Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine works in kids ages 5 to 11
Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine works in kids ages 5 to 11
Pfizer announced on Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for children from 5 to 11. Santa Clara County is preparing for the imminent rush of folks 65 and older looking for a booster shot and the new group of kids likely to receive the shots as soon as it is approved for emergency use.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara County is ramping up capacity at their mass vaccination sites.
Two things: approval of booster shots for those 65 and up and first shots for kids 5 to 11 seem imminent.
And so they're staffing up, and even opening two new vaccination sites, including one in San Martin.
"Every time we're super tired, we just think about what this could mean, what this next big push could mean and how it could actually change how we live our lives. So we're very excited and we get a new adrenaline rush each time," says Kimberly Soria, Clinical Coordinator for testing for Santa Clara County.
They say they're ready.
There had been concerns that all adults would be approved for boosters at once, something which now seems unlikely.
County officials say a smaller number showing up for boosters is actually a relief.
"I'm optimistic that we would then be able to free up most of our capacity for children," says Dr. Jennifer Tong, Associate Chief Medical Officer with Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center.
And they say there should be plenty of appointments to go around as soon as shots for that younger demographic are approved.
"We're fortunate that we have more vaccine providers than we did in the early springtime. We expect that many people will seek vaccines from their private providers as well as from commercial pharmacies," says Dr. Tong.
At Almaden Pediatrics in San Jose, they're already working on their vaccination plan.
"I'm pretty certain that somewhere around late October to early November we'll be doing some amount of vaccinating kids younger than twelve," says Dr. Peter Contini, with Almaden Pediatrics.
They'll be offering them at special clinics and at well checks too. The hope is to have lots of shots in arms before the winter holidays. But they say the first few weeks may be chaotic.
"Understand we're going to have enough vaccine for everybody and we're going to get to you if you can just be a little bit patient," says Dr. Contini.
Crews have been out here all day setting up the San Martin site by the county's Animal Services Center. It should be set to open Tuesday.