Infant, toddler COVID vaccines arrive in Pierce County. Here’s how to get one for your kid
After months of waiting and uncertainty, COVID-19 vaccines tailored for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years are headed to Pierce County and will be available starting Wednesday morning.
Tuesday afternoon, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department announced through social media it has received its first shipment of the newly-approved Moderna infant and toddler COVID vaccines. The first shots will be administered 11 a.m. Wednesday at the South Hill Mall and Thursday at the department’s Lakewood Towne Center clinic.
Kenny Via, the department’s COVID content manager, told The News Tribune the department suggests making appointments ahead of time. Parents can register for an appointment at the health district’s website.
“We will accept walk-ins as we do in all our clinics at least until we reach capacity,” Via said. “At that point, if all the appointments are full, [the clinic] might just stop taking walk-ins and tell people to come back tomorrow or look online for somewhere else.”
While the available doses of the new vaccine will be limited on Wednesday, the supply of both the Moderna and co-approved Pfizer shots are expected to increase soon. According to Via, locations like pediatricians’ offices and local pharmacies could begin vaccinating infants and toddlers later this week.
The FDA first authorized the vaccines for emergency use June 17, and the CDC and Washington state governments endorsed their safety and efficacy shortly thereafter.
Parents of young children were hopeful that the Pfizer infant and toddler doses would be authorized earlier this winter, but the company announced in February it would need more time to collect and review its clinic trial data. In a public statement, Gov. Jay Inslee said the news is excellent for the “many parents who have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get their youngest children vaccinated.”
According to the county health department’s social media posts, children who receive the Moderna version will be vaccinated with two doses four weeks apart from each other. Children who receive Pfizer’s shot will be vaccinated three times, once three weeks after the first dose and once eight weeks after the second dose.
As more shots become available, Washington residents will be able use the web page Vaccinate WA, a site run by the state’s Department of Health to locate COVID vaccine locations and to find places that offer infant and toddler COVID vaccine doses. When a user enters their ZIP code, they can filter results for only places that “provide vaccines to children, ages 6 months and 5 years”. Pierce County residents also can use the county’s public health department website, Vax to the Future.
According to Via, like adults, children who receive the new doses should be monitored immediately after their shot to check for possible allergic reactions. If parents have concerns about vaccinating their children, Via says they should reach out to their primary health care provider.
“It’s been reviewed by the CDC, FDA, and now Western States [Scientific Safety Review Workgroup] and our state department of health,” Via said. “But if you have concerns, definitely I would say reach out to your health care provider and hopefully talk them through.”
This story was originally published June 21, 2022 at 6:41 PM.