Colorado Health Clinics Prepare To Offer Pfizer COVID Vaccines To Younger Children

DENVER (CBS4) - The White House is preparing for the government to authorize use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11. The federal plan includes delivering the vaccine to thousands of pediatric and primary care offices, as well as hundreds of community health centers and pharmacies to administer the shots to kids.

Several offices in Colorado are working with the state to prepare for this.

On Wednesday, White House officials said they've secured enough supply to vaccinate about 28 million kids. One of the health centers that will participate in administering the shot to children in Denver is the Tepeyac Community Health Center.

Pamela Valenza, the chief health officer with the clinic said, Tepeyac already pre-ordered a shipment of the vaccine for kids under 12. The deadline was Saturday.

"We are absolutely seeing a need and a desire for parents to get their kids vaccinated," said Valenza. "There are going to be three waves of ordering, so the CDPHE is working with the health centers to continue to submit pre-orders."

Currently only children 12 and older can get the vaccine. Once the FDA and CDC approve it, the White House COVID response team will launch a campaign to educate parents. Health experts told CBS4 in Colorado kids could get the first dose of the vaccine as early the first week of November.

"It's going to be a matter of, if we can get enough resources for that, meaning you have to allocate pretty quickly and early on in the process," said Laura-Anne Cleveland, the associate chief nursing officer at the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children.

Cleveland said kids will get a lower dosage of the vaccine than what adults get saying it's "to help with any cardiac symptoms" that were a concern for some kids early on.

Cleveland said parents should keep an eye out for the FDA authorization for kids and is advising parents to be patient. The FDA is expected to have another big meeting on all of this on Oct. 26. Once the vaccine becomes available, parents should reach out to their primary care pediatric doctors to find out if they'll have the shot available.

Parents can also check out government sites.

"Once the CDC makes the recommendation to administer the vaccine, then the health center can start administering those kids 5 to 11," Valenza said.