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Some fear access to pediatric COVID vaccine could depend on where children live

Even though public health officials haven't yet approved any coronavirus vaccine for children younger than 12, area pediatricians and pharmacies say parents are already scrambling to book appointments so their children can get their shots.

Posted Updated

By
Keely Arthur
, WRAL reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — Even though public health officials haven't yet approved any coronavirus vaccine for children younger than 12, area pediatricians and pharmacies say parents are already scrambling to book appointments so their children can get their shots.
Pfizer announced Friday that its vaccine is more than 90 percent effective children ages 5 to 11, and a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee is scheduled to meet next Tuesday on whether to approve shots for children in that age group. Officials at the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would have to sign off after that before any vaccinations could be administered.
The state Department of Health and Human Services is already laying the groundwork so shots can get into young arms as soon as federal officials approve. The state has lined up more than 230 pediatricians, pharmacies and county health departments to divvy up North Carolina's initial allotment of 124,500 doses of pediatric vaccine.

While officials are committed to reaching every child, some health experts fear that access to the vaccine could be determined by where a child lives. Wake County, for example, has 15 providers to help give shots, while many rural counties have only one or two.

"I think we can definitely do a better job of increasing access," said Ritesh Patel, a pharmacist with Avance Care in Raleigh and Eastern Carolina Medical Center in Johnston County. "Our Medicaid kids and our underserved kids all around the country definitely are the ones that have lots of health disparities."

Patel said the best way to reach everyone is by meeting them where they already are, suggesting schools and churches as locations for vaccination clinics.

"The issue is making sure the parents are there at the same time, more than likely, and things like that, so I think we'll have to work together," he said.

DHHS officials have said they're working on a series of "family vaccination pop-up sites" to offer pediatric vaccines, regular vaccines for those ages 12 and up and booster shots. Those sites are expected to start in a few weeks, but locations haven't yet been announced.

"Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming. It would be great to get all these kids protected so the grandparents and all immuno-compromised patients that could still get a breakthrough infection are safe," Patel said.
Because the list of providers administering the shots will likely be fluid, DHHS officials say the best way for parents and families to find a nearby location will be to visit MySpot.nc.gov or call 888-675-4567 toll free. People also can text their ZIP code to 438829 to find vaccine locations near them.

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