10 New York mass COVID vaccination sites open to children 5-11
Ten of New York's state mass COVID vaccination sites are open to children 5 to 11 years old, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Saturday.
So far, more than 50,000 children in the state have received at least one shot since the CDC approved Pfizer's vaccine for the age group, according to the governor's office.
"Since this 5 to 11 year-old age group became eligible, we have been encouraging parents to reach out to their pediatricians and local health providers to set up vaccine appointments and now I'm directing our state mass vaccination sites to open their doors to the youngest and most recently eligible New Yorkers," Hochul said.
The following locations in New York — once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic — are administering vaccines to children:
- Syracuse: The Great New York State Fair - Art and Home Center
- Glen Head: SUNY Old Westbury - Clark Athletic Center
- Albany: Crossgates Mall, Former Lord & Taylor Store - Upper Level
- South Ozone Park: Aqueduct Racetrack
- Rochester: Rochester Educational Opportunity Center
- Brooklyn: Medgar Evers College
- Bronx: Bay Eden Senior Center
- Yonkers: New York National Guard Armory
- Stony Brook: SUNY Stony Brook
- Buffalo: University at Buffalo South Campus
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration who now serves on Pfizer's board of directors, said he expects "broad immunity" against COVID-19 among younger children as more get vaccinated.
"The uptake on a 5- to 11[-year-old] vaccine has been very brisk, and I suspect that uptake is going to be better than 12 to 17. There were some estimates that uptake would be less than 12 to 17. I think it could be the opposite," Gottlieb said on "Face the Nation" last Sunday. "Right now, CVS is scheduled to deliver more than 1 million vaccines to kids ages 5 to 11 today, so I think you're going to see broad immunity get put into the child population."
Gottlieb said the U.S. is close to the end of the "pandemic phase" of COVID-19 and is entering a more "endemic" phase.
