11/9/21 — The Pfizer COVID vaccine for children 5-11 has been approved and we have received an allotment for our established pediatric patients. Vaccine clinics will be located at designated Oregon Medical Group locations. Please call 541-284-1113 for an appointment.

At this time, pediatric patients will not be able to receive the Pfizer vaccine at well check appointments, but we hope to offer that option in the near future and encourage parents and guardians to ask questions about the vaccine at the time of a well check appointment. It can be given safely in combination with other vaccines, including the flu vaccine.

The FDA’s website includes details about the decision to authorize and recommend the vaccine. Pediatricians and primary care providers at Oregon Medical Group encourage parents to seek information as they wish, but ultimately hope that parents choose the vaccine for children.

“The benefits of vaccination against COVID outweigh the risks,” says Dr. Stacy Chance, Chief Medical Officer. “Children represent 28 million very active Americans who encounter dozens of people each day and are exposed to COVID in social, sports settings and family gatherings. The vaccine will help keep each one safe.”

Each dose for this group is one-third that given to those 12 and up and should be given three weeks apart. The difference in dosing has raised questions by parents who wonder if they should wait for their 11-year-old to turn 12 in order to get a bigger dose – or what the dose means for a large 8-year-old versus a small 12-year-old, for example. But most experts in immunology and infectious diseases agree that the dosing is best set by age rather than size. “Although this can be confusing for those used to dosing a child by weight (ibuprofen, etc.), the dosing for a vaccine has more to do with the maturity of the immune system than body size,” says Dr. Chance. “This also explains why adults of widely varying sizes received the same dose.”

Children five-years-old and up can also receive the vaccine at Lane County vaccine clinics and some pharmacies. Learn more on Lane County Public Health’s website.