Posted on June 29, 2022 at 1:48 PM by Meghan Wishner
In response to the June 19 approval from the Western States Safety Review Workgroup and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is finalizing preparations to offer the Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech vaccines for young children ages 6 months and older.
“Starting this week, limited shipments of COVID-19 vaccines for young children will begin shipping to providers who have ordered the vaccine through the CDPH, including the HCA,” says Dr. Clayton Chau, HCA Director. “The HCA’s Public Health Services Division will partner with Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) to make the vaccines for young children available at select locations as soon as shipments arrive, and sites are operationalized.”
Some vaccine locations are currently in receipt of the initial vaccine shipments and are currently offering appointments. These appointments can be found by visiting vaccines.gov and searching locations by ZIP Code. Parents and legal guardians seeking a vaccine for their eligible child(ren) can also check with their primary care providers and/or pharmacy for expedited availability. Vaccination appointments for the HCA/CHOC sites will be made available on Othena.com over the next week as plans are finalized.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, clinical trials involving thousands of infants and toddlers 6 months and older firmly show that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and provide protection against infection. Children get a smaller dose of COVID-19 vaccine than teens and adults, which is the right amount for their age group. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone aged 6 months and older get vaccinated against COVID-19.
COVID-19 primary series vaccination for children and teens (CDC), as of 6/19/22.
| Child's Age | Pfizer-BioNTech | Moderna |
|---|
| 6 months-4 years old | 3 dose primary series | 2 dose primary series |
| 5 years old | 2 dose primary series | 2 dose primary series |
| 6-17 years old | 2 dose primary series | Not authorized |
For more information on COVID-19 information and resources, including case counts, vaccination, and testing in Orange County, visit ochealthinfo.com/covid.