Evanston refers residents to local pharmacies, health care providers for pediatric COVID-19 vaccines after CDC expands eligibility
Daily file illustration by Olivia Abeyta
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded eligibility for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, the city announced that it will not administer pediatric COVID-19 vaccines at this time and, instead, will refer residents to local providers.
June 26, 2022
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to children older than six months, Evanston recommended ways to get vaccinated in a Thursday newsletter.
Children in this age group are eligible for a modified three-dose Pfizer vaccine at one-tenth the adult dose each shot. This announcement comes almost eight months after the CDC authorized the use of vaccines for all individuals above the age of 5.
The CDC approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 16 years and older more than 18 months ago in December 2020. While the CDC’s announcement offers expanded eligibility for vaccines developed in response to the original COVID-19 strain, clinical trials show Pfizer’s three-dose and Moderna’s two-dose vaccine series to be effective against the more infectious omicron variants.
The CDC’s June 18 announcement also authorizes the administration of the Moderna two-dose primary series vaccine for children in this age group. The Moderna series will be provided at one-fourth the adult dose, marking the first time an alternative vaccine is available for individuals less than 18 years old.
As of Friday, the CDC also authorized the Moderna vaccine as another option for children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17.
According to the Thursday newsletter, the Evanston Health and Human Services Department recommends parents contact their child’s pediatrician to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment.
Though the city will not provide pediatric doses to children ages 6 months to 5 years, families can schedule appointments online at retail pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS.
Last week, Evanston reported 215 new COVID-19 cases compared to 202 the previous week. The city continues to stay at a medium transmission level, which has been in effect since May 5.
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