COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than 34,000 Ohio children ages 11 and younger have received a COVID-19 shot since Nov. 2, when the age group became eligible for a pediatric dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Ohio Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said Friday.
What You Need To Know
- Demand for pediatric vaccinations is expected to be high for a few weeks
- More opportunities for children to get vaccinated are becoming available
- Officials are optimistic that getting kids vaccinated will help contain the virus
State officials are “very pleased” with the initial interest in vaccines for children ages 5 to 11, Vanderhoff said.
“Children most certainly can and do become ill, even seriously, and can suffer lasting complications from this virus, and even for those who don't show symptoms, they can carry the virus home to younger siblings and vulnerable adults, continuing the vicious cycle of spreading the virus to families and communities,” he said during a virtual news conference.
Vanderhoff said that it would be a mistake for families to forgo vaccination because they’re not worried about children getting severe illness.
“The problem with taking that chance with your child's health is that there's no way to know if your child will end up with a mild case, need hospitalization or worse. The COVID-19 vaccines, on the other hand, create a safe, reliable, protective immune response and are by far the safest way to protect children from severe consequences of COVID-19,” he said.
Demand from families for the pediatric vaccine will likely be high for a few weeks, said Dr. Sara Bode, medical director of Nationwide Children's Hospital's School-Based Health and Mobile Clinics.
“This is really such a critical turning point to be able to offer this vaccine for this age group,” Bode said. “It's been pretty nerve racking for many of our parents right to have those elementary school-age children because they weren't able to get the vaccine to protect them, yet they’re sending them to class every day.”
More vaccine opportunities are becoming available in Ohio, Vanderhoff said, including appointments being offered at pharmacies, health departments, pediatrician’s offices and schools.
Smaller providers are getting more access to the pediatric version of the vaccine, with the state offering 50-dose shipments, much smaller than the 300-dose minimum that was in place for the initial pediatric orders.
“These lower minimums now offer convenient ordering options for providers who are interested in administering the vaccine to the children in this age group, but may have been waiting for these smaller shipment options,” Vanderhoff said.
Madison County Health Commissioner Chris Cook said the health department has so far administered more than 200 pediatric doses, offering appointments and walk-ins, while also taking the vaccine to schools.
Cook said the health department is scheduling its school clinics at the end of the day, so parents can be present for the vaccination.
“Parents are happy. A lot of them have been waiting and waiting for this day to arrive,” Cook said.
Bode said Nationwide Children’s is taking a bit of a different approach, and does not need parents to be present so long as they’ve signed their consent. The children’s hospital will offer the vaccine at school buildings in most of Franklin County’s districts, while also offering vaccines at central hospital locations.
Vanderhoff said he is optimistic that pediatric vaccines can help reduce the disease burden in the state.
“We know from looking at other parts of the world whose curves are a little ahead of us that whether the youth are vaccinated or not has played a huge role in what their curves look like,” he said. “We know that youth can be a major source of continuing transmission of the virus if they are in fact unvaccinated.”