County of Gaston issued the following announcement on Nov. 11.
The Gaston County Public Health Department announced today it is opening appointments for the pediatric COVID-19 vaccines.
The Pfizer vaccine is available for children ages 5 to 11 and appointments can be made at the following link: https://www.cognitoforms.com/GastonCounty1/covidschedulerunderage12shots. Appointments are available beginning Wednesday, Nov. 10.
The Health Department has set up a separate portion of their facility at 991 W. Hudson Blvd. specifically for children’s vaccines. The state sent 1,200 doses of the children’s vaccine to Gaston County’s Health Department for the initial rollout of shots. The Health Department will order more vaccine from the state based on community demand.
Akers Pharmacy, CVS, Walgreens, StarMed and Kintegra are among the other providers in the community also providing the pediatric vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine currently federally approved to be provided for children. Children need the consent of their parent or legal guardian to receive the vaccine.
Data from the clinical trials showed the Pfizer vaccine for children, which contains one-third of the dose in the adult vaccine, is safe and effective. There were no safety concerns or serious side effects noted in the clinical trials, which included more than 3,000 children in the U.S. Temporary side effects may include a sore arm, headache and tiredness or general achiness for about a day following the vaccination.
As with the adult version, the Pfizer children’s vaccine is given in two shots, three weeks apart.
The vaccine for 5-11 year-olds will be available in the afternoons Monday-Friday, 1-4:30 p.m.
More details, including the registration link, are available at GastonSaves.com.
Original source can be found here.
