COVID vaccine events scheduled for Cook County kids ages 5-11

Cook County youth between the ages of 5 and 11 are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The first vaccination event for children in this age range is Friday, Nov. 12 from 1-6 p.m.

U.S. health officials this week gave the final signoff to Pfizer's kid-size COVID-19 shot, a milestone that opens a major expansion of the nation's vaccination campaign, the Associated Press reports.

The Food and Drug Administration already authorized the shots for children ages 5 to 11 — doses just a third of the amount given to teens and adults. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally recommends who should receive FDA-cleared vaccines.

Registration opens on the county’s hub site at noon on Nov. 3. There will be three, 50-person events scheduled at the Cook County Community Center on the following dates:

Friday, Nov. 12 from 1 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 24 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

As these events fill, more will be scheduled, according to local public health officials, with the goal of making vaccination easily accessible to all local families.

The vaccine available for those in the 5-11 age range is the Pfizer vaccine, though it is a smaller dose than the Pfizer vaccine available for those ages 12 and over.  The pediatric Pfizer vaccine also is a two-dose series, with each dose spaced 21 days apart.  A parent or guardian must be present during the appointment to provide consent.

Cook County Public Health Supervisor Grace Grinager said today that as both a parent and a public health professional, she is "thrilled that COVID-19 vaccination will be available to more children in our community."

Grinager will share an update on vaccination events in Cook County, including for local children, during a live interview Monday, Nov. 8 on WTIP’s Daybreak program at approximately 7:40 a.m.