CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11; clinic registration opens noon on Thursday

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone ages 5 to 11 get the two-dose pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to help protect against COVID-19. The City and Borough of Juneau – in partnership with Juneau Public Health, Bartlett Regional Hospital, Juneau School District, local pediatricians, and other community organizations – is hosting free pediatric vaccine clinics for all Juneau youth ages 5-11. Registration opens at noon tomorrow, November 4, on juneau.org/vaccine or at 907-586-6000. Clinics start next week.

Pediatric vaccine clinics in Juneau are on:

• Monday, November 8, 3:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Marie Drake Building
• Monday, November 8, 3:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Floyd Dryden Middle School
• Tuesday, November 9, 3:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Mendenhall River Community School
• Tuesday, November 9, 3:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School
• Thursday, November 11, 10 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Riverbend Elementary School

While all clinics are open to all children ages 5-11, more time per appointment has been allocated to the clinics at Marie Drake, Mendenhall River, and Riverbend. Parents of younger children (5-8), or any child who may need additional time, are encouraged to sign up for appointments at those locations.

Youth must be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian or caregiver. Second dose clinics are being planned for the week of November 29.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine can help protect children ages 5 years and older from getting COVID-19 and help keep children from getting seriously sick if they do get it. While COVID-19 tends to be milder in children compared with adults, it can make children very sick and cause children to be hospitalized. In some situations, the complications from infection can lead to death.

The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks. Possible side effects from the pediatric vaccine include pain, redness, and swelling on the arm where your child got the shot, as well as tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea throughout the rest of their body. These side effects may affect your child’s ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Some people have no side effects and severe allergic reactions are rare.

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 years and older here.

For more information, call 586-6000 or email [email protected].