According to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, children will need two doses of the vaccine with three weeks apart. The vaccine is a third the size of the regular Pfizer dose for adults and is 91 percent effective for children.
Some counties, like Santa Clara, began vaccinating kids Wednesday. Pediatricians are recommending the best place to start is with the child’s primary provider. Some local health departments have teamed up with health systems to plan larger vaccination clinics.
San Mateo County, for example, will host severalpediatric vaccination clinics over the next two weeks at their county event center. They’ll be rolling out the red carpet with superheroes on-site, and games for children. Appointments are needed and are open for scheduling as of today.
Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom announced COVID-19 vaccines will be mandatory for in-person school classes once the vaccine is fully-approved. But for now, it will be up to school districts to implement their own mandates.
Oakland Unified is one district that has said it will require vaccination for kids over the age of 12 beginning in January. However, to extend the mandate for children ages five to 11, it will have to pass a separate resolution.