Minnesota Gearing Up 5 to 11 Year Old Kids COVID Vaccines

(KNSI) – Minnesota is gearing up for approval of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years old. Officials say Minnesota cannot start issuing the pediatric vaccine until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes its final recommendations and the vaccine arrives in the state. Both are anticipated next week.

“Today, we are one step closer to having another layer of protection available to keep kids safe and protected against COVID-19. This is a really exciting development. And it comes as a crucial moment as we are definitely still seeing a high level of case transmission in the state and very high levels of health care pressure as well as we’ve talked about a lot,” said Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm.

The MDH says more than 45,200 kids have been sickened with COVID-19 since July 1st resulting in 300 kids needing hospital care.

Malcolm said they’ll be partnering with school districts to set up vaccination clinics. MDH did the same thing last spring when the vaccine was approved for kids age 12 and older. MDH says they’ve already made plans with 20 schools to set up vaccination clinics in high-need areas.

Officials say Minnesota has more than 1,100 providers, including pediatricians, pharmacies, community clinics, schools, and health agencies ready to administer the vaccine.

On Tuesday, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted to back Pfizer’s low dose vaccine for children. A recommendation from the CDC is expected next week.

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