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Children between ages 5 and 11 began receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Los Angeles County on Wednesday, with the Pasadena Public Health Department expected to follow suit early next week, officials said.
The L.A. County Department of Public Health sprung into action following the final approval of the vaccine for children late Tuesday.
“In L.A. County, an estimated 900,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 are newly eligible for vaccinations,” the agency said in a written statement. Kids must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when receiving their doses.
Just like adults, clinics and appointments can be found through the state vaccination website at myturn.ca.gov.
BREAKING NEWS: Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is approved under EUA for children 5-11. Children may now get vaccinated at select, walk-up clinics county-wide – please call site ahead of time to check availability. Visit https://t.co/w0oh4OPPGX for info or talk to your child’s doctor. pic.twitter.com/3jhtVDeuGV
— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) November 3, 2021
Clinics within the jurisdiction of the Pasadena Public Health Department had not yet begun administering the pediatric vaccine, but were poised to begin Monday, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
The Pasadena Unified School District announced Wednesday it is finalizing plans with the Pasadena Public Health Department for District vaccination clinics not only at the PUSD Primary Clinic but also at multiple school sites.
“It is our goal to offer opportunities for the first dose before Thanksgiving and the second dose three weeks later which will allow our students to be fully vaccinated before they return from winter break,” the District said in a statement.
Some private medical providers operating in the city were making the vaccine available earlier.
CVS Pharmacy planned to begin administering the vaccine to children between 5 and 11 years old on Sunday, according to company spokeswoman Monica Prinzing.
Those interested can sign up for an appointment online at CVS.com or via the CVS mobile app, she said.
“The CVS scheduling tool will only display appointments at CVS Pharmacy locations that have the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine once the patient’s age is provided,” Prinzing added.
L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said nearly 80,000 children between 5 and 11 years old have contracted COVID-19, and nearly 400 have been hospitalize,d over the course of the pandemic.
“As with other vaccines used to protect children from transmission of dangerous diseases including measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and polio, vaccines are all tested to ensure they are safe and effective for children to receive,” she said. “Children who receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine this week, will be able to get their second dose in 21 days — just in time to be fully protected before the winter holidays.”
Public Health officials in Pasadena reported 9 new infections on Wednesday, raising the city’s total to 13,586 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
With no deaths reported Since Oct. 6, the local death toll has remained stable at 363 for four straight weeks, according to city data.
On average, 12.4 new cases were detected daily over the prior week, PPHD records show.
The Pasadena Unified School District listed 26 student infections over the prior week, as well as five among staff members.
Huntington Hospital reported treating 20 admitted COVID-19 patients on Wednesday, with three of them being treated in intensive care units.
Officials at the county level reported 1,605 new infections and 22 deaths on Wednesday, which brought the pandemic totals to 1,496,593 cases of the virus and 26,683 fatalities.
Just over 650 patients were being treated at hospitals for COVID-19 county-wide, according to the LACDPH. Twenty-five percent of them were in ICUs.
Wednesday countywide daily test positivity rate was measured at 1.2%.
The California Department of Public Health announced 3,518 new cases of COVID-19 and 76 deaths on Wednesday, which raised the state’s totals to 4,674,665 infections and 26,683 fatalities.
The statewide weekly positivity rate held steady at 2.2%, according to CDPH data.
As of Wednesday, L.A. County represented 32% of California’s COVID-19 infections and 37% of the state’s deaths.
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