UPDATE: Bay Area School and Health Officials Plan COVID Vaccine Rollout for Kids Ages 5-11
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- With the CDC finally recommending the use of the Pfizer COVID vaccine for children ages 5-11 Tuesday, Bay Area school districts are making plans for the next vaccination phase.
"A shot in the arm, it didn't hurt," SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews told a class at Malcolm X Academy. "A little pinch, but then it went away."
Just as CDC panel was discussing its recommendations for the Pfizer COVID vaccine as far as emergency use for children, San Francisco School leaders were taking questions from a classroom full of students.
"If I get the shot, can I still get COVID?" one asked.
It was part of a push to encourage parents to get their kids in line for a shot. The superintendent said the district is standing by with its healthcare partners.
"As soon as all the approvals happen, and the vaccines arrive, we will be ready to begin administering," said Matthews. "We're just waiting for them to arrive. We're excited."
Across the Bay Area, school systems are lining up plans to get parents the right information, or do the job on site.
"Parents and families can go to either their healthcare provider, or vaccine sites, or pharmacies," said Deputy Health Officer for Contra Costa County Dr. Sefanit Mekuria. "In addition to that we've been working through several districts throughout our county on planning school-based vaccine sites."
Contra Costa County is looking at 30 to 35 schools as vaccination sites. But like the initial vaccine rollout, there's some uncertainty about supply and demand. So it's a little hard to know how long it might take to get this next population vaccinated.
"That's a great question," Mekuria said. "We've been asked that. It's unclear, because I'm sure there's going to be similarities to other populations. There will be people that are very interested in being vaccinated, People who are very eager to get vaccinated. Others will not be."
Below are links to county and state websites with information on how to sign up for vaccinations. Many counties have yet to update their websites. Your child's pediatrician has also been approved to administer the Pfizer child vaccine.
- CVS pharmacies
- UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals may start as early as Friday, said Suzanne Leigh, the senior public information representative for UCSF. UCSF Vaccination Page
- Kaiser Permanente, with locations across California, said in a statement that they anticipate beginning pediatric vaccinations in early November. Kaiser Permanente Vaccination Page
- Walgreens Vaccination Signup Page
- MyTurn.CA.gov
- Alameda County
- Berkeley
- Contra Cost County
- Marin County
- Napa County
- San Francisco
- San Mateo County
- Santa Clara County
- Solano County
- Sonoma County
