Kern Public Health: Pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations will begin as early as Thursday

The Bakersfield Californian - 11/3/2021

Nov. 3—The Kern County Public Health Department said the administration of pediatric vaccinations against COVID-19 could begin for the first time as early as Thursday in Kern County.

On Tuesday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced its recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer pediatric vaccine. This comes on the heels of the FDA determining the vaccine met the criteria for emergency use authorization.

In Kern County, an estimated 99,526 children are now eligible for the vaccine.

"This is a hopeful time for many local families who have been anxiously waiting to get their children vaccinated," Brynn Carrigan, director of Kern County Public Health, said in a statement. "Vaccination remains the quickest and safest way to protect ourselves and our families from the impacts of COVID-19."

Public health recommends the vaccine for children as a safe, effective way to protect children from COVID-19 and reduce community transmission as well as reduce disruptions to in-person learning and activities.

Distribution of the pediatric doses began this week. The doses for children are smaller. The needles that administer them and the vials that contain the doses are also smaller.

Public Health Department spokeswoman Michelle Corson said the county is awaiting its shipment of doses, and it will be administering doses at its Kern County Fairgrounds vaccination clinic. Walk-ins and scheduled appointments will be welcome.

Local pediatricians and doctors are also preparing to administer the shots as well.

Dr. Nimisha Amin, a pediatrician at Southwest Pediatrics in Bakersfield, said the first vaccine clinic for 5- to 11-year-olds will be held Thursday.

Kaiser Permanente will begin administering the vaccine to this age group when it receives supply and the CDC issues clinical guidance, according to spokeswoman Eva Ramirez. She said members will receive communications about how to schedule appointments for their children shortly.

COVID-19 cases in children can result in hospitalization, death, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) and long-term complications, such as long COVID, in which symptoms can linger for months, according to the CDC.

In Kern County, there have been 138 hospitalizations among those under 18 years of age, according to Corson. Of those, 107 hospitalizations have been among those aged 5 to 17 years. There have been 21 cases of MIS-C identified, and 57 percent of those children were admitted to an intensive care unit.

Ramirez noted that before the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended the vaccine, it was studied in about 3,100 children ages 5 through 11. No serious side effects have been detected in the ongoing study. The vaccine was found to be 90.7 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in children age 5 through 11. Study data also shows that the vaccine reduces the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 in children if they do become infected.

Vaccination using the safe and effective vaccine already recommended for use in adolescents and adults in the United States, along with other preventative measures, can protect children from COVID-19, as well as reduce disruptions to in-person learning and activities by helping curb community transmission.

You can reach Emma Gallegos at 661-395-7394.

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