Health department: Appointments encouraged to vaccinate 5- to 11-year-olds against COVID-19

A few days removed from approval for 5- to 11-year-olds to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and doses are likely already in the hands of plenty of local pediatricians and other health agencies.

As of late Friday afternoon, there were 101 appointments scheduled through the St. Clair County Health Department. 

"Currently, there are many available appointment dates/times," spokeswoman Jennifer Michaluk said in an email. "For example, the next date with appointment times available is Tuesday (Nov. 9).

"Besides the health department, we strongly encourage parents/caregivers to talk to their child’s pediatrician/doctor as many of these offices will also have the pediatric vaccine. Pharmacies are another option."

Michaluk said the department has two separate vaccine appointment buttons on its website — one for recipients over age 12 and a new link for parents and caregivers helping small children get immunized against the virus.

If not online at www.stclaircounty.org/offices/health, they can also go through the health department at (810) 987-5300.

As of Friday, just two other locations within a 25-mile radius of Port Huron were listed in addition to the health department as locations where Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine appointments were available for kids under 12. Both were pharmacies in Richmond, according to Vaccines.gov.

The latest Pfizer iteration got the final OK from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Tuesday.

Soon after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommended the low-dose vaccine for kids.

“It is not the same dose as the adults. It’s in a different vile. It looks different. It’s a third of the dose of the adult vaccines, which are the 12 and older,” Dr. Annette Mercatante, St. Clair County’s medical health officer, said in a live question-and-answer session Thursday. “And we want to make sure everybody, they seek out this vaccine as soon as possible.”

The local health officer added that it’s still a two-dose series for 5- to 11-year-olds receiving the Pfizer shots but three weeks apart.

“We do not currently plan to hold any mass school vaccine clinics,” Mercatante said. “But if they need comes up, I’ve said this before, if it appears to be what the need is, we’ll kind of reconsider those thoughts. But we’re thinking between the pediatricians and access here that those who want the vaccine can easily acquire it.”

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.