Preparations For Younger Children Vaccinations Made In Fairfax

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — As federal authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 could come soon, vaccine providers in the Fairfax Health District are preparing to provide appointments upon authorization.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended expanding the emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to ages 5 to 11. Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet on Nov. 2 and 3 to consider authorization. The Fairfax County Health Department is preparing for the vaccine to be authorized for the younger age group in early November if recommended by the CDC committee.

An estimated 97,000 children in the Fairfax Health District would be newly eligible if the vaccine is authorized for this younger age group. Nationwide, that includes around 28 million children. The Fairfax Health District includes Fairfax County, towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton, and cities of Fairfax and Falls Church.

The vaccine dose for ages 5 to 11 is one-third the dose people 12 and older receive for "safety, tolerability and immunogenicity" reasons, according to a Pfizer news release. Even with the lower dose, clinical trial results have shown 5- to 11 year-old children produce similar antibody levels as adults. The clinical trials found the vaccine is 90.7 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 with full vaccination and no serious adverse effects. Common side effects can include injection site, fatigue and headache, typically after the second dose and resolved within a few days.

If authorized, the smaller-dose vaccine for children will be available through pediatric and family medicine practices, pharmacies, the health department and the Tysons Community Vaccination Center. The Fairfax County Health Department will provide COVID-19 vaccine to children 5 to 11 by appointment only. Like other eligible groups, younger children would receive two doses of the vaccine 21 days apart.

Appointments will not be accepted for this age group until authorization comes. Families are encouraged to first contact their child's medical provider for an appointment. Providers will also be found through www.vaccinate.virginia.gov or by calling 877-VAX-IN-VA.

The Virginia Department of Health is expecting newly eligible children will get access to the vaccine over several months. Officials believe there may not be enough doses for everyone in the first few weeks. The CDC would provide the lower-dose vaccine for younger children to Virginia in weekly allocations.