Children between the ages of 5 to 11 are now eligible to receive Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and the Burlington County Health Department will be administering the child shots during a special three-day clinic.The children’s clinic will be held Thursday, Nov. 4, Friday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Burlington County Human Services Building at 795 Woodlane Road, and will be open solely to children between 5 and 11 years old, who will be receiving a smaller dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
The Nov. 4 clinic will be from 1 PM to 6 PM; the Nov. 5 will be from 9 AM to 2 PM; and the Nov. 6 clinic will be from 8 AM to noon. Appointments are required and a parent or guardian must accompany their child to provide consent.
“This children’s vaccine has been vigorously tested and found to be both safe and effective protection against the severe outcomes of COVID-19,” said Dr. Herb Conaway, director of the Burlington County Health Department. “Many parents have been anxiously awaiting for the vaccine’s approval for our young children, so we’re pleased to be able to launch a special clinic right away. We know getting our younger children vaccinated will help protect them and all of us from the virus and bring us closer to ending the pandemic.”
All those coming to the Human Services Building will be required to wear masks or appropriate face coverings and should enter the building through the side entrance. Signs will be posted to direct visitors to the appropriate entrance.
Children receiving their first dose of Pfizer vaccine at the clinic will be scheduled for a second-dose the week after Thanksgiving.In addition to the special clinic, the Health Department is actively working with the State of New Jersey, area health care providers to schedule additional children’s clinics at local school buildings. The clinics will be held after school hours so parents can accompany their kids.
About two dozen school districts have expressed interest in hosting clinics so far and the Department expects to announce dates for those additional clinics soon.
The Health Department is also working with the New Jersey Department of Health and Virtua Health to open a new Vaccine Mega-Site in Burlington County as a location where young children, teens and adults can receive first and second doses of vaccine or boosters.
More than 279,000 county residents 12 and up have been fully vaccinated so far and more than 45,000 have received either an approved 3rd dose or booster shot. About 35,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 are estimated to be living in Burlington County.
Until a new Mega-Site opens, parents should not bring young children to the County’s fixed vaccine clinics, as they will not be equipped with the low-dose Pfizer vaccine.
“We know there’s a lot of demand and that parents have waited a long time for the vaccine to be authorized for their youngest children. However, we’re asking everyone to remain patient and not rush to our regular clinics for these shots but rather to go to either one of these special children’s clinics that will be staffed and equipped for this population or your regular pediatrician or health care provider,” Conaway said.
Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Dan O’Connell said the move to schedule a children’s vaccine clinic so quickly was another example of the Health Department’s outstanding COVID-19 response.
“Burlington County was one of the first counties to offer COVID-19 testing and we’ve already helped vaccinate thousands of our residents,” said O’Connell, who is the Commissioners’ liaison to the Health Department. “These actions coupled with the strong protection the vaccines provide have saved lives and positioned us that much closer to the long-awaited return to normal. We’re not there yet, but vaccinating our young children is another important step forward and I want to thank our Health Department for preparing this clinic so quickly.”
To register for an appointment, go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5-11COVIDVaccine.
