Vaccines for youth ages 12-15 in Pierce County coming soon, health officials say
Kids 12 to 15 years old in Pierce County could get the COVID-19 vaccine as early as next week.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on Tuesday said its call center is scheduling appointments for youth 12 and over starting May 17, anticipating that the vaccine will be approved for use in Washington state by the end of the week.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday expanded the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for ages 12 to 15. Previously, only ages 16 and up were authorized to receive it.
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department spokesperson Karen Irwin said in an email to The News Tribune on Tuesday that “all of the locations that have Pfizer vaccine will open up to 12+” once its use is approved through Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Washington Department of Health.
TPCHD, the Department of Emergency Management, health care and pharmacy providers also have clinics scheduled at middle and high schools in anticipation of the expanded age range.
“We’ve been working closely with school districts to get clinics in before the end of the school year,” Irwin said.
Washington state officials are not considering a requirement to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for K-12 students “until a vaccine is fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” the Seattle Times reported on Tuesday.
Washington State Department of Health echoed Tuesday that officials were still waiting on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup to provide clinical recommendations and guidance for vaccinating this age group.
“These meetings are scheduled to happen tomorrow, and the ACIP is the gold standard for clinical guidance,” a DOH spokesperson said in an email. “We plan to share more information after we hear from these groups.”
Meanwhile, the Eatonville School District in Pierce County announced Tuesday it will host a Pfizer vaccination clinic for youth ages 12 and over in partnership with Kirk’s Pharmacy at its middle school. There will be two dates available: May 18 and May 20, with second dose shots on June 8 and June 10.
The clinics are for Eatonville students only. Students do not need to make an appointment, but parents must complete a parental consent form.
Asked about expanded opportunities for student vaccinations, Tacoma Public Schools spokesperson Dan Voelpel told The News Tribune on Tuesday that the district has two more vaccination clinics in the works for students ages 16 and up, and plan to expand the eligible age range once they get the go-ahead from state and local health authorities. Tacoma is the largest public school district in the county at nearly 30,000 students.
