Hoosier kids under 5 now eligible for COVID vaccine

Jun. 21—SOUTHERN INDIANA — Children under five years old are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination in Indiana.

The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) announced Tuesday that the vaccines are available for children six months to five years old.

The state decision came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for the younger demographic last week.

"The COVID risk hasn't gone away entirely, and this vaccine is highly appropriate, especially for infants and toddlers who have respiratory issues like asthma. It's great that this group of kids who previously hadn't really had an option to get vaccinated now have a good viable option," Floyd County Health Officer Tom Harris said.

Residents of Clark and Floyd counties can receive the vaccine at the respective health departments.

A health department administrator at Clark Memorial Health, Doug Bentfield, said that the Clark County Health Department received 200 doses of the vaccine for children under the age of five. Half of the doses are Pfizer and the other half are Moderna.

The Clark County Health Department is at 1201 Wall St. in Jeffersonville. It is open for vaccinations Monday and Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Appointments can be made by calling the health department at 812-282-7521. The department also takes walk-ins during the vaccination hours listed above.

Bentfield said that residents can make appointments for the vaccine online soon, at www.ourshot.in.gov, once the state updates the website with the available vaccine. He said they are hopeful the changes will be made by the end of the week.

The Floyd County Health Department also received 200 doses of the vaccine, all of which are Pfizer.

The Floyd County Health Department is at 1917 Bono Road in New Albany. Walk-in vaccination clinics at the department are Monday and Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Appointments can be scheduled online by going to https://www.floydcounty.in.gov/index.php/covid-19 and clicking the "Schedule An Appointment" button.

The Pfizer series requires that the children receive three shots, the second after three weeks and a third after eight weeks. The Moderna vaccine only requires two shots.

The Pfizer pediatric vaccine contains a third of the microgram dose of the adult vaccine, according to Harris, though the active ingredients are the same.

In a news release sent out Tuesday, the IDOH said these vaccine supplies are still arriving in Indiana.

"We recognize that there is pent-up demand among parents eager to protect our youngest Hoosiers, but because vaccines are still arriving in Indiana for this age group, we ask for a little more patience to allow supply to catch up with demand," IDOH Chief Medical Officer Lindsay Weaver said in the news release.

Increased availability is expected in the coming days as the supplies arrive, the news release said.

The IDOH urged parents to contact the vaccine site at www.ourshot.in.gov or call 211 for assistance before visiting a vaccine provider to make sure the provider has the vaccine and they do not need an appointment.

Harris said that they do not anticipate any major supply chain issues at this point with the pediatric vaccine.

"They've been making the vaccine for an extended period of time now. It's just a different dilution, a different formulation," he said.

Those interested in the vaccine can go to the health departments or contact their local pediatrician's office to see if the vaccine is available for the younger age group.

___

(c)2022 The Evening News and The Tribune (Jeffersonville, Ind.)

Visit The Evening News and The Tribune (Jeffersonville, Ind.) at newsandtribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.