Hawaii providers can now give COVID-19 vaccines for children

The state Department of Health is authorizing certified vaccination providers in Hawaii to administer Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 following recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.

“The CDC reviewed the clinical data and determined the vaccine is safe,” Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said in a news release on Tuesday. “The Pfizer vaccine is effective in preventing severe illness and death. The vaccine will provide another important layer of protection in keeping our children and the entire community safe.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 last week. The dose for children is 10 micrograms, one-third the dose used for adults.

Shipments of the state’s initial order of 41,700 doses of the vaccine for children began arriving on Monday, the Health Department said. Vaccination providers can begin administering the vaccines as soon as their deliveries arrive and their clinics are established.

The DOH estimates that there are 119,473 children ages 5 to 11 living in Hawaii. The initial order of vaccines is enough to provide 35 percent of the estimated population with the first of two recommended vaccinations. The second vaccination should be administered three weeks after the first vaccination or shortly thereafter.

Vaccinations for children will be available at more than 200 locations statewide including medical facilities, community health centers, mobile clinics, pharmacies, pediatrician’s offices and more than 130 public, private and charter schools, the department said.

Some participating schools will begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday. Most school vaccination sites will be closed to the general public. Parents should contact their child’s school directly to see if and when their school will offer vaccinations to students.

Information on where children’s vaccines are available will be updated regularly at hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine/.

Parents or legal guardians are required to submit signed consent forms before anyone 17 and younger can be vaccinated.