Chicago could receive almost 100,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for younger children as soon as next week, authorities said Tuesday, the same day a federal government committee backed the use of the vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds.
With full emergency authorization potentially days away, the city’s public health commissioner, Dr. Allison Arwady, said in a news conference that the 98,900 pediatric doses of Pfizer scheduled to arrive in Chicago the first week alone will be distributed among more than 125 locations. That is almost half of the city’s population of children ages 5 to 11, which stands at 210,448.
“This is not going to be ‘The Hunger Games,’ ” Arwady said. “I want to reassure you there will be vaccine available for your child.”
The destinations for the shipments include pediatric doctors’ offices, pharmacies, schools, hospitals and city-run vaccination programs. Going through a pediatrician, provided they offer COVID-19 vaccinations, will be preferred, Arwady said.
On Tuesday, an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted to approve the use of the Pfizer vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds. After the FDA completes its review, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must do the same. Arwady said if the process concludes as expected, vaccines for that age group could go out as soon as next week.
Like the vaccines for those 12 and up, the Pfizer doses for younger children will be free and available regardless of insurance status. Children can receive the COVID-19 shot the same time they get the flu vaccine or other immunizations.
The shots for 5- to 11-year-olds use identical ingredients as those for older people and require the same two-dose regimen spaced three weeks apart. But they will contain only one-third of the amount, as lowering the dosage offers younger children the same protection with fewer side effects, Arwady said. The needles and vials will also be smaller, meaning those administering the injection will be pulling doses out of different containers.
“No vaccine will go into arms until after the CDC gives the go-ahead, but our goal is to be ready (and) have a calm rollout,” Arwady said.
Among the locations that have already prepared to accept pediatric vaccines, she said, are all of the city’s federally qualified health centers that serve children, all Walgreens locations in Chicago and several hospitals, including Comer Children’s Hospital, Lurie Children’s Hospital and St. Anthony Hospital, Arwady said. All three hospitals are planning vaccination clinics as soon as the first weekend of November.
The Chicago Department of Public Health will start hosting its own weekend clinics in mid-November at the City Colleges of Chicago for six weekends. That will also be around the time when the city’s at-home vaccination program will begin visiting families with younger children.
The expected news of the federal government expanding vaccination eligibility comes as 1 in 5 COVID-19 cases in Chicago are in children, a finding Arwady attributed to lower vaccination rates among that group. Though the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for those 12 and up, Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said 46.7% of that population within the district is vaccinated.
“This is something we have to continue to talk about with our families,” Martinez said.
When the doses from 5- to 11-year-olds arrive in Chicago, CPS will offer them to students and families through four regional vaccination sites that already serve older children: Chicago Vocational Career Academy, Roosevelt High School, Michele Clark High School and Richards High School. There will also be mobile sites visiting schools and an educational campaign.
All younger children who get their two shots through a CDPH or CPS event are eligible for a $100 gift card, as are those 12 and up.
The Associated Press contributed.
Chicago expects 100,000 COVID shots for kids next week pending federal OK - Chicago Tribune
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