Following its approval by the CDC, St. Tammany Health System is adding 5-to-11-year-olds to eligible recipients of the Covid vaccine.
The CDC approval is based on research indicating 91% effectiveness in preventing symptomatic COVID infections in children between 5 and 11.
Appointments are available at STHS facilities in Covington, Madisonville and Mandeville by calling 985-898-4001, for children and adults, free of charge.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 2 endorsed the recommendation of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech’s pediatric vaccine. That recommendation came just days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of the vaccine in children under 12.
Dr. Patrick Torcson, chief medical officer at St. Tammany Health System, said as with the adult vaccines, the vaccine for children has been studied extensively, with no serious side effects detected in the children studied. He added that he knew a lot of parents had been waiting for this, and they could rest assured that it is both safe and effective.
Pfizer’s pediatric COVID vaccine, which is about one-third the dose of its adult vaccine, is a two-dose vaccine, with the second being administered three weeks after the first. Maximum immunity is achieved two weeks after the second dose.
As with the adult vaccines, breakthrough infections are possible, although the vaccine has proven effective in greatly reducing the need for hospitalization in those who experience a breakthrough case.
