Inland Empire children could be able to get a coronavirus vaccine booster shot as early as Monday.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized a COVID-19 booster shot for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds on Tuesday.
San Bernardino County officials announced Friday that the pediatric booster shots could become available to the public by Monday. Once they are available, residents can make a vaccination appointment by visiting SBCOVID19.com/vaccine, calling the county’s COVID Hotline at 909-387-3911 or contacting a pharmacy directly.
Riverside County spokesperson Jose Arballo said Friday afternoon that the county “tentatively” expects to have the booster shot available Tuesday for children between ages 5 and 11. Once that happens, residents can make an appointment by visiting RivCoPH.org/COVID-19-Vaccine, calling 951-358-5000 or contacting a pharmacy directly.
A third shot of the Pfizer vaccine — the only one available to children of any age in the U.S. — is approved for a one-third strength booster shot five months after a child has received their previous shot.
Everyone over age 12 was already approved to get a booster dose to counteract the reduced protection of the vaccine over time, and those 50 years and older or with serious health conditions can get a second booster shot.
Children younger than 5 are still not eligible for the coronavirus vaccine in the U.S.
The coronavirus is much more dangerous to adults than children, but children can still get seriously ill or die, experts say. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 350 kids between the ages of 5 and 11 have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. According to California public health officials, 71 children younger than 18 have died of COVID-19.
Although the vaccine does not prevent mild infections, studies show it dramatically reduces the chance of hospitalization and death.
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