Bay County Health Department provides Pediatric Covid-19 Vaccine starting November 5th
Bay County, Michigan - The Bay County Health Department (BCHD) will begin administering first doses to children 5 through 11 years of age on Friday November 5th from 3pm to 5pm at the Bay County Health Department located at 1200 Washington Ave in downtown Bay City and Saturday from 9:00 am to noon at Pinconning High School. No appointment will be necessary.
Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. The pediatric vaccine is administered as a primary series of two doses (given 3 weeks apart) but provides a lower dose (10 mcg) than that is used for individuals 12 years of age and older (30 mcg). With this recommendation, vaccine eligibility has been expanded to include 28 million children in the United States in this age group and allows providers to begin vaccinating them as soon as possible.
COVID-19 cases in children can result in hospitalizations, death, MIS-C (inflammatory syndrome), and “long COVID,” in which symptoms can persist for months. The spread of the Delta variant resulted in a surge of COVID-19 cases among children during the summer and fall, and cases among 0-19 year olds make up the largest cohort of infected persons currently. COVID-19 has risen quickly to become the 8th leading cause of death among children.
Similar to what was seen in adult vaccine trials, vaccination was nearly 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 among children aged 5 to 11 years. Among trials participants, vaccine side effects were mild, self-limiting, and similar to those seen in adults and with other vaccines recommended for children. The most common side effect was a sore arm.
With outbreaks currently on-going at multiple schools throughout Bay County, BCHD strongly recommends that parents vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 years to help minimize the spread of the virus in schools, households, and the community as well as reduce disruptions to in-person learning and extra-curricular activities.
Any parent wanting their child 5 to 11 years old to receive the first vaccine dose must be the biological or legal guardian of that child.
Future BCHD vaccination clinics (for adults and children) will also be held at the times and locations that will be published on the Bay County Health Department Website and Facebook page. The Health Department will continue to give the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine first and second shots to those 12-17 years of age, and first, second, and third shots to adults 18 years of age and older and the immunocompromised. The J&J COVID-19 vaccine is also available as first and second shots to those 18 years of age and older and the immunocompromised.
At this time, 63% of Bay County residents over the age of 12 have initiated vaccination for COVID-19. Vaccinations are available through the Bay County Health Department, individual providers, Great Lakes Bay Health Center, and many area pharmacies.
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