Kids ages 5 to 11 years old are now approved to get COVID-19 vaccinations in Bucks County.
With emergency use approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, the Pennsylvania and Bucks County health departments have given local providers the green light this week to begin administering shots as soon as possible.
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“We will continue to encourage all Pennsylvanians to get their COVID-19 vaccine, and we are very excited that we can now include children ages 5 and over in that effort,” Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. “To fellow parents I say: If you have a child between 5 and 11, get them vaccinated and give your child the power to safely learn, play and be a kid.”
Bucks County spokesperson James O’Malley said the county’s two open COVID-19 vaccination clinics – one in Bensalem Township and one in Warwick Township – have ordered the pediatric vaccine and will being administering them once they arrive.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health said in a statement pediatricians, primary care physicians, family doctors, pharmacies, large retailers, federally qualified health centers, and grocery stores administering shots can begin giving doses.
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State health officials said that vaccine doses and appointments for kids might be initially be limited due to demand and availability.
More pediatric vaccine doses are expected to come into the Keystone State in the coming days and weeks, state health officials said.
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Large pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens have begun scheduling vaccine appointments for kids. Rite Aid will begin allowing appointments to be booked starting Thursday.
Children ages 5 through 11 may only receive the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine; children ages 12 through 17 may only receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; and adults age 18 and older may receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Moderna vaccine, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and medical advisory bodies have said the vaccine is safe for kids, like the adult version. The vaccines have undergone what the CDC called “the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history.”
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While COVID-19 illness rates and deaths are lower among children, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations among children and adolescents jumped fivefold between late June and mid-August as the nation was seeing an uptick in COVID-19 infections, according to the CDC.
“Similar to what was seen in adult vaccine trials, vaccination was nearly 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 among children aged 5-11 years. In clinical trials, 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,” the CDC said in a statement.
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“The pediatric vaccine is safe, and it is highly effective at protecting children against COVID-19-related illness, hospitalization, and death,” Pennsylvania Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said. “Vaccinating children against COVID-19 is the best way to keep families and communities healthy and schools safe.”
Area schools have already held vaccination events for high schoolers who have been eligible for vaccines for months.
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O’Malley said the county health department is prepared to assist schools with vaccination events.
No school districts in Bucks County have mandated COVID-19 vaccination for students.
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Since COVID-19 vaccines began rolling out late last year through Wednesday, Bucks County has seen 346,878 people fully vaccinated, 45,630 people partially vaccinated, and 42,338 who have received a third dose or booster.
For more information on how and where to get vaccinated, click here.
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