Where Kids 5-11 Can Get The COVID Vaccine In Barnegat

BARNEGAT, NJ — Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 vaccine is now available for children ages 5 to 11, granting about 28 million children in the United States the ability to get inoculated against the virus.

But many vaccination sites that offer the Pfizer doses still only give shots to people 12 and older. Here's where parents and guardians can get their children vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Barnegat area:

• Walgreens #9503, 879 W. Bay Ave, Barnegat
• Walgreens #9626, 400 Atlantic City Blvd, Bayville

Due to high demand, appointment availability can change rapidly, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. Check New Jersey's COVID-19 vaccine finder for information on each site.

Currently, locations offering the vaccine to this age group are limited but are expected to increase over the course of the next week. To identify locations offering Pfizer vaccine to 5 years and older, search by zip code and review the "Min. Age" identifier.

State officials ordered 203,800 doses for more than 230 sites, according to New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. New Jersey also received 51 requests for school-endorsed vaccination events in 14 counties since Oct. 21, she said.

"We know that parents have concerns and want to do what's best for their children," Persichilli said. "We also know that COVID does affect children. While case rates are declining across the state and the nation, younger children are now the predominant positive cases."

These concerns include the speed with which the trials were conducted, but State Medical Examiner Dr. Edward Lifshitz called that a "tribute to the scientists working on the vaccine who conducted years of research, and the volunteers who participated in the trials."

"While nothing is 100 percent without risk, these are clearly safe vaccines," Lifshitz said. "There's nothing to suggest they're any riskier in this age group than any other age group."

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.

With reporting from Anthony Bellano and Karen Wall, Patch staff.

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