It’s shaping up to be a busy stretch for COVID-19 vaccine providers as federal approval appears imminent for children aged 5 to 11 to receive shots, and booster doses are now available for everyone 65 or older, in addition to other groups.
The Summit County Health Department is preparing to start delivering vaccines to younger children in a 12-hour clinic planned Monday at Park City Hospital, and to continue that effort throughout the week at its three Health Department offices, one each in North Summit, South Summit and at Quinn’s Junction. Already, about 1,000 families have pre-registered their children, according to Health Director Phil Bondurant.
Pre-registrations can be made at vacc.me/511. There is also a vaccine hotline, which can be reached at 435-243-5320.
Nursing Director Derek Moss said the county would send out a link to schedule appointments as soon as the vaccine is approved. The scheduling portal would also be available on the Health Department’s website and via the county’s social media channels.
“We know some of these mothers and children and fathers feel this desire to really get vaccinated as soon as they can,” Moss said, adding that the county has made youth vaccinations its priority next week, rather than booster shots.
As of Tuesday morning, federal officials had not yet approved COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11, though Bondurant said that child-size doses — 1/3 of the adult dose of the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer — were already en route to the county.
He and Moss said the county has the capacity to deliver in a week the 2,500 to 3,000 shots expected to be required.
It takes five weeks for the two-shot course of COVID-19 vaccine to reach peak efficacy, meaning children who receive the shot on Nov. 8 will have some protection for Thanksgiving and will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second dose, which could be as soon as Dec. 13, in time for the winter holidays.
Moss said the goal is to deliver 800 doses on Monday if vaccine supply and federal approval occur as expected. The Health Department is also planning clinics at its offices from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, according to the department’s website.
Officials are planning another large-scale vaccination effort on Nov. 30 for second doses.
Lori Weston, the CEO of Park City Hospital, said officials there are planning another youth vaccine push on Nov. 12.
Bondurant said he expected the Health Department to deliver the majority of shots for younger children but private partners are also setting up programs, as they are for booster shots.
Everyone 65 or older is approved to receive a booster shot, as are those with some preexisting medical conditions or jobs that require interaction with the public in enclosed settings, like teaching school.
Federal officials have approved mixing and matching vaccines, and Moss said Summit County has vaccines manufactured by all three companies — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
Booster shots are also available at local pharmacies, including Walmart, Smith’s Food and Drug and Walgreens.