U.S. Children Ages 5 To 11 Now Receiving COVID Vaccines

Children ages 5 to 11 tin present get a COVID shot. 

Among the first: 7-year-old Kye'vontay Jordan.  

"All I felt was a small pinch,” said Kye'vontay.

"Now I tin slumber not worrying astir him going to schoolhouse and, you know, being exposed to the coronavirus could truly impact him and messiness him up," said Kye'vontay's father, Brian Jordan. 

Fifteen cardinal doses of kids' vaccines are arriving astatine thousands of sites crossed the state implicit the adjacent week. The White House is promising capable proviso to support the nation's 28 cardinal children ages 5-11. Doctors' offices, children's hospitals and tiny clinics started ordering doses past week. 

"We don't person vaccine yet. We're eagerly awaiting our shipment," said Dr. Lauren Wilson, a pediatric hospitalist astatine Community Medical Center successful Missoula, Montana.

"So today's the archetypal time we've been giving this vaccine and our phones are ringing disconnected the hook," said Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician successful Atlanta.

This rollout volition look antithetic from the wide vaccinations we saw successful February and March with adults. Colorful Band-Aids and cute therapy dogs are tools successful the arsenal to marque these pokes little scary.

"At first, I was feeling nervous, but I mean, I knew however shots felt truthful close past and there, I felt fine," said Carter Giglio.

It comes astatine a clip erstwhile vaccine hesitancy and misinformation are impacting vaccinations. Only a 4th of parents accidental they'll vaccinate their kids close away. 

"I deliberation we would alternatively absorption connected gathering their immune strategy alternatively than giving them conscionable vaccines," said Salah Sarir.

"I conscionable person to spot much data. Once it's really been implemented and they've had immoderate much investigating and a small spot much item and really talking to my pediatrician," said Brigette Rahming. "We didn't get ours until I really talked to our superior physician. That was important."

The Pfizer mRNA changeable is astir 90% effectual astatine preventing symptomatic corruption successful kids. Those findings are from a objective proceedings of much than 4,000 elementary-age children.  

It's a 3rd of the big dose — 10 micrograms. The shots are fixed 3 weeks apart. 

"As acold arsenic the broadside effects, you know, the archetypal objective trials look to suggest that kids whitethorn really person less broadside effects oregon not arsenic severe," said Dr. Rosha McCoy, elder manager of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

"I deliberation immoderate of the parents who are skeptical, who had atrocious broadside effects themselves, whitethorn beryllium much skeptical astir worrying astir inflicting it connected their kids," said Dr. Ross McKinney, main technological serviceman astatine the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Some providers are taking other time. At Community Medical Center successful Missoula, they're waiting to commencement kids shots Nov. 8. 

"One of the reasons that immoderate radical aren't vaccinating this Thursday is that the doses are 21 days apart," said hospitalist Dr. Wilson, who is besides the vice president of the Montana Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics. "And if you were to springiness a vaccine connected Thursday, past it would mean that the 2nd dose would person to beryllium connected Thanksgiving. And astir radical are either retired of municipality oregon with family, and a batch of our wellness attraction workers are off."

The archetypal children getting vaccinated contiguous volition beryllium scheduled for their 2nd changeable Nov. 24. That's the time earlier Thanksgiving. Given that subject says you're considered afloat vaccinated 2 weeks aft that 2nd shot, children vaccinated present volition beryllium afloat protected earlier the Christmas holiday.