Want to get your 5-11 year old vaccinated against Covid? Here's what you need to know

It’s official. A whole new cohort of children in Washington state, and across the country, are now eligible to get kid-sized doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Federal authorities have approved and recommended the use of the Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 year olds, and the Western State Scientific Safety Review Workgroup has also given their stamp of approval.

Experts have deemed the vaccine safe and effective for children.

That means that roughly 680,000 kids across Washington are now eligible for the shots, and can receive them starting today.

But parents should be prepared that some patience will be necessary.

More than 300,000 doses have been allocated to the state in the first round of vaccine shipments. Some of those doses have arrived, but others are still on the way.

In King County, there are approximately 183,000 kids in the newly eligible age group. However, the county is only receiving enough doses to vaccinate 48,400 children in the first shipment of vaccine allocations, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County.

More doses are expected to arrive early next week, and again midway through the month. Pharmacies in King County will also receive doses through a federal program.

How do you get your kid vaccinated?

Most sites, at least initially, will be scheduling appointments for the pediatric vaccine. So don’t plan to just walk up to get your kid vaccinated.

The Pfizer vaccine for this age group is formulated specifically for kids, so locations have to receive pediatric doses to serve 5-11 year olds.

At first, the number of doses coming to providers may not meet demand. But officials say they expect that to change in the coming weeks.

“There is going to be more than enough vaccine for children in our state, it’s just going to take a little bit of time for us to get there,” said Washington Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah.

Public health officials recommend parents call their regular healthcare provider, their child’s pediatrician, a local pharmacy, or a vaccination clinic to make an appointment.

The state Department of Health has added a pediatric vaccine option to the state’s vaccine locator tool.

Parents can also call 1-800-525-0127 for vaccine information.

UW Medicine locations are asking people to call to join a waitlist in order to secure an appointment. You can call 844-520-8700 to start that process.

King County-run sites do not yet have appointments available. You can check this site for updates.

In the coming weeks, many kids will also have access to vaccines through their schools. Seattle Public Schools will be running vaccine clinics starting next week.

And available vaccine appointments in Seattle can be found here.

Why get your kid vaccinated?

Public health officials and experts say the Covid-19 vaccine for children is safe, effective, and the best way to protect a child from Covid-19.

According to a statement from the state department of health: “Side effects reported in the clinical trial were generally mild to moderate and included sore arm, fatigue, headache, chills, fever, and nausea, with most going away within a day or two.”

While children often have more mild cases of Covid-19 than adults, they can still become seriously ill, require hospitalization, and die due to the virus.

According to the CDC, 680 children under the age of 18 have died from Covid.

Exposures and illness can also result in disruption to in-person learning for children in school. Officials say increasing vaccination rates among younger kids is critical to keeping schools open.

Dr. Mark Del Beccaro with Public Health – Seattle & King County said getting kids vaccinated is also important in the fight to return to normal. Del Beccaro said many families are keen to gather again, especially as the holidays approach.

In multi-generational households, or households with someone who is immunocompromised having children vaccinated adds a layer of protection.

“You don’t want the six year old to bring in a cold and it turns out it was Covid,” Del Beccaro said.

State Department of Health acting assistant secretary Michele Roberts said she understands that some parents may have questions.

But she stressed Wednesday that the choice not to vaccinate is not risk-free.

“You may be worried about potential side effects,” Roberts said. “But you’re really choosing a different set of risks for your child in leaving them unprotected against what is really a pretty severe disease.”

Roberts and others encourage any parent who is hesitant to vaccinating their child to speak with a trusted healthcare provider.

Equitable access

Vaccine rollouts among adults saw lags in vaccination rates in some communities, including Black and Latino communities.

Geographically, pockets of lower vaccination rates persist, including in south King County where the rate of infection is two to four times higher than in other areas of the county.

Vaccine allocations within King County will take equity factors into account, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County, especially while demand outstrips supply.

The county is working with community based and faith based organizations to get vaccines to kids.

Overall, nearly 89% of King County residents aged 12 or older have had at least one dose of vaccine.

Officials expect roughly a third of families will be very keen to get younger children vaccinated immediately.