HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Harris County Public Health and the Houston Health Department are starting to offer COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 6 months and older following a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Children under age 5 were the last group that remained highly vulnerable because of the lack of access to an approved vaccine,” said Dr. David Persse, chief medical officer for the City of Houston. “Vaccinating children will not only help keep Houston safer from COVID but also bring a sense of relief to parents since they have long awaited this vaccine.”
On Friday, June 24, Harris County Public Health will start offering vaccines to kids in this age group.
Through the Houston Health Department, kids in these age groups are eligible to receive either the Moderna of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
The city said children may experience fewer symptoms from the vaccine than adults do. Common symptoms include the following:
- Pain
- Swelling and redness in the arm where the shot was given
- Fever
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Chills
- Muscle or joint pain
- Swollen lymph nodes
On Saturday, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the vaccines for the littlest children, and the final signoff came hours later from Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the agency's director.
“We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today’s decision, they can,” Walensky said in a statement.
While the Food and Drug Administration approves vaccines, it’s the CDC that decides who should get them.
The shots offer young children protection from hospitalization, death and possible long-term complications that are still not clearly understood, the CDC's advisory panel said.
The government has already been gearing up for the vaccine expansion, with millions of doses ordered for distribution to doctors, hospitals and community health clinics around the country.
Roughly 18 million kids will be eligible, but it remains to be seen how many will ultimately get the vaccines. Less than a third of children ages 5 to 11 have done so since vaccination opened up to them last November.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.