CHICAGO — On Sunday, the road to vaccination received a boost in the city’s Little Village neighborhood, as children ages 5 to 11 begin to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Just days after federal approval for the pediatric dose of the Pfizer vaccine for children 5 to 11, Chicago’s plan to inoculate thousands of children is up and running.
“We’ve been preparing for this for a while now. So we’re excited that this finally got approved. I believe we are the first pop-up event of this kind in this area,” Dr. Romeen Lavani of St. Anthony Hospital said.
During a six-week period in late June to mid-August, COVID-19 hospitalizations among children and adolescents increased fivefold, with the Delta variant to blame for many of the cases.
Clinical trials show the smaller dose, about one-third as strong as the adult version was still 91 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19.
While some parents are taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to getting the vaccine for their children, Juana and Jonathan Reza do not want to pass up the opportunity.
“The oldest one has been asking forever and ever so finally, a little more calmer and it’s safe to be out with them a bit more,” Jonathan Reza said.
While Moderna trials continue for the pediatric dose, medical experts believe Pfizer’s vaccine may be approved by the FDA and CDC for children as young as six months old by the end of the year.