Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Authorized for Children Ages 5-11

The Hawai‘i Department of Health is authorizing certified vaccination providers to administer Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11 immediately. This authorization is consistent with recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.

CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. CDC now expands vaccine recommendations to about 28 million children in the United States in this age group and allows providers to begin vaccinating them as soon as possible. 

The County of Kaua‘i has already announced that the COVID-19 vaccine is now available for children ages 5-11 at Wilcox Medical Center and Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital.

“The CDC reviewed the clinical data and determined the vaccine is safe. The Pfizer vaccine is effective in preventing severe illness and death. The vaccine will provide another important layer of protection in keeping our children and the entire community safe,” said Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP.

The US Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine for children age 5-11 last week.

The Pfizer vaccine dose for children age 5-11 is 10 micrograms, 1/3 the dose used for adults.

Shipments of the state’s initial order of 41,700 doses of vaccine for children began arriving on Monday. Vaccination providers can begin administering the vaccines as soon as their deliveries arrive and their clinics are established.

Vaccinations for children will be available at more than 200 locations statewide including medical facilities, community health centers, mobile clinics, pharmacies, pediatrician’s offices, and more than 130 public, private and charter schools.

Some participating schools will begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday, Nov. 8. A majority of the school vaccination sites will be closed to the general public. Parents should contact their child’s school directly to see if and when their school will be offering vaccinations to students.

Information on where children’s vaccines are available will be updated regularly at https://hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine/.

DOH estimates there are 119,473 children age 5-11 living in Hawaiʻi. The state’s initial order of vaccine for children is enough to provide 35% of the estimated population with the first of two recommended vaccinations. The second vaccination should be administered three weeks after the first vaccination or shortly thereafter.

Parents / legal guardians are required to submit signed consent forms before anyone 17 and younger can be vaccinated.