FDA approves COVID booster for ages 5-11. Here’s how to get the shot in Lexington

Children ages 5 and 11 are now eligible for booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended eligibility to the age group Tuesday.

As of Wednesday, Lexington vaccine providers at UK HealthCare and the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department were waiting for the full go-ahead from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, representatives from both establishments said. They expect to receive that approval this week.

According to the FDA, Tuesday’s action means 5- to 11-year-olds can get their booster dose five months after completing the initial series of shots. The FDA previously signed off on single booster shot doses of the vaccine for children between 12 and 15 in January.

“While it has largely been the case that COVID-19 tends to be less severe in children than adults, the omicron wave has seen more kids getting sick with the disease and being hospitalized, and children may also experience longer term effects, even following initially mild disease,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a press release announcing the news.

Here’s what you need to know about the FDA authorization.

Why do children need a coronavirus vaccine booster dose?

Emerging data suggest vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 wanes after the second dose of the vaccine in all authorized populations, another FDA official said in the release.

“The FDA is authorizing the use of a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children 5 through 11 years of age to provide continued protection against COVID-19. Vaccination continues to be the most effective way to prevent COVID-19 and its severe consequences, and it is safe. If your child is eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and has not yet received their primary series, getting them vaccinated can help protect them from the potentially severe consequences that can occur, such as hospitalization and death,” Califf said.

What about vaccines for children younger than 5?

As for the status of vaccine authorization for children younger than 5 years old, Pfizer and Modera are pursuing a three-dose and two-dose series, respectively.

That authorization could come up for review as early as mid-June, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and a doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told the American Medical Association this week.

Where can I get a coronavirus vaccine booster shot for my child?

Information about how to obtain a coronavirus vaccine or booster shot through a UK HealthCare provider is available is online at ukhealthcare.uky.edu/covid-19/vaccine.

A public relations officer for the University of Kentucky told the Herald-Leader in an email Wednesday that additional information about booster doses for 5- to 11-year-olds will be added once official CDC approval is granted.

In the meantime, you can register your child through the Vaccine Booster Request page at ukhealthcare.uky.edu/covid-19/booster.

Kevin Hall, a communications officer for the LFCHD, wrote in an email Tuesday that parents may have more immediate success going through their primary care doctor or pharmacy.

“As with previous doses and boosters, we will await final guidance from the Kentucky Department for Public Health before we can provide the shot. Caregivers wishing to get the booster as quickly as possible once the CDC approval is given should contact their pediatrician or a pharmacy as they will likely be able to start giving the boosters on a faster timeline,” Hall wrote.

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