INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County Public Health Department plans to begin offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children ages five to 11 as early as Thursday, Nov. 4.
Doses of the vaccine will be available at District Health Office vaccine clinics and at the ACTION Health Center.
Walk-ins are welcome, and those older than age 11 can still receive their coronavirus vaccine at the clinics.
The vaccine dose for children ages five to 11 was approved by a vote Tuesday by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, affirming that thorough clinical trials demonstrated the Pfizer vaccine to be safe and effective for that age group.
“I am thrilled that this lifesaving protection will now be available for the 5-11-year-olds in our community,” said Virginia Caine, M.D., Director of and Chief Medical Officer of MCPHD. “I encourage any hesitant parents to do their homework by reading about the vaccine and approval process from reputable sources like our local media partners, and talk to their pediatrician about the benefits and risks of the COVID vaccine for their child.”
The efficacy and safety of the vaccine for the five to 11 age group was studied in more than 2,000 children in 90 clinical trial sites in four countries. According to Pfizer-BoNtech, the vaccine was nearly 91% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 infection. For kids of this age group, the vaccine will be administered in a smaller, one-third dose.
Parental or guardian consent is required for a minor to receive the vaccine.
Below are the locations and schedules of the District Health Office and ACTION Health Center COVID vaccine clinics.
(Table by MCPHD.)
The vaccine will also be available to kids ages five to 11 on a walk-in basis Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the vaccination clinic outside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, parents who wish to schedule an appointment for their child to get the vaccine can do so at the Our Shot website or by calling 211 or 866-211-9966.
