PARK RAPIDS, MN (November 1, 2021) As of 11/2/2021, the FDA has officially authorized Pediatric Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 year old’s. CHI St. Joseph’s Health Community Health, as Hubbard County’s Public Health agent, will be working to ensure that vaccines are available to children ages 5-11, as well as continuing to offer vaccines for ages 12 and older.
CHI St. Joseph’s Health Community Health will hold the first COVID-19 vaccine clinic for ages 5-18 on 11/9/2021 from 3:00pm – 5:30pm at the Community Health office located at 1415 1st Street E, Park Rapids, MN 56470. To register, go online to www.chisjh.org.
This authorization is good news for families and children, as children are not immune from the possible severe effects of COVID-19.
- Between July 1st and October 26th, there have been more than 45,200 pediatric cases and more than 300 child hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in Minnesota.
- Serious COVID-19 cases can occur in healthy children (approximately 25% of COVID pediatric deaths have occurred in healthy children) and common underlying conditions like asthma and obesity can put kids at an even greater risk of severe illness.
- COVID-19 can also have long-term consequences. Thousands of children have been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome or MIS-C in the U.S. with close to 100 cases in Minnesota. Some of these children have required ICU-level
Getting your child vaccinated is the best way to protect them and the people around them.
- Getting your child vaccinated helps them stay safe during school, sports, and other social activities.
- Getting your child vaccinated lets you know your child is protected from severe cases of COVID-19.
- Getting your child vaccinated also helps protect other vulnerable family members, friends, and neighbors.
- Getting your kids vaccinated will reduce the time they need to quarantine if exposed to someone who has COVID-19.
Parents and guardians want to protect their children, and want information about the safety of these vaccines.
The Pfizer vaccine has been carefully studied in children aged 5 to 11, just like all the current vaccines were for people ages 12 and older. This process is called a clinical trial and all authorized vaccines have gone through this process. Only vaccines shown to be safe and effective are authorized to be used.
- The Pfizer vaccine was determined to be 7% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 disease in children ages 5 to 11.
- According to the FDA review of Pfizer data, there were no reports of myocarditis/pericarditis, anaphylaxis, or deaths. Common, mild side effects were less common in the 5-11-year olds in the trial compared to the 16-25 year olds.
- The Pfizer vaccine that children ages 5-11 will receive is a smaller dose than what is given to people ages 12 and older. This is to meet the unique needs of younger children. The current Pfizer vaccine for ages 12 and older cannot be used for children ages 5-11.
If you have questions about vaccines, your pediatrician or family physician can be an excellent source of information.
You can also get more information from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As we prepare to gather with family and loved ones for the holidays, getting children vaccinated is the best way to keep everyone — from grandparents to grandbabies — healthy and safe.
For those families with children ages 12 and older who have not been vaccinated, now is the time to get them vaccinated. Talk to your child’s health care provider or find a vaccine location near you on vaccines.gov or mn.gov/vaccine.