Six-month-old children in Yakima County and across the country are now able to receive the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Some pharmacies in Yakima, Sunnyside, and Wapato already have pediatric vaccines in stock, but it may take several weeks before doses become widely available.
Chris Reed, Chief Operating Officer of Community Health in Central Washington, said the clinic may not begin receiving vaccines until early July.
“We are just starting to receive notifications that we are receiving vaccine shipments,” Reed said. “Currently, there are no assigned assignments ordered, but we hope to be able to start vaccination of children in early July.”
For parents who want to vaccinate their children as soon as possible, several clinics and pharmacies such as Wapato’s Horizon Pharmacy, Yakima’s Nine’s Avenue Rite Aid, and Sunnyside’s Rite Aid are now using medicines for young children. I can do it. Other available organizations Yakima Health District website..
Both the Food and Drug Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved Moderna and Pfizer shots for children aged 6 months to 4 years earlier this month and determined that they were safe and effective. The vaccine was approved last year for teens and school-aged children.
A scientific workgroup, organized by the governors of Washington, California, Nevada, and Oregon, reviewed federal government decisions and confirmed them last weekend. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association also recommend vaccination of younger children.
Pfizer has a series of three shots, and Moderna has two shots for young children.
Stephanie Mathias, Chief Quality Officer at CHCW, said one of the challenges in deploying vaccines is estimating demand.
Mathias encouraged parents who have doubts about vaccines, or simply want more information to talk to their children’s health care providers.
“Parents who bring their babies to get the vaccine will be nervous, scared and asking questions,” she said. “It was important to make sure that the process we embraced provided the opportunity for those parents to talk directly to the provider.”
Meghan Colleran, a nurse practitioner at Yakima Pediatrics, one of these providers, said one of the big questions parents have asked is whether their children should be vaccinated if they are already infected with COVID. I did.
“Yes, we recommend that you give your child the COVID-19 vaccine, even if you are already infected with COVID,” Colleran said. “Like adults, having a COVID gives you temporary immunity, but you will eventually want to get vaccinated.”
According to Correlan, if a child has recently been infected with COVID-19, he will also be asked about the timing of the vaccine.
“I was vaccinated at first, but I was told to wait six months before I was vaccinated (if the person was infected with COVID),” she said. “Now we know if the case was mild. As long as the symptoms are gone, the child can be vaccinated.”
For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine for children, please visit: FDA website Or talk to your child’s health care provider.
