AKRON, Ohio — Akron Children’s Hospital will begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations to kids age 5 to 11 starting Saturday at schools around northeast Ohio, and at the hospital system’s Akron and Mahoning Valley campuses.

What You Need To Know

  • Akron Children’s Hospital will begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations to kids age 5 to 11 in schools and by appointment

  • Starting Nov. 5, parents can make appointments online for Children’s Akron and Mahoning Valley campuses

  • Children’s will continue administering the vaccine in schools around Ohio

  • By mid-November, Children’s plans to offer the vaccine at Children’s primary care offices across a 35-county service area and at Urgent Care

Children will receive the two-dose Pfizer vaccine series, following emergency use authorization by the Centers for Disease Control on Nov. 2.

Appointments can be made online for the Akron and Mahoning Valley clinics. Children’s officials recommend bringing to the appointment a stuffed animal or a toy the child finds comforting.

Children’s will continue administering the vaccine in schools around Ohio, a program it started in April at schools across the region.

So far students have received the shots in 20 school districts in Summit, Portage, Stark, Mahoning, Columbiana and Wayne counties, the hospital reported.

By mid-November, Children’s said it plans to offer the vaccine at Akron Children’s Hospital Pediatrics primary care offices across the system’s 35-county service area and at Urgent Care locations.

Since the vaccination program began, officials have learned that several options are needed for families who want their children vaccinated, said Chief Quality Officer Dr. Michael Bigham in a release.

“We are committed as an organization to make the vaccine available at local schools, our hospital campuses in Akron and the Mahoning Valley, our urgent cares, and at our pediatrician offices,” Bigham said. “We are trying to make sure we have many options available for easy access to the vaccine that are close to home.”

To address commonly asked questions, three Children’s doctors recently participated in a panel discussion about vaccines for kids, which can be viewed on Akron Children’s YouTube page.

Bigham, who has led Children’s vaccine program, along with Dr. Eric Robinette, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and Dr. Michael Forbes, a pediatric critical care physician, discussed several topics.

“Through thoughtful conversation with children and their caregivers, we can help satisfy, explain and address any uncertainties they may have,” Bigham said. “Our panel discussion covers many of the questions and concerns we are hearing in our practices and those submitted to us by parents on social media.”

Among the topics the doctors discuss during the panel are the risks and benefits of being vaccinated. They also talk about what they’ve seen when treating children for COVID, and the myths and misinformation that are circulating. The physicians also share their thoughts on the effectiveness of the smaller dose-size for younger children and common reasons for vaccine hesitancy.