Your kids age 5 to 11 can get the COVID vaccine. Here’s where to go in the Sacramento region

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 Tuesday, the director announced just hours after a unanimous advisory panel decision.

This comes after the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the shots for the 28 million kids in this age group last week.

The vaccine will be given to these groups in kid-sized doses, which is a third of the dosage given to those 12 years and older.

The Biden administration announced a plan last month to ship and provide vaccines for 28 million children ages 5 to 11 years old, pending FDA and CDC approval. It said it will set up vaccination sites at pediatric and primary care centers, hospitals, pharmacies, community-based health centers and school clinics nationwide.

Talk to your pediatrician before booking an appointment. Here are some locations where you can get your kids vaccinated in California:

Local pharmacies

The CDC states that you should call your local pharmacy to see if walk-in or appointments for vaccines are available, or check to see if your child’s health care provider has the COVID vaccine for kids. Local health departments will also have further information.

You can also find vaccines near you by searching on vaccines.gov, texting your postal code to 438829 or calling 1-800-232-0233.

University of California, Davis Medical Center

According to the Sacramento-based health system’s website, UC Davis Medical Center is ready to offer vaccines to children 5 to 11 when it is approved.

“We will keep the same processes in place as we do for patients 12 and up,” said a UC Davis Health spokesperson. “We will simply expand the eligible patient population to include kids age 5 to 11.”

Patients can schedule appointments at MyUCDavisHealth or by calling 916-703-5555. If you’re not a patient, you can book an appointment at the State’s scheduling website.

Vaccines will be administered at local UC Davis Health clinics and at the MIND Institute, the spokesperson said.

University of California, San Francisco children’s hospitals

Vaccinations at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals may start as early as Friday, said Suzanne Leigh, the senior public information representative for UCSF.

Leigh said the vaccines for children 5 to 11 will be given out at the Oakland campus and at the Laurel Heights center in San Francisco. The vaccines will be available to all children, not just UCSF patients.

Vaccines will also be given to accompanying caregivers if they wish to receive one.

Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente, with locations across California, said in a statement that they anticipate beginning pediatric vaccinations in early November.

They stated that they will need to receive supplies of the kid-sized doses from the state.

“Supplies may be limited at first, but we’re confident that we’ll be able to vaccinate all children ages 5 to 11 before the end of the year,” Kaiser Permanente said. “Like older groups, children can receive their vaccine at no cost from us at our convenient vaccine clinics or from a community provider.”

Parents can sign up for appointments for their kids online in early November.

CVS

CVS will begin administering authorized vaccines for youngsters starting on Nov. 7, according to a CVS press release. There will be 266 locations in California.

You can make an appointment and find the nearest CVS vaccine site on its website or app.

A parent or legal guardian’s consent is required and the child must be accompanied by an adult when receiving the shot.

Walgreens

Walgreens will be offering vaccines starting Nov. 6, according to a press release.

Parents and guardians can begin booking appointments on the Walgreens website, app or by calling 1-800-Walgreens.

“Approximately 40 percent of Walgreens stores offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 5 to 11 are located in areas with a high Social Vulnerability Index score,” they wrote.

More appointments will be available in coming weeks as the pharmacy receives more supplies.

Rite Aid

Rite Aid, another pharmacy chain, will be administering kid-sized doses of the COVID vaccine starting Nov. 6.

You can begin booking appointments on Nov. 4.

Due to limited supplies, only select locations will offer these shots. You can visit Rite Aid’s online scheduling tool for more information on vaccine sites near you.

Schools

According to the California Department of Education, COVID vaccine clinics hosted by schools is decided on a local level by the schools themselves or the local health department.

Reach out to your child’s school or district to see if it is offering vaccines.

“The CDE or the California Department of Public Health does not have a final number of school-based clinics being offered throughout the state,” the department wrote in an email statement.

If your kid’s school does not administer vaccine, the CDE is recommending you go to myturn.ca.gov to find a clinic.

This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 5:14 PM.