Vaccines for keiki under five now available on all Hawaiian islands

COVID-19 vaccines now are available on all islands for children under 5 and at least six months old, according to the Hawai’i Department of Health.

The state was expecting to receive 27,500 vaccines, according to a news release last week.

The keiki vaccines are being distributed to hospitals, pediatricians’ offices and clinics. Pharmacies and community health centers will receive additional vaccine shipments directly from the manufacturers.

“Vaccines continue to offer our best protection against COVID-19 and now keiki as young as six-months old can benefit from that same protection,” said DOH Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP.

Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended use of the vaccines from both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. This followed the US Food and Drug Administration issuing emergency use authorization for these keiki vaccines.

The new Pfizer vaccine is specially made for children six-months through four years of age and will be administered in a three-shot series. There should be three weeks between the first and second shots. The third shot is to be given at least two months after the second shot. Each dose is one-tenth the dose of the Pfizer vaccine given to adults.

The new Moderna vaccine is for children six-months through five years of age and will be administered in a two-shot series. The second shot is to be given at least four weeks after the first shot. Each dose is a quarter of the Moderna dose given to adults.

The CDC said in a news release that all children, including children who have already had COVID-19, should get vaccinated.

Parents with questions about COVID-19 vaccines are encouraged to ask their healthcare providers for guidance.

Most vaccination locations for everyone 6-months and older are listed on the DOH vaccine page at HawaiiCOVID19.com/vaccine.

Ask your child’s pediatrician if they are offering COVID-19 vaccinations as some doctors chose not to be included on the DOH vaccination map.