The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the green light on Tuesday for children to receive pediatric doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health and pediatric health experts discussed COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 on Wednesday.
According to Vanderhoff, some parents have expressed concern about a possible heart infection related to the vaccine. Vanderhoff said a clinical study found that no child between the ages of 5 and 11 who received the vaccine had any such symptoms. Heart inflammation is even more common in someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, more than 386,000 Ohio residents between the ages of 12 and 17 have begun the COVID-19 vaccination process.
“It remains very clear that COVID-19 vaccination is the best protection for all Ohio residents, including young people,” said Vanderhoff.
Between now and January, recent data shows that 95% of all hospitalized COVID-19 patients were unvaccinated. According to Vanderhoff, about 18% of all cases reported in the state last week were in people under the age of 18.
“We are excited that a COVID-19 vaccine is now available for younger, school-age Ohioans,” said Vanderhoff.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the go-ahead on Tuesday for children to receive pediatric doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The approval means health officials across the country can now begin administering the vaccine to children as young as 5 years old.
Earlier this week, the Biden administration began assembling and shipping millions of injections pending the decision and says sufficient doses of the Pfizer vaccine are currently available for 28 million children in the approved age group.
Vanderhoff said health officials will continue to encourage students to wear masks in schools while vaccine rollouts are underway.
The state expects a total of more than 367,000 doses during the initial rollout of vaccines for children in the approved age group. The first shipments have already arrived in Ohio, Vanderhoff said. Ohioans can click here for more information.
Doses will be available in all 88 counties of the state.
Tuesday’s announcement from the CDC also means Ohio can expand its Vax-to-School drawing to include ages 5-25. The program will award $2 million in scholarships to eligible Ohioans.
More information about Vax-to-School can be found here.
COVID-19 in Ohio: Recent coverage ⬇️
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