Want to get your child vaccinated against COVID? Here’s where to find the shot
The Columbus Health Department will host pediatric vaccine clinics starting next week for children 5-11 years old.
The clinic will be held Nov. 8, 9 and 10 at the Columbus Health Department, 5601 Veterans Parkway. The clinic will run from 3-6 p.m. each day, and parents should bring their children inside the clinic for the vaccines.
Kids 12 years old and up may get vaccines from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on those days. It is not necessary to schedule an appointment.
On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, residents may get drive-thru COVID-19 testing and vaccines for those 12 and older at the Columbus Health Department from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Once the initial pediatric vaccine clinic is over, the health department plans to host clinics every Tuesday and Thursday 3-6 p.m., Pamela Kirkland, public relations coordinator for the West Central Health District, said.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children in this age range on October 29. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention followed suit, with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice making the recommendation on Nov. 2.
The vaccine was found to be 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5-11, and immune responses of children in this age group were comparable to individuals ages 16-25 years old, according to the news release by the FDA. Around 3,100 children were included in the ongoing study, and no serious side effects have been detected, according to the release.
“Our comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the data pertaining to the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness should help assure parents and guardians that this vaccine meets our high standards,” Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in the news release.
Getting children vaccinated will help protect them against COVID-19 and reduce disruptions to in-person learning and activities by helping to curb community transmission, according to the CDC. Additionally, vaccination can reduce their risk of severe disease, hospitalization or developing long-term COVID-19 complications, according to the CDC’s release.
“The FDA is committed to making decisions that are guided by science that the public and healthcare community can trust,” Woodcock said in the FDA’s release. “We are confident in the safety, effectiveness and manufacturing data behind this authorization.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
