SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. health officials on Tuesday gave the final signoff to Pfizer’s kid-size COVID-19 shot, a major expansion of the nation’s vaccination campaign.
The announcement by CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky came only hours after an advisory panel unanimously decided Pfizer’s shots should be opened to the 28 million youngsters in that age group.
Millions of shots made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have already been shipped to states, doctors’ offices and pharmacies, ready for use.
ABC10 reached out to several counties in the greater Sacramento region to see when they would start administering the COVID-19 vaccine and here's what we found out:
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Sacramento City Unified School District
Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) told ABC10 that their first clinic will be on Nov. 10 from 4-7 p.m. at the Serna Center. Another clinic is scheduled for Nov. 17 from 4-7 p.m. at the Serna Center. SCUSD said these clinics are open to anyone who is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, which includes those aged 5 and up.
Resources about the vaccines, including the schedule of upcoming vaccination clinics at SCUSD sites, can be found at: www.scusd.edu/vaccinations and on the My Turn website.
Placer County
Placer County Public Information Officer Scott Sandow told ABC10 that the county has plans to use existing county-run vaccination clinics for children ages 5-11. Parents are also encouraged to check with their healthcare provider, pharmacies or myturn.ca.gov for more information.
Sandow said that providers have just started receiving the vaccine doses for children so there may be limited supplies during the initial phases of administering those doses.
For more information about vaccine clinics in Placer County, click HERE.
San Joaquin County
Cheryl Laughlin, the Public Information Officer for San Joaquin County, told ABC10 that the county is still working on the details, but people should look at myturn.ca.gov for more information on walk-ins and vaccinations.
Maggie Park, the San Joaquin County Public Health Director, said the county received about 1,100 pediatric Pfizer doses and could begin vaccinating children as early as Thursday or Friday.
Stanislaus County
Stanislaus County Public Information Officer Elizabeth McCuistion told ABC10 the county will start administering vaccine doses to kids age 5-11 tomorrow, Nov. 4, at its three vaccination clinics throughout the county. McCuistion said anyone with additional questions about the vaccine should contact their child's primary care physician.
Here are three of the county-hosted vaccine clinics:
- Modesto: Public Health Immunization Clinic 412 Paradise Road, Suite E
- Oakdale: Gene Bianchi Community Center 110 s 2nd St.
- Ceres: Cesar Chavez Jr High – Multipurpose Room at 2701 Eastgate Blvd.
Other clinics that will be open throughout the week can be found HERE.
Yolo County
Yolo County Public Information Officer John Fout said the county is ready to administer the vaccines to children 5-11.
The county has 4,500 doses of the 10 microgram child vaccine allotted for this week and Fout said the number of doses could increase based on demand. Fout said if someone can't get a vaccine this week, they could get it next week.
Solano County
Solano County's mass vaccination clinic at the Solano County Fairgrounds will offer children older than 5 the vaccine beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Families can register HERE or call 1-800-672-0150. The clinic is open the people of all ages.
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente released a statement that they will be ready to offer the Pfizer vaccine to children shortly after approval from the CDC, FDA and the state. They expect to receive guidance after Nov. 3.
"Supplies may be limited at first, but we're confident that we'll be able to vaccinate all children ages 5 to 11 before the end of the year," the statement reads. "Like older groups, children can receive their vaccine at no cost from us at our convenient vaccine clinics or from a community provider."
Sutter Health
A Sutter Health spokesperson released a statement saying the FDA's authorization of Pfizer for children is important to stopping the spread of COVID-19.
UC Davis Health
University of California, Davis Health said it has started offering COVID-19 vaccines as of Thursday morning. Anyone interested in signing up for an appointment can visit myturn.ca.gov using the zip code 95817.
People with questions about the vaccine can find more information HERE.
CVS
Starting Sunday, Nov. 7, select CVS pharmacy locations will begin offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 to 11.
CVS Health said Wednesday that 1,700 locations are now accepting appointments for the pediatric vaccine. Parents should schedule an appointment online at CVS.com or through the CVS pharmacy app.
CVS Health said it plans introduce "child-friendly elements in the coming weeks designed to help motivate and reward the children and help keep them entertained" during the 15-minute post-vaccination observation period.
Walgreens
Walgreens announced Wednesday that it will begin offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 in thousands of stores starting Saturday, Nov. 6.
The company said appointments are now available and can be made through the appointment scheduler at Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine, through the Walgreens app or by calling 1-800-Walgreens.
Additional appointments will be added in the coming weeks as Walgreens gets additional vaccine doses, according to Wednesday's announcement.
Walgreens said there will be appointments specifically focused on after-school hours with select stores offering additional appointments on Saturdays through Nov. 20.
Stores will have activity sheets, stickers and Tootsie Pops to help kids pass the time during the required 15-minute post-vaccination observation period.
Walmart, Sam's Club
Walmart and Sam's Club pharmacies will begin offering kids' COVID-19 vaccines "starting later this week," according to a online post by Lisa Smith, Walmart's Sr. Director of Clinical Strategy and Operations.
Smith said that the pediatric vaccine will be available in more than 5,100 pharmacies, though supply may be limited initially.
Parents and guardians can use Walmart’s online appointment scheduler to find an available Pfizer vaccine in their communities. Once you filter by age, the tool will show locations administering the kids' Pfizer vaccine in your neighborhood.
Walk-ins will be accepted, based on availability, according to Smith's post.
To find a COVID-19 vaccine at a Walmart or Sam's Club, visit Walmart.com/covidvaccine or samsclub.com/pharmacy/immunizations.
Rite Aid
Rite Aid said Wednesday it expects to begin pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations at select store locations starting Saturday, Nov. 6.
The first appointments can be booked through Rite Aid's online scheduling tool beginning Thursday, Nov. 4.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES
- San Joaquin County Help: A Resource Guide for Struggling Families and Individuals
- Yolo County Help: A Resource Guide for Struggling Families and Individuals
- Stanislaus County Help: A Resource Guide for Struggling Families and Individuals
- Sacramento County Help: A Resource Guide for Struggling Families and Individuals
- Q&A: Why wear a mask after you've been vaccinated?
- Can my employer require the COVID-19 vaccine? | Q&A with workers rights attorney
- Q&A: How do the COVID-19 vaccines work? Are they like the flu vaccine, will there be side effects?
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Editor's Note: The clinic is scheduled for Thursday at Elkhorn Village Elementary School in Yolo County has been removed due to the even being private and only for students.