Los Angeles County Begins Administering Pfizer Vaccine to Children 5 to 11

LOS ANGELES, Calif. Nov 3 — Los Angeles County vaccine providers are now administering Pfizer vaccine to children 5 to 11 years old after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle P. Walensky affirmed the recommendation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to expand the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

In L.A. County, an estimated 900,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 are newly eligible for vaccinations.

All Public Health sites began offering Pfizer for children 5 to 11 years old as of this morning along with many pharmacies and clinics. Some sites require appointments; walk-ins are welcome at the Public Health sites. Children will need to be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult and have a signed consent form.

Parents are able to make an appointment using the County website at VaccinateLACounty.com and will be able to make an appointment using MyTurn.CA.gov later today or tomorrow. Many pharmacies and clinics countywide are also accepting appointments through their own systems. Parents are encouraged to call the site ahead of time to verify that they are vaccinating children.

A network of nearly 900 providers countywide will offer vaccines to children between the ages of 5 and 11 and this month, vaccines will be offered at 480 school-based events with a focus on schools in high-need areas. County mobile vaccination teams will supplement vaccinations offered by existing providers so that children have easy access to our most powerful protection from COVID-19.

Today, Public Health confirms 22 new deaths and 1,605 new cases of COVID-19. The number of cases today reflects 476 backlogged positive tests from one lab with episode dates of these cases ranging from October 21 – October 27, 2021. Of the 22 new deaths reported today, six people who passed away were over the age of 80, nine people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79, two people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64, and five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49. To date, Public Health has identified 1,496,593 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 26,683 deaths.

There are 653 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 25% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for more than 9,086,000 individuals with 15% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 1.2%.

Nearly 53,000 booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered across L.A. County over the weekend between Friday, October 29 and Sunday, October 31. As of October 31, nearly 610,000 additional or booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Los Angeles County residents.

“Our hearts go out to the families and friends experiencing the sorrow of losing a loved one to COVID-19. May you find peace and healing in the days ahead,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Today, children between 5 and 11 years old can begin receiving the safe and effective COVID vaccine at any of the hundreds of sites in the county offering the Pfizer vaccine to children. Since last March, L.A. County has seen nearly 80,000 COVID-19 cases among children aged 5 to 11 with almost 400 children 5 to 11 hospitalized and many able to spread the virus to other people. As with other vaccines used to protect children from transmission of dangerous diseases including measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and polio, vaccines are all tested to ensure they are safe and effective for children to receive. Children who receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine this week, will be able to get their second dose in 21 days – just in time to be fully protected before the winter holidays.”

Anyone five years and older living or working in L.A. County can get vaccinated. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed at all Public Health vaccination sites where first, second, and third doses are available.

Vaccine providers across Los Angeles County are also administering boosters for all three FDA-approved vaccines; Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. People eligible for boosters include adults of any age who received their first Johnson & Johnson dose at least two months ago, and people who got the second dose of their Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least six months ago and are 65-plus years old or are over 18 and live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions, or work or live in high-risk settings.

As of November 3, California has confirmed a total of 4,674,665 COVID-19 cases and 71,646 deaths.