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San Francisco released its contingency plans on how it will vaccinate children on Friday morning when the Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 to 11.
The city is following in the footsteps of Marin County, which announced a preliminary plan last week.
The city said in a statement it would tap into the pre-existing network of nearly 100 vaccination sites in doctors’ offices, clinics, schools, pharmacies and more to get children vaccinated.
The vaccine’s early authorization for children comes after the FDA announced the authorization of Pfizer booster doses for people 65 years of age and older and other high-risk groups. San Francisco said in the statement it was ready to start administering them, but would prioritize those who need the first and second shots. The city encourages people to contact their health care providers for information on obtaining recalls.
“We anticipate a capacity to deliver 25,000 doses of vaccine per week at these sites to collectively meet the demand of eligible children, adults seeking first-time vaccinations, and third-dose boosters for those who meet the requirements. conditions, ”the city said. “We must stress that our top priority will be to ensure access to the first and second doses for all members of our community, including children aged 5 to 11 when they become eligible.”
While Marin County provided specific dates for mass vaccination sites for children in anticipation of emergency approval of the Pfizer vaccine next month, San Francisco did not name dates for events at large scale.
Marin County has tentatively scheduled vaccination events for three consecutive weekends: October 30 and 31, November 6 and 7, and November 13 and 14. They are also launching an education campaign.
“We know that many parents will want to seek advice from their pediatrician or family doctor, so we are also working to strengthen the capacity of family physicians to provide the COVID-19 vaccine in their offices,” Laine Hendricks, spokesperson Marin County Department of Public Health wrote in an email. “We are contacting and meeting with pediatric practices to review vaccine administration, refrigeration / storage, etc. In that sense, Marin County Public Health would complement what pediatricians are offering.”
Hendricks added that the goal in Marin County is to give a first dose to 75% of eligible children within one month of emergency vaccine clearance.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Tuesday that data on the COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 would arrive soon and could be submitted to the FDA by the end of September, CNBC reported.
“Then it’s up to the FDA to take its time and then make a decision,” Bourla said in an interview with Research America’s 2021 National Health Research Forum.
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