NEW ORLEANS — Authorities are calling the authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine for young kids, a turning point in the pandemic. Nationally, there've been nearly two million COVID-19 infections among those five to 11-years-old. However, now with that age group eligible for protection, there is hope cases among children will soon fall.
Preparations are underway to get five to eleven-year-olds vaccinated against COVID-19. On Wednesday, the Louisiana Department of Health issued guidance saying all state vaccine providers for children can start giving the pediatric vaccine immediately.
So for parents, what do you need to know?
For five to eleven-year-olds, the vaccine was found to be nearly 95% effective. It's two doses, given 21 days apart, and is a third of the amount of what's given to older kids and adults currently. The needle is also smaller.
When it comes to side effects, Pfizer's clinical trial found younger kids experienced fewer of them. However, the most common was a sore arm, some had a slight fever, and those went away after a few days. Cases of Myocarditis (or heart inflammation) were found to be extremely rare in younger kids.
After weeks of anticipation and preparation, local health clinics say shots will be given out very soon. At Ochsner, it's expected to begin sometime next week. Parents can make appointments by calling their pediatric doctor, they can also use the MyOchsner web portal online. If you sign up for the web portal, know it takes 1-3 days to kick in.
Ochsner Hospital for Children and Ochsner Health providers will also be hosting a Facebook Live, Friday, November 5th at 11 a.m. to discuss the CDC and FDA approval of the Children's Pfizer vaccine. Parents will be able to ask questions live.
Dr. William Lennarz says for Ochsner, it's all about convenience, offering the vaccine as much as they can, including weekends.
"So all of our larger pediatric offices will be administering the vaccines and we will also be offering them in after-hour time slots to be sure parents can get there while navigating school and work and all those other complications of our daily lives," he said.
Children's Hospital sent Eyewitness News a statement saying:
"Children's Hospital New Orleans will be administering the low-dose Pfizer vaccine in its pediatrics clinics across the community, with Monday-Saturday appointments available. Beginning Thursday morning, November 4th, parents will be able to schedule appointments by visiting chnola.org/vaccine or by calling 504-290-5200. The first vaccines will be administered for patients ages 5-11 beginning Friday, November 5th."
The vaccine is free, and parents will have to fill out and sign a consent form for their child to get the shot. That can be found HERE.
By the end of the week, vaccines.gov is also expected to be updated to include COVID-19 vaccines for 5-11-year-olds. Appointments can be found and made there.
If parents are interested in getting an appointment set up for their child, health experts say to be patient over the next few days as the rollout of the vaccine takes place. They also suggest you call your child's pediatrician to make sure the doctor's office has supply.