Email signup

Fairfax County anticipates supply of COVID-19 vaccine for kids will meet demand in next few weeks

Fairfax County families interested in getting their children vaccinated against COVID-19 will have a variety of venues to choose from, but finding an available appointment may initially be challenging, the county health department said yesterday (Wednesday).

After months of anticipation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 on Tuesday (Nov. 2), recommending a third of the dosage that everyone 12 and older has been able to receive since May.

Distribution of pediatric vaccinations is already underway, but operations will not reach full capacity until next week, according to the CDC.

With approximately 97,000 children now eligible, the Fairfax County Health Department anticipates “high interest” in the vaccine among families, Assistant Public Health Emergency Management Coordinator Colin Brody says.

“There may be a few days at the beginning where providers are still working to make appointments available in their systems,” Brody said. “However, we do not for see any major issues at this time and we believe all those who are seeking vaccine will be able to get it in the first few weeks.”

The county health department says it will receive about 80,000 doses for children over the next few weeks.

Initially, vaccinations will only be available to kids by appointment, but unlike with the original vaccine rollout, the county will not have a centralized registration system or waitlist.

Instead, appointments must be made with individual providers, including:

Doses are also being distributed to pediatric and family medicine providers, which can be contacted directly for scheduling, as well as pharmacies, grocery stores, and urgent care facilities, which will post appointments to vaccines.gov as they become available.

While some nearby jurisdictions like Arlington County have announced a specific date for when they will start offering pediatric vaccinations, FCHD just says in its blog post that the vaccine will be widely available in the community “in the coming days.”

The department says residents can make appointments as soon as they see openings.

“We did not want to wait until the weekend if some doctors/the CVC/or any other site already has the vaccine in supply and is ready to provide vaccinations sooner,” the FCHD said by email.

The county is also planning to host vaccination clinics at schools and community centers as part of its effort to ensure accessibility to all children.

Fairfax County Public Schools officials stated last month that school-based clinics for elementary school-aged students could be ready around mid-November, though further details — including the name of the third-party provider contracted to help administer the shots — have not been shared yet.

FCPS did not return a request for comment by press time.

The urgency of COVID-19 vaccinations for children has increased over the past few months, particularly with public schools resuming five days of in-person classes.

Children have experienced the highest rate of COVID-19 infection in the county since late August, according to FCHD Director Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu.

According to state data, 18,334 Fairfax Health District residents aged 19 and younger have contracted the novel coronavirus, though the district has reported just one death in that age group.

“While children are less likely to get serious disease than adults, some have been hospitalized and, like adults, suffering symptoms that can last for months,” said Addo-Ayensu. “Children with asymptomatic infections can spread the virus to other household members. For these reasons, we encourage parents and guardians to get their child[ren] vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Recent Stories

A look at the smallest and largest homes sold in Fairfax County last month, February 2024.

A tent encampment housing between 20 and 35 individuals in the woods between Inova’s emergency room and Sunrise Assisted Living Center in Reston may soon fold. Fairfax County officials hope…

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is considering using kiosks equipped with artificial intelligence to provide select legal information in a variety of languages. The kiosks would feature a virtual…

Commuting will be easier for four families in the D.C. area, thanks to their new vehicles from a quartet of Virginia and Maryland automobile dealerships. The businesses handed off the…

Real estate agents claim that home buyers don’t pay anything to use their service, but buyer’s agents usually net 2-3% of a home price as commission. Let me rebate you as much of this as possible.

It is common for a real estate seller’s agent to charge between 5 and 6% of the sales price as commission, a cost which sellers keep in mind when judging how to price their property.

This commission is typically split between the seller and buyer agents, meaning as a buyer, your agent is receiving anywhere from 2.5-3% of the sale price of the home, even if nothing is coming directly out of your pocket.

Read More

Submit your own Community Post here.

Active Bystander: Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) Training

The Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) Active Bystander Certification course, also known as Active Bystander, is the premier training program to prepare civilians for how to respond during an intentional violent event and to address life-threatening emergencies.

Similar to FEMA’s

Virginia Psychic Fair 2024

Many of the best psychics, mediums, healers, and readers of all types, along with related arts and crafts vendors from Virginia and the surrounding areas. Besides all types of readings done at tables their will also be related arts, crafts,

×

Subscribe to our mailing list