiram