The Monroe County Public Health Clinic announced in a press release they will partner with local schools for “Super Shot” clinics to administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children 5 to 11 years old starting Nov. 18.
Parents will soon be able to schedule appointments for their children to be vaccinated at both Edgewood Primary School and Bloomington High School South. Edgewood is offering a three-hour time slot starting at 4 p.m. Nov. 18 for children to receive their first dose and another slot from 4 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 9 for the second dose.
Bloomington High School South will also offer two slots for first and second dose vaccinations. The first will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 20 and the second will be Dec. 11 during the same time window.
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Public health nurses will be providing vaccinations for children in this age range during regular school days for schools that request for this assistance. Children can also receive vaccinations at local pharmacies and from their pediatrician during a routine visit.
Families can also receive vaccinations from mobile clinics at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway parking lot. The Indiana Department of Health is offering these clinics Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. until Nov. 20.
These clinics follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky’s endorsement of the CDC panel’s unanimous recommendation Nov. 2 to offer the vaccine to children in this age range.
Similar to adult vaccines, these doses will be administered twice, at least 21 days apart from each other. The pediatric dose only contains one-third of the regular sized dose, but it is still 90.7% effective, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Some children may experience side effects similar to those of the adult vaccines. These may include sore arm, headache, fatigue, fever, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, nausea and a decrease in appetite.
For more information regarding vaccination in children and teens, visit the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens page.
