Pasadena to Start Offering Child Vaccines on July 7

The Pasadena Public Health Department will start offering COVID-19 vaccines to children six months to four years old on July 7 in a clinic lasting from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

To find vaccination sites and schedule an appointment, visit: http://MyTurn.CA.gov. 

A PPHD spokesperson said the department will conduct additional clinics and are working to schedule them throughout the month.

June 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the COVID-19 vaccination of children under five, finally ending the two-and-a-half-year wait on the part of parents of young children. 

Vaccines that are given approval are those manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer- BioNTech. 

According to the CDC’s website, children may get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including a flu vaccine, at the same time.

Children under five years old should also get a COVID-19 booster, if eligible.

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines available for children, visit: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Overview and Safety and/or Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Overview and Safety

County health officials continue to note that young children are considered at lower risk of becoming severely ill or dying from COVID, but they also noted that the risk is higher among unvaccinated children. 

They also contend that unvaccinated children are at higher risk of developing Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C.

According to the county, over the past three months, unvaccinated children aged 12-17 were nearly four times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID than vaccinated children. Among vaccine-eligible children in the county who contracted confirmed cases of MIS-C, 65% were unvaccinated, officials said.

“As we have seen with adults, children can experience short and long- term health problems from COVID-19,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “Vaccinations are a proven safety measure that protects your entire family, including now your youngest children, from severe illness and death from COVID. The development and approval of the vaccines for children under age 5 have gone through a rigorous evaluation and approval process as with all other routine childhood vaccines.

“As we make plans to gather with family and to enjoy the summer and upcoming holidays, now is the time to make sure that all our children are fully vaccinated. Vaccinated children and adults add an essential layer of protection for the entire community, especially with the proliferation of new, highly infectious variants.”

According to the latest state data, the number of COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of June 28 is at 779. 

The county reported 6,529 new cases as of June 29 raising the cumulative total from throughout the pandemic to 3,112,364.

For more information on the county COVID-19 data, visit: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data/#