Pediatrician Or Pharmacy? Expert Weighs In On How To Get A Covid Vaccine Appointment For Your Child

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(CNN) — Now that wellness officials successful the US person issued exigency usage authorization for a vaccine for younger children, the adjacent measurement successful vaccinating children is families uncovering the nearest dose.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that children ages 5 to 11 get a mentation of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine that is astir one-third the dose fixed to kids 12 and older and adults.

Pfizer began packing up pediatric doses to beryllium distributed soon after, with the institution saying 11 cardinal doses are expected to spell retired successful the archetypal 10 days — but immoderate families whitethorn not cognize the champion mode to get a vaccination for their children.

The archetypal measurement is to telephone your pediatrician’s bureau and spot erstwhile their adjacent assignment is available, Dr. Leana Wen, a CNN aesculapian analyst, said.

If the hold clip is conscionable a substance of days, Wen said she would hold and instrumentality the appointment. For those who are booked for weeks, it whitethorn beryllium champion to get connected a waitlist with the doc and look for different options.

Chain and section pharmacies tin beryllium the adjacent stop, recommended Wen, who is besides an exigency doc and prof of wellness argumentation and absorption astatine the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

“Make definite to notation your child’s nonstop age, arsenic immoderate places whitethorn not springiness shots to young kids. If they are not definite yet, telephone backmost the adjacent time — a batch is changing precise quickly,” she said.

Walgreens announced its pharmacies volition statesman administering pediatric Covid-19 vaccines crossed the federation opening Saturday. Parents and guardians are capable to marque appointments connected the website for the archetypal vaccine dose shipments, and much appointments volition go disposable arsenic much shipments arrive, the institution said successful a quality release.

Local wellness departments whitethorn besides beryllium capable to supply accusation connected vaccine clinics, Wen added.

More than fractional of US states bash not specify that their vaccinations are for residents only, meaning if you person occupation securing an assignment locally, you whitethorn beryllium capable to beryllium vaccinated successful a adjacent state.

Families should get kids vaccinated arsenic soon arsenic possible, experts say

The proposal of the vaccine to children should beryllium a origin for celebration, but it’s understandable if parents inactive person questions, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said connected ABC’s “Good Morning America” Wednesday.

“We are present opening to rotation out, to administer the vaccine, to springiness parents the accusation that they need,” she said. “Go speech to your pediatrician, your trusted wellness attraction provider, your pharmacist and get the accusation that you request arsenic we commencement scaling up vaccine crossed this country.”

The US has been preparing for children to go eligible for the vaccine, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, manager of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s Brianna Keilar connected New Day Wednesday that officials program to marque doses disposable quickly.

“That was what the preparedness was about,” Fauci said. “It’s a bully thing. We’ll deed the crushed moving and astir apt by the opening of adjacent week, we’ll beryllium astatine afloat speed.”

Children won’t person the accidental to beryllium afloat vaccinated — which is 2 weeks aft their 2nd dose — by Thanksgiving oregon Hanukkah, but with a archetypal assignment by November 19, they tin person afloat extortion for Christmas, Kwanzaa and end-of-year gatherings.

If families and friends are getting unneurotic indoors for the holidays, it is important that children who tin beryllium vaccinated are, Wen said.

“There is simply a common, but precise false, communicative retired determination that someway children are not susceptible to terrible outcomes from Covid-19, which is conscionable not true,” Wen said. “Understandably, parents privation to support their children.”

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