A medical assistant administers a COVID-19 vaccine to Remy, 6, while his mother holds his hand at the United in Health vaccine site in San Francisco's Mission District on Nov. 9, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
Updated 5:15 p.m. Monday, May 23.
COVID vaccine boosters for kids age 5-11 are now rolling out across the Bay Area.
How we got here: On Tuesday, the FDA formally approved use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster for children age 5-11. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to review boosters for this age group, and later that same day, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky officially signed off, making these boosters available for rollout nationwide.
So far, Pfizer's COVID vaccine is the only one that's been approved for use as a two-shot original vaccine series in children age 5-11. Since Pfizer also is the vaccine that's in the approvals process for use as a booster for this age group, there's no question of whether to "mix and match" vaccines for a child's first vaccine series and for their booster (a question adults currently face when choosing their COVID booster).
"While it has largely been the case that COVID-19 tends to be less severe in children than adults, the omicron wave has seen more kids getting sick with the disease and being hospitalized, and children may also experience longer-term effects, even following initially mild disease," said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf in the FDA's announcement authorizing these boosters on Tuesday.
Califf added that the FDA's authorization of boosters for this age group was "to provide continued protection against COVID-19," and that "vaccination continues to be the most effective way to prevent COVID-19 and its severe consequences."
Where can I find a Pfizer booster for kids age 5-11?
The first appointments for boosters for this age group will almost certainly become available at Bay Area pharmacies. This is because pharmacies take their guidance from the federal level.
Other vaccination sites in the Bay Area, like county-run locations, may have to wait a little longer, for the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup to approve these boosters for kids age 5 to 11. Once this group of scientists approves the FDA and CDC's decision, these boosters will be able to roll out far more widely across California (and Nevada, Oregon and Washington).
Remember that a certain location may only be offering a certain type of booster, whether that's Moderna, Pfizer or J&J. Make sure that the location you're walking into or where you're making an appointment offers the Pfizer booster if you're looking for a booster for a child age 5-11.
1. Find a Pfizer booster shot through a local pharmacy.
Several pharmacy chains are offering online appointments for the coronavirus vaccine booster, and some also offer walk-in boosters with no appointment:
The California Department of Public Health said Monday that My Turn would start offering booster appointments to kids age 5 to 11 "this week," because of the need for full testing of their "complex statewide scheduling system." In the interim, CDPH suggests families "contact clinics directly about walk in appointments."
When appointments do become available, you can visit the My Turn page and select "Make an Appointment." My Turn will ask you for your information, and then for the ZIP code or location you'd like to use to search for vaccine appointments. You can give your home location, or you can input other locations to see which sites are available farther from your home.
If you can't travel to a clinic for your booster shot because of health or transportation issues, you can note this when registering on My Turn, and representatives from the California Department of Public Health will call you to arrange an in-home visit or transportation.
If you don't have an email address or a cellphone number, or you have questions, you can call the California COVID-19 hotline at (833) 422-4255 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.-5 p.m PT) and sign up over the phone. English-speaking and Spanish-speaking operators are available. Callers needing information in other languages will be connected to a translation service that offers assistance in over 250 languages.
Rufus Peoples receives his booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine during an Oakland County Health Department vaccination clinic at the Southfield Pavilion on Aug. 24, 2021, in Southfield, Michigan. (Emily Elconin/Getty Images)
3. Find a Pfizer booster shot through your county.
Visit your county's public health website to learn how your county is vaccinating its residents. Remember that it may take a little while for county-run vaccination sites to start offering Pfizer boosters for this 5-11 age group.
4. Find a Pfizer booster shot through your health care provider.
If you have health insurance, check with your provider to see whether they can offer a child age 5-11 their booster shot. If you don't have health insurance but get medical care through a city- or county-run provider, you can check with that location. Remember that it may take a little while for providers to start offering Pfizer boosters for this 5-11 age group.
