YORK, Pa. — Kids between the ages of 5 to 11 are now eligible to get the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
Some health systems are already being flooded with calls from parents eager to get their kids vaccinated.
“Our phones have been very busy this morning with parents calling to schedule," said Lauren Kauffman, the Nurse Director at Lancaster Pediatrics Associates.
“We are already seeing a high demand, so please be patient. And also expect the appointments to be scheduled out for at least a week or so," said Jeanette Gibbs, the Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Care at Penn State Health.
Danielle Gross says she and her husband decided a couple of months back that they would vaccinate their kids if they were to become eligible to get the vaccine.
She made the appointments as soon they became available, they are scheduled to get the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Sunday.
“We see it as our best chance at getting our family, you know back to normal as much as possible. you know, we love to travel, we love to go skiing," said Danielle Gross, mother of two kids ages 6 & 8.
Many health systems had already created a rollout plan in anticipation for this.
Lauren Kauffman, the Director of Nursing at Lancaster Pediatrics associates says they ordered about 300 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and already started booking appointments.
They can start administering the vaccine on Thursday.
“We all feel that this is the next step to end this pandemic. so we were very excited and anticipating the ACIP and the CDC approval," said Gibbs.
WellSpan Health will start scheduling appointments for kids on Friday and then the first doses will be administered starting Monday.
Penn State Health will now be administering doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to this age group at its dedicated vaccination sites.
The first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine will be administered on Saturday.
“I think having this tool available for a greater proportion of our children is a great step forward in our ability to kind of fight Covid-19 in the pediatric population," said Dr. Patrick Gavigan, the Infectious Diseases Physician at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital.
Now that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has joined the Food and Drug Administration in approving Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5-11, local health care systems in central Pennsylvania are sharing their plans for a vaccine rollout.
Here is the information shared so far with FOX43. (The information will be updated as more details become available.)
Penn State Health Center
Penn State Health is now administering doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 5 to 17 years old at its dedicated vaccination sites in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin and Lancaster counties.
On Nov. 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision on Oct. 29 to grant it emergency use authorization for this age group.
Pfizer is the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use in individuals younger than 18.
The health system has been vaccinating 12-to-17-year-olds at its dedicated vaccination sites since May.
Parents or guardians may schedule their children’s COVID-19 vaccinations through vaccine-scheduler.pennstatehealth.org or call to 844-774-8883.
WellSpan Health
WellSpan will begin scheduling vaccinations for children ages 5-11 on Friday. First doses for that age group will start being administered on Monday, Nov. 8, a spokesperson told FOX43.
Starting Friday, parents can schedule a vaccination for their children ages 5-11 by using the MyWellSpan web portal or by calling WellSpan's hotline at (855) 851-3641.
Appointments will be scheduled at all WellSpan Pediatric Medicine practices and some WellSpan Family Medicine practices.
Walk-in appointments will not be available.
You do not need to be a WellSpan patient to make an appointment and receive a shot.
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health will begin administering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 at its Suburban Pavilion on Saturdays, Nov. 6, 13 and 20.
The vaccine will also be available at LG Health Physicians pediatric and family-medicine practices.
Appointments are required, and children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Appointments can be made by calling 717-588-1165 or online through the MyLGHealth patient portal.
For more detailed information on scheduling a pediatric vaccine or a vaccine booster, please visit LG Health’s online vaccine information page.
For questions regarding the vaccines, please talk to your health-care provider.
A list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on LG Health’s website also provides more information on vaccine safety.
Pfizer and Moderna Boosters Also Available
Lancaster General Health is also administering Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine boosters to patients ages 65 and older who received their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna at least six months ago, as well as to individuals between 18-64 years of age who meet CDC criteria.
LG Health is currently not offering the J&J/Janssen booster. However, patients who originally received the J&J vaccine are eligible to receive the Pfizer or Moderna booster.
Minors ages 12-17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Appointments are required. Please bring your COVID-19 vaccine card to your appointment.