Yuma County expands COVID-19 vaccine for kids

Health district will offer shot to kids ages 5-11 starting monday

The Yuma County Public Health Services District on Monday will begin offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 5 -11.

The Health District is holding vaccine clinics for eligible children and adults Monday through Thursday, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-4 p.m., throughout November. To set an appointment, call 928-3174550.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for children and adolescents age 5 and up, as a two-dose series taken three weeks apart. The dose for children 5-11 is one-third of the dosage of the vaccine for older adolescents and adults.

Yuma County noted that medical and public health experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend that children and adolescents age 5 and older get a COVID-19 vaccine to help protect them from contracting and spreading the virus.

Side effects, such as soreness in the arm, fatigue, headaches or a slight fever, are typically mild and subside in one to two days.

The Health District suggests that anyone with questions on how to protect their children from COVID-19 or about the vaccines speak to their health care provider or pediatrician.

“The vaccine is the best way to protect children from becoming severely ill or having long-lasting health impacts due to COVID-19,” the county stated in a news release.

“COVID-19 has become one of the Top 10 causes of pediatric death, and tens of thousands of children and teens have been hospitalized with COVID-19. While children and adolescents are typically at lower risk than adults of becoming severely ill or hospitalized from COVID-19, it is still possible,” the release added.