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UC Davis Health begins administering vaccines for children 5-11

After UC Health released a statement supporting the CDC’s recommendation to vaccinate children ages 5-11, UC Davis Health began administering vaccines on Nov. 9

By GABY SAINZ-MEDINA — campus@theaggie.org

After a statement was issued on Nov. 4 by UC Health (UCH) in support of the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UC Davis Health began administering COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5-11 on Nov. 9. 

“For children 5-11 years of age in the U.S., there [have] been 1.9 million cases of [COVID-19] diagnosed and more than 8,000 hospitalizations, and 94 deaths,” Dr. Dean Blumberg, the chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s hospital, said. “It’s actually the eighth leading cause of death over the past year in this age group, so it can be quite serious.”

The CDC’s media statement overall recommended that children 5-11 years old receive the COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.  

“Vaccination, along with other preventative measures, can protect children from COVID-19 using the safe and effective vaccines already recommended for use in adolescents and adults in the United States,” the media statement reads. 

According to the statement, the side effects of the vaccines for children were “mild, self-limiting, and similar to those seen in adults.”

UCH’s Nov. 4 statement expressed its support for the CDC’s recommendation. 

“The expansion of vaccination against COVID-19 to approximately 28 million children ages 5-11 years across the nation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a significant step forward in the fight against the pandemic,” the statement read. 

Since the release of this statement, UCH has begun encouraging parents and guardians to bring their eligible children in to get vaccinated at its locations. 

“There are 28 million children 5-11 years of age, that’s 8% of the population,” Blumberg said. “So if you immunize a significant portion of them, that makes a dent in the amount of immunity that you have [against COVID-19].”

UC Davis Health is offering COVID-19 vaccines for children ages five and up in many of their clinics. Additional information can be found on the UC Davis Health COVID-19 vaccine page

We are fortunate to have so many options in our community where people can get the free COVID-19 vaccines — from healthcare provider offices and CommuniCare health clinics to pop-up vaccine clinics in neighborhoods and local pharmacies, grocery stores and larger retailers like Costco and Walmart,” Rosanna Vierra, a representative from Healthy Davis Together, said. 

UC Davis Health encourages anyone eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine to make an appointment through MyUCDavisHealth or California’s MyTurn.ca.gov for vaccinations. Additionally, visit vaccines.gov to find a nearby location providing the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Written by: Gaby Sainz-Medina — campus@theaggie.org

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