Broward and Miami-Dade districts open clinics on elementary and middle school campuses with pediatric doses
Published: November 19, 2021
Broward and Miami-Dade County School Districts are offering vaccine clinics on selected elementary and middle school campuses to help distribute the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations free of charge to children ages 5-11.
The vaccine campaign began after federal regulators gave final approval to the lower-dose, two shot protocol in November. The clinics have been scheduled at various public schools through February in Broward County to accommodate the anticipated demand for the vaccine, which is administered in two doses given three weeks apart. Miami-Dade, which is partnering with the University of Miami Health System (UHealth) Pediatric Mobile Clinic and several health centers to distribute the vaccines on campuses, was still planning its vaccine clinics for December and beyond as of press time.
Children must have a completed and signed COVID-19 consent form to be eligible to receive the vaccines. In Miami-Dade County, a parent will need to be present for the vaccine to be administered. In Broward County, only the signed consent form, which can be downloaded at http://www.browardschools.com/vaccinations, is needed.
Parents can also get the pediatric Pfizer vaccines for children ages 5-11 at county vaccine sites, such as parks and government centers, and at retail locations such as CVS, Publix, Costco, Sam’s Club, Walgreen’s, Walmart and Winn-Dixie.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the possible side effects for children are similar to the side effects seen with adults receiving the vaccine, the most common of which are pain, redness and swelling at the injection site. They might also experience tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea.
Children should not receive the vaccine if they have experienced a severe allergic reaction to a previous vaccine or are allergic to any of the ingredients in the vaccine.
The CDC encourages families to enroll in v-safe, a free smartphone-based tool that provides personalized health check-ins after a vaccination so parents can report how their child is feeling after the shot. The program also sends reminders about the second dose.
Learn more about the vaccine and v-safe on the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html.
