DC To Begin Vaccinating Kids 5-11 This Week

On Tuesday, Nov. 2 following official approval from the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for use of the COVID-19 vaccine in kids aged 5 to 11, Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Health announced that families will be able to begin getting children five and older vaccinated against COVID-19 as early as Wednesday, Nov. 3.

The announcement, released late Tuesday night, seemed to indicate that some sites will be able to begin vaccinating elementary-aged children as early as Wednesday. However, as of 11 p.m. Tuesday night, there were no locations listed on coronavirus.dc.gov as opening Wednesday to younger kids.

Update, Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.: DC Health announced taht on Friday, Nov. 5, DC Health will host pop-up vaccine clinics for children ages 5 to 11 at two community centers: Takoma Community Center in Ward 4 (300 Van Buren St. NW) and Ft. Stanton Recreation Center in Ward 8 (1812 Erie St. SE).

Parents or guardians can bring their children between the hours of 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to receive their first dose of the pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Parents who are unable to bring their child will have the option to print and sign a form allowing a trusted family member to accompany their child to the pop-up vaccine clinics; those forms will be made available on coronavirus.dc.gov.

Officials said that many additonal sites will begin vaccinating children as they receive supplies. That’s likely to be later this week, the statement said.

Asked if the COVID vaccine would be required for school attendance, Bowser reminded reporters that the COVID-19 vaccine is compulsory for certain school athletes over the age of 12. But she stopped at a full response. “We also want our kids in school full-time,” Bowser said, alluding to masking and testing regimes that she said keep kids safe and in school.

As the District learns which sites have received their vaccine doses started vaccinations, that information will be updated on coronavirus.dc.gov. Additionally, vaccines.gov will get updated with which sites have the pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Nesbitt said that District was able to order pediatric vaccine supply in what is called “three pulses,” more than a week ago. On Oct. 29, the Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said that the District is expected to initially receive 24,600 doses. 18,000 were ordered directly by the District; the rest are coming to qualified providers through a federal-retail partnership.

“The arrival of a safe and effective vaccine for children is a monumental moment in the fight against COVID-19,” the Mayor’s Office said in a press release. In the coming days and weeks, every family who wants to have their child vaccinated will be able to conveniently access a free and safe vaccine.

New vaccines need to be ordered before children start getting the COVID vaccine. The recommended dose for children is a third that of adults —10 mcg to the adult dose of 30 mcg, said a representative for Pfizer. It is packaged 10 doses per vial, with a unique label and different color cap. “The pediatric doses will be available in smaller packaging configurations to better suit the needs of pediatric clinics,” the representative said.

On Oct. 20, the Biden administration said that unlike in the initial rollout, there is expected to be more than enough supplies of the Pfizer vaccine for eligible children. The White House told the Associated Press that about 15 million doses could be shipped to providers in the first week after it is approved by the CDC and FDA.

In the coming days and weeks, the vaccine will be available at more than 60 District pharmacies, hospitals, and health centers across all eight wards.

Beginning this weekend, the District will host pop-up vaccination clinics for children 5-11 years old at schools and other sites.

Although the Mayor’s office said that these sites will not require appointments, much of the other information, such as which sites will be open on specific dates and for what hours, remains unknown. Bowser’s Office says more information about specific sites and hours for pop-up clinics this weekend will be released in the coming days as doses are received.

Below are sites that will receive initial doses of the pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Because many sites will not be able to begin vaccinating children until later this week, families are encouraged to check providers’ websites and coronavirus.dc.gov for more information about which sites have received their doses and started vaccinating children.