Updated Jun. 21, 3:55 p.m.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Covid-19 vaccinations for children 6 months through 5 years of age on Saturday — and the state Department of Health has followed suit with preparations to roll out the vaccine in Vermont.
About 26,000 Vermont children are now eligible to receive the Covid vaccine, according to a Saturday press release from the health department. Providers will begin to receive doses to distribute to children starting this week.
This new age group is the first to gain eligibility for Covid vaccination without a rigorous state-run vaccination program in place. Gov. Phil Scott rolled back state-run vaccination clinics in March after the Omicron surge had waned.
In Monday’s announcement, Scott called the federal recommendation “an important and welcomed step forward.”
“Vermont has led the nation in vaccination uptake, especially among our youth,” he said. “I’m confident Vermont parents and caregivers will continue to step up in this new phase of our vaccination efforts.”
Where can children get vaccinated?
The health department will be distributing vaccines to children in this age range primarily by way of pediatricians, according to the announcement. Providers’ plans for administering vaccines may vary, the health department said, so “parents and caregivers should expect to hear from their child’s pediatrician when they are ready to begin vaccinations.”
The state also plans to host “a limited number of walk-in clinics,” the announcement said. State clinics now list availability for the Moderna vaccine for young children at clinics in 19 towns starting June 21 through the end of July. Clinics with Pfizer availability have yet to be announced.
Monica Ogelby, immunization program chief for the health department, told VTDigger earlier this month that the department’s distribution plan would prioritize populations disproportionately affected by the virus, such as people of color. The department also would take into account providers’ histories of vaccinating children and the number of children served by the practice.
“In Vermont, we have worked for months to ensure every pediatric health care provider has a plan to assist their patients in this age group have access to this vaccine,” health department spokesperson Nancy Erickson said in an emailed statement to VTDigger on Monday. “It’s recommended that families contact their pediatric health care provider to learn more about how to get vaccinated.”
The majority of pediatric health care providers who work with children 6 months old through 5 years old opted to carry the vaccine in their offices, while a handful of smaller offices chose to partner with larger practices nearby, Erickson said.
Local WIC offices may also distribute the vaccine for families enrolled in the WIC program, according to the announcement.
Which vaccines are approved for younger kids?
The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are both authorized for kids in the newly eligible age category, according to the announcement.
The Pfizer vaccine for Covid is authorized for kids ages 6 months to 4 years to be administered in two doses, three weeks apart — then a third dose at least two months later. The Moderna vaccine is authorized for kids ages 6 months to 5 years in two doses, four weeks apart.
Pfizer doses are one tenth the version administered to adults, and Moderna doses are one-fourth the adult dosage.
My child recently had Covid. Should they still get the vaccine?
As is recommended for older individuals, children who had Covid-19 recently might delay their next dose of the vaccine until three months after symptom onset, according to the CDC, or three months after a positive test, if the child was asymptomatic.
Parents should seek the advice of their child’s pediatrician on when to begin vaccination.
Will pharmacies administer the vaccine?
Some pharmacies plan to administer the vaccines, according to the health department. However, pharmacies can only vaccinate children who are 3 years of age or older, and very few pharmacy locations appear to have solidified plans to distribute vaccines to the youngest Vermonters.
- Kinney Drugs is still working through logistics and awaiting final guidance from the Vermont Department of Health before finalizing any tentative distribution plans for the youngest eligible age bracket, according to a spokesperson.
- Parents can schedule appointments for their kids ages 3 to 5 years old at select Walgreens locations as early as June 25. Currently, however, no Walgreens locations in Vermont are listed online as providers of Covid vaccines for this age range.
- CVS plans to administer Covid vaccines to children 18 months through 4 years of age at over a thousand of its “MinuteClinics” — but there are no MinuteClinics in Vermont. CVS will continue to provide vaccines to children ages 5 and older at locations throughout the state.
- Smilin Steve Pharmacy Group elected not to vaccinate children in this age range, as they believe vaccinating children that young is best done under pediatric oversight, according to a spokesperson.
Are the vaccines safe for young children?
Yes, according to federal health authorities. The recent CDC recommendation follows months of clinical trials and authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“Ongoing safety monitoring shows that COVID-19 vaccination continues to be safe for children,” the CDC says. “The known risks of COVID-19 and possible severe complications outweigh the potential risks of having a rare, adverse reaction to vaccination.”
Common side effects for children three and under include pain at the injection site, swollen lymph nodes, irritability, sleepiness and loss of appetite, according to the CDC.
This page will be updated when new details on vaccine availability at pharmacies and state-run clinics become available.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the schedule of doses for the Pfizer vaccine for children under five.
