COVID vaccinations for kids ages 12 to 15 could start this week in St. Clair County
Vaccinations for children ages 12 to 15 could start in St. Clair County this week, county officials say.
St. Clair County Health Department Executive Director Myla Blanford announced during a daily COVID-19 update Tuesday the county expects to begin vaccinating children ages 12 to 15 with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine this week, pending a vote by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee and guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“As long as everything is approved and we receive everything we need from IDPH we could start as early as Thursday,” Blanford said.
The Federal Drug Administration recently approved clearance for Pfizer BioNTech vaccines to be given to kids ages 12 to 15 on an “emergency use basis.” The decision is hoped to improve slowing vaccination numbers throughout the country. The CDC committee’s vote is the last hurdle before the vaccinations can be offered to the new age group.
Blanford said if the vote goes as expected, the county will offer vaccinations to 12- to 15-year-olds at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds mass vaccination site. Officials with the county have been urging people to use the mass vaccination site while its available, as it closes at the end of the month.
St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said an estimated 25,000 children who fall into that age range live in St. Clair County. Roughly 20% make up the total U.S. population, according to census data.
The two-dose vaccine is already available for anyone 16 and older in Illinois.
Pfizer said in late March the vaccine was found to be 100% effective in a clinical trial that included more than 2,000 adolescents. It was also found that side effects were similar to what older teens and adults experienced.
This story was originally published May 11, 2021 at 4:31 PM.