A quality home is the foundation
of society & community

A quality home is the foundation of society & community

The Illinois Department of Health Recommends the Pfizer Vaccine for Children 5-11 years old

Last month the FDA approved vaccine status for children as young as 5 years old and on Tuesday, an independent CDC advisory committee gave kids to go ahead to get their shots. The dosage for children in that age range is about a third of the adult dose and kids will still need to have two rounds of the vaccine about three weeks apart to be fully vaccinated.

“I encourage parents who may have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for their children to talk with a pediatrician or family doctor,” said public health director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. Vaccinations for those 5 and older will be available at local health departments, pharmacies, and pediatricians’ offices. The state is working with schools at the moment to set up vaccination clinics across the state of Illinois.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech said their data shows the vaccine was “well-tolerated and showed [a] robust neutralizing antibody response” in the younger age group. Children that have gotten infected with COVID-19 do not usually get as sick as adults who catch it, but according to the CDC, hundreds of children have died from COVID and thousands have been hospitalized. “We also know children are great transmitters and can unknowingly infect people who could suffer severe illness. We need as many people as possible, including children, to be vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus and end this pandemic.” Ezike said.

Pfizer says that the side effects are less frequent in children than adolescents or adults, but can include: soreness at the injection site, fatigue, fever, chills, and headache.