San Francisco pronounces plan for vaccinating children ages 5 to 11

San Francisco released its contingency plans for vaccinating children on Friday morning when the Food and Drug Administration issues an emergency clearance to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine aged 5-11.

The city is following in the footsteps of Marin County, which announced a preliminary plan last week.

The city said in a statement that it will tap into the already existing network of nearly 100 vaccination sites in doctor’s offices, clinics, schools, pharmacies and more to inject children in the arms.

The vaccine’s anticipated approval for children comes after the FDA announces the approval of Pfizer booster doses for those 65 years of age and older and other at risk groups. San Francisco said in the statement it was ready to start administering these but would prioritize those that need first and second shots. The city encourages people to contact their health care providers for information on how to get boosters.

“We anticipate that at these locations we can deliver 25,000 doses of vaccine per week to collectively meet demand from eligible children, adults who want a primary vaccination, and third-dose booster vaccinations for those who qualify,” said the city. “We must emphasize that our top priority will be to ensure that all members of our community have access to the first and second dose, including children ages 5-11 if they are eligible.”

While Marin County provided specific data for mass vaccination sites for children in anticipation of the Pfizer vaccine’s emergency approval next month, San Francisco did not provide dates for major events.

Marin County has preliminary vaccination events scheduled for three consecutive weekends: October 30th and 31st, November 6th and 7th, and November 13th and 14th. They also start an awareness campaign.

“We know many parents want advice from their pediatrician or family doctor, so we’re also working to build the capacity for family doctors to have the COVID-19 vaccine in their offices,” said Laine Hendricks, a Marin County spokeswoman Ministry of Health, wrote in an email. “We contact and meet with pediatric practices to investigate vaccine delivery, refrigeration / storage, etc. In that sense, Marin County Public Health would be an addition to what pediatricians offer.”

Hendricks added that the goal in Marin County is to give 75% of eligible children an initial dose within one month of receiving emergency vaccine approval.

Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, said Tuesday that COVID-19 vaccine data for children ages 5 to 11 might be available soon and could be filed with the FDA by the end of September, CNBC reported.

“Then it’s up to the FDA to take the time and then make a decision,” Bourla said during an interview at Research America’s 2021 National Health Research Forum.