Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 now available in Monterey County.

The time many parents have been anxiously awaiting for throughout the pandemic is here: Covid-19 vaccines are now available for the approximately 43,000 children aged 5-11 in Monterey County.

The final approval for California children in that age range to receive the Pfizer vaccine came on Wednesday morning from the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, a group of scientists representing California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

The scientists reviewed data from Pfizer vaccine trial data and agreed that the recommended one-third dose for children between the ages of 5-11, in a two-dose series, was safe and effective. It was the same conclusion that both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control had come to in recent days.

Martha Blum, infectious disease specialist for Montage Health, told reporters in a Monterey County media briefing on Wednesday that the vaccination trial with over 2,200 children resulted in fewer adverse reactions than adults and older children have experienced. 

"Your kids can still expect maybe sore arms and feeling a little achey but some of those high fevers and some of those types of reactions appear to be less common in this group," she said. None of the children in the trials experienced a very rare and mild inflammation around the heart that's been seen in a few boys ages 12-29. 

"Good news, it was 91 percent effective and seen to be very safe and with even fewer adverse reactions," Blum said.

Monterey County vaccine providers—including the Health Department, pharmacies and medical providers—were allotted 12,600 doses of the vaccine for children by the state of California for the first wave, but exactly how many were received in the county was not immediately available from the Health Department.

The Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System announced on Tuesday that it had received 900 doses inits pharmacy and was in the process of creating a schedule of vaccination clinics that will possibly start next week. 

A good place to start for some families will be with a call to their pediatrician or family health care provider. Another place to check is the state's vaccination scheduling website, MyTurn.ca.gov. There will be pop-up clinics scheduled in the coming weeks and days, including at some schools. 

One of the first Health Department clinics for children is this Saturday, Nov. 6, from 10am-4pm on Saturday at the Breadbox Recreation Center, 745 Sanborn Road, Salinas. Appointments are available on MyTurn.ca.gov. Walk-ins will be accepted as long as doses are available.

Another clinic this Sunday, Nov. 7,  offered through the county, its VIDA Community Health Worker Program, the city of Soledad and the Soledad McDonald's is  happening from 10am-3pm, at the McDonald's, 1215 Front St. There's a promise of a free Big Mac for all vaccinated children. The clinic will also feature rapid Covid-19 testing, flu shots, and Covid-19 vaccines and boosters for anyone eligible (Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson).

Pharmacies will be carrying the vaccines as well. CVS announced it will have the child's dose vaccine at select pharmacies—so far the closest pharmacy where it's offered is in Watsonville in Santa Cruz County.

There have been over 573,000 Covid cases in California children aged 17 and under, approximately 12 percent of all cases in the state, according to the California Department of Public Health. Of those, 27 children have died.

In Monterey County there have been nearly 7,000 cases in children aged 17 and under, over 14 percent of the county's total cases, according to the Health Department. Of those, 51 have been hospitalized.

If any children in the county have died is not known; the department is only reporting that 13 people aged 34 and under have died, following its policy of not reporting exact numbers if there are five or less people in one category to avoid possible identification.

Mahendra Poudel, infectious disease expert for SVMHS, told reporters its because children are susceptible to Covid-19 infection they need to be vaccinated. About half could possibly be asymptomatic and could pass the virus onto family members and others. Those that do get sick could become seriously ill and some could suffer from long-haul Covid side effects.

"This is a key step in terms of getting the pandemic under control and also to give our kids the chance to be kids, to let them do what they love to do. They can hang around with their friends, be around family members and go to school with as few restrictions as possible," he said.

There will be those who reject the vaccine for the children or who are hesitant. Teens still lag behind the rest of the county in vaccinations: 76 percent of those aged 12-17 have received at last one dose, compared to the 84 percent of the eligible population in the county who have received at least a single dose.