San Francisco declares plan for vaccinating children ages 5 to 11
San Francisco released its emergency plans for vaccinating children on Friday morning if the Food and Drug Administration grants an emergency authorization to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 to 11.
The city follows in the footsteps of Marin County, which announced a preliminary plan last week.
The city said in a statement that it will use the already existing network of nearly 100 vaccination sites in doctors’ offices, clinics, schools, pharmacies and more to get shots in the arms of the children.
The expected approval of the vaccine for children comes after the FDA announced approval of Pfizer booster doses for people aged 65 and older and other high-risk groups. San Francisco said in the statement it is ready to begin administering these but will prioritize those who need first and second shots. The city encourages people to contact their healthcare providers for information on obtaining boosters.
“We anticipate a capacity to administer 25,000 vaccine doses per week at these sites to collectively meet demand from eligible children, adults seeking a first vaccination, and third-dose booster shots for those who qualify,” the said City. “We must emphasize that ensuring access to the first and second doses for all members of our community, including children aged 5 to 11 when they are eligible, will be our top priority.”
While Marin County scheduled specific dates for mass child vaccination sites in anticipation of next month’s emergency approval of the Pfizer vaccine, San Francisco gave no dates for major events.
Marin County has tentatively scheduled vaccination events for three consecutive weekends: October 30 and 31, November 6 and 7, and November 13 and 14. They are also launching an awareness campaign.
“We know many parents want advice from their pediatrician or GP, so we’re also working to build the capacity for GPs to have the COVID-19 vaccine available in their offices,” said Laine Hendricks, a spokeswoman for the Marin County Department of Health wrote in an email. “We are reaching out and meeting with pediatric practices to look at vaccine administration, refrigeration/storage etc. In that sense, Marin County Public Health would be complementary to what pediatricians offer.”
Hendricks added that the goal in Marin County is to have 75% of eligible children have a first dose within one month of receiving emergency clearance.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Tuesday that COVID-19 vaccine data for children ages 5 to 11 would be available soon and could be submitted to the FDA by the end of September, CNBC reported.
“Then it’s up to the FDA to take its time and then make a decision,” Bourla said during an interview at Research America’s 2021 National Health Research Forum.
