Texas Children’s Hospital to begin safely administering Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine booster to children aged 5 to 11

By

Boram Kim

|

Beginning Friday, May 20, Texas Children’s Hospital and all Texas Children’s Pediatrics practices will begin administering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster to children aged 5 to 11, following FDA Emergency-Use Authorization granted May 17, and recommendation today by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

 

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The FDA and CDC recommend eligible children in this age group receive the booster dose five months after completion of the primary COVID-19 vaccine series, as the initial vaccine’s effectiveness wanes over time.

Texas Children’s commends the FDA and CDC on this monumental step toward further protecting children through this booster dose, shown in recent studies to significantly increase antibody response.

Administration of this booster dose will offer children critical protection against COVID-19 infection and the potential long-term consequences from this dangerous infection. In addition, this booster will help offer further protection for the parents, grandparents, teachers and other caregivers in close proximity to school-aged children.

 

“Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine booster is an instrumental and effective tool in our ongoing campaign to protect children from this dangerous and tenacious virus,” said Mark A. Wallace, President and CEO of Texas Children’s Hospital. “Now we are able to equip pediatric patients with another layer of life-saving armor to help ensure their well-being — and potentially prevent them from spreading the virus to their friends and family.”

 

Parents and caregivers of children aged 5 to 11 can schedule a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster through the hospital’s COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments scheduler. Free valet or validated parking is provided for families visiting Texas Children’s Texas Medical Center, The Woodlands, and West campuses for this vaccine.

Parents of 5-to-11-year-olds can also visit https://texaschildrenspediatrics.org/covid-19-information/covid-vaccines-available to schedule appointments for this booster dose at their closest Texas Children’s Pediatrics practice.

As the largest pediatric hospital in the country, Texas Children’s is ideally suited and well equipped to safely administer Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine booster to eligible children in the community. As a part of Texas Children’s Hospital’s robust vaccination initiative, the hospital has created an organized system for scheduling and administration of various vaccine doses, along with child-friendly characters and settings with engaging activities and entertainment for an enhanced patient experience.

 

“The FDA’s and CDC’s endorsement this week of the COVID-19 booster for children aged 5 to 11 is an exciting, long-awaited milestone in our fight against COVID-19,” said Julie Boom, M.D., Director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Immunization Project and Co-Chair of Texas Children’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force. “The COVID-19 vaccine booster is the safest and most effective way to protect our children, families and the community, and I strongly encourage parents to get their eligible children vaccinated.”

 

As a participating hospital in Pfizer’s COVID-19 pediatric clinical trials for children aged six months to 11 years, Texas Children’s continues to deliver on its commitment to safely vaccinate millions of children across the world.

To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and Texas Children’s equitable vaccination efforts, please visit the Texas Children’s COVID-19 Vaccine Hub. For more information about Texas Children’s Hospital, visit www.texaschildrens.org.

This press release was provided by Texas Children’s Hospital.