Children 5 to 11 getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in Phoenix following CDC approval

Children 5 to 11 getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in Phoenix

CDC's Director gave the final approval on Nov. 2, after an advisory panel unanimously recommended kids aged 5-11 should get the shot. Some doctors in the Phoenix area were already ready to get kids vaccinated against a virus that has disrupted lives for more than a year. FOX 10's Linda Williams reports.

PHOENIX - Children age 5 to 11 are now eligible to get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, after the CDC gave its approval on Nov. 2.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky gave the final approval after an advisory panel unanimously recommended kids aged 5-11 should get the shot.

By vaccinating children, the U.S. hopes to head off another coronavirus wave during the cold-weather months when people spend more time indoors and respiratory illnesses can spread more easily. Cases have been declining for weeks, but the virus has repeatedly shown its ability to stage a comeback and more easily transmissible mutations are a persistent threat.

While children are at lower risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 than older people, 5 to 11-year-olds still have been seriously affected – including over 8,300 hospitalizations, about a third requiring intensive care. The FDA said 146 deaths have been reported in that age group.

President Biden, others react to approval

President Biden has called the decision a turning point in the battle against COVID-19.

"A vaccine for children age 5 to 11 will allow us to build on the extraordinary progress we’ve made over the last nine months," President Biden said, adding the Federal government has purchased enough vaccine doses for every child in America.

"In public health, we are excited with every opportunity to get vaccinated," said Dr. Nick Staab, a Medical Epidemiologist with Maricopa County Public Health.

Epidemiologist explains dose difference

The vaccine for kids 5 to 11 is one-third of the one available for adults. According to Dr. Staab, the lower dose helps with side effects.

"When vaccines are developed for younger kids, they are often trialed into lower doses," said Dr. Staab. "We are looking for the most effective dose with the least side effects."

Doctors' offices ready to vaccinate kids

Family doctor Andrew Carroll says he has the Pfizer doses for children that are ready to be used.

"We keep our doses of adult Pfizer here, and then we have our pediatric doses here, which has the orange cap," said Dr. Carroll. "The county invited us to get doses about a week ago, and it has been quick. We were notified we would get doses late last week. Monday, we got shipment notice, and this morning, we got a vaccine."

Doctors say now, it will be easier to get vaccinated.

"A lot of parents have asked to get vaccinated themselves, which is great," said Dr. Carroll. "We are able to vaccinate whole families while they are here. It is a great opportunity."

Dr. Cara Christ, the former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services who now works for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, says it is now all about explaining the shots in terms kids can understand.

"Kids are hearing a lot about COVID. They are hearing a lot of the vaccine. One of the things to do is what to expect at the appointment: it is going to be a quick shot, side effects are normal, you may have a body ache or slight fever, and that is normal, to do what it needs to do to protect you against COVID," said Dr. Christ.

Health officials say people should call their pediatrician's office to see if they have started to administer the vaccine. If they have not, it will be more widely available by this weekend. In addition, Maricopa County will start setting up events for vaccination.

As for chain pharmacies, CVS and Walgreens say they will start administering child COVID vaccines this weekend. Both chains say people need to sign up online for an appointment.

Survey shows vaccine hesitancy

Data from a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey suggest many parents won’t rush to get the shots.

According to the survey, about 25% of parents polled said they would get their children vaccinated "right away," but the remaining majority of parents were roughly split between those who said they will wait to see how the vaccine performs and those who said they "definitely" won’t have their children vaccinated.

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.

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