CALHOUN COUNTY, MI—U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Tuesday gave the final OK for children ages 5-11 years to receive Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The Calhoun County Public Health Department (CCPHD) plans to hold a Pfizer pediatric COVID-19 vaccination clinic to protect young Michiganders between the ages of 5 to 11 years old and continue in-person learning in a safe environment this year and beyond.
Upcoming Vaccine Clinic
- Monday, Nov. 8, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Toeller building, 190 E Michigan Ave., Battle Creek. Second dose return date will be on Monday, November 29, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 8, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Albion Health Department, 214 E. Michigan Ave., Albion. Second dose return date will be on Monday, November 29, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
"As a family doctor, I recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for children and adolescents aged five years or older. As a parent, I will be vaccinating my five year old. I encourage parents with questions to talk with their family doctor, pediatrician, or nurse about getting the COVID-19 vaccine for their child," said Dr. William Nettleton, Medical Director for the Calhoun County Public Health Department.
Parents/guardians wishing to protect their children from COVID-19 can bring their children ages 5-11 years to one of the CCPHD walk-in vaccine clinics (no appointment needed). Appointments can also be scheduled ahead of time at calhouncountymi.gov/covidvaccine. Individuals who are 5-11 years old must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to receive the vaccine. Along with the Health Department, the COVID-19 vaccine will be available at pediatric providers including Cereal City Pediatrics, Grace Health, Bronson Battle Creek, and Oaklawn Hospital.
The State of Michigan has pre-ordered 287,700 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric coronavirus vaccine to ensure a supply is available quickly after approval is granted. The Pfizer dose for younger children is one-third of the strength given to people 12 and older, with two shots given three weeks apart. Data from Pfizer showed that the vaccine had a 90.7% efficacy rate in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in a clinical trial of 5- to 11-year-olds.
Roughly 9% of all reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are in 5-11 year old age range. The number of new COVID-19 cases in kids remains exceptionally high, with more than 1.1 million child cases added over the past six weeks, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Even though the risk of a child getting seriously ill is low, it is not zero. The Delta and other known variants of concern are highly contagious, kids can still spread it to others with a higher risk of serious illness, including family members and their school community," said Calhoun County Health Officer Eric Pessell.
