Following its approval by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, St. Tammany Health System is now administering Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 pediatric vaccine to children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old.
“This is a big step forward in our community’s fight against COVID-19,” said Dr. Rob Faucheux of St. Tammany Pediatrics. “For so many families, having young, unvaccinated children has meant they really couldn’t fully protect their household from this disease. Thankfully, that’s not the case anymore, and we highly recommend all parents get their children vaccinated, especially with the holiday season upon us.
“The sooner they do, the sooner they can have peace of mind – and the sooner we can all get back to normal.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 2 endorsed the recommendation of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech’s pediatric vaccine.
That recommendation came just days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of the vaccine in children under 12.
Dr. Patrick Torcson, chief medical officer at St. Tammany Health System, said he has full faith in the science behind its development.
“As with the adult vaccines, the vaccine for children has been studied extensively, with no serious side effects detected in the children studied,” Dr. Torcson said. “I know a lot of parents have been waiting for this, and they can rest assured that it is both safe and effective.”
Pfizer’s pediatric COVID vaccine, which is about one-third the dose of its adult vaccine, is a two-dose vaccine, with the second being administered three weeks after the first. Maximum immunity is achieved two weeks after the second dose.
As with the adult vaccines, breakthrough infections are possible, although the vaccine has proven effective in greatly reducing the need for hospitalization in those who experience a breakthrough case.
Find more information about the COVID-19 vaccine in children at the CDC website or at our partner Ochsner Health’s website.