Vaccine For Kids Under 5: Appointments Open At Mall Of America

BLOOMINGTON, MN — Appointments at the state-run Mall of America COVID-19 vaccination site are now open for Minnesota children between 6 months and 5 years old. The site plans to begin administering the vaccine starting Wednesday.

Over the weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the final authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for this age group.

Parents can make appointments for the Pfizer vaccine at the Mall of America site online. The Moderna vaccine is available for children elsewhere.

The Mall of America vaccination site is open:

• Wednesdays through Fridays, 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
• Saturdays 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The initial demand is expected to be high, and appointments are required, officials said.

Most Minnesota children will be vaccinated by the state's provider network, which includes medical systems and local clinics. Find providers using the state's vaccine locator map.

"This is an important and exciting time for many families as our youngest Minnesotans can now receive important protection against COVID-19 through vaccination," said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm.

"We know that even young children can get very sick from this virus, and that’s why it’s important for all of us to continue doing everything we can to protect our loved ones and our communities from COVID-19. Now is a great time to make sure the entire family is up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines."

The Walz-Flanagan Administration said the following provider network will be mobilized to offer the vaccine to children under 5:

• More than 320 primary care providers in the state plan to offer the vaccine to children between six months and five years old
  • Of these providers, 268 will begin vaccinating within one week of receiving their doses
• Over 40 Minute Clinic locations around Minnesota plan to vaccinate children between 18 months and five years old. Minute Clinic says it will begin vaccinations within one week of receiving their doses
• At least 50 Minnesota pharmacies plan to vaccinate children between 3 years old and five years old
  • Of the 50, 44 of the pharmacies plan to begin vaccinating within one week of receiving their doses
• The Minnesota Department of Health is partnering with Children's Minnesota to host public, weekly vaccination clinics at four Children's clinic locations in the metro:
  • West Saint Paul
  • Brooklyn Park
  • Minneapolis
  • Saint Paul

"Parents now have the choice to vaccinate our youngest children against COVID-19 with a safe and effective vaccine," said Dr. Nathan Chomilo, a pediatrician at Park Nicollet. "As a pediatrician, I look forward to counseling parents of young children on their decision to vaccinate and being able to offer them a way to help decrease the suffering caused by COVID-19."

"Families can now feel assured that there are safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to protect our youngest kids from severe illness, too," said Dr. Gigi Chawla, the vice president and chief of general pediatrics at Children’s Minnesota.

"The data is remarkably clear that vaccination is the best way to protect our children and communities. As a parent and a pediatrician, I encourage all families to get their eligible kids vaccinated."