UPDATE: Vax for kids approved, Sonoma Valley school clinics set

With federal and state approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, Sonoma County will begin vaccinating the roughly 37,000 children through primary care physicians, local pharmacies or county-sponsored school-based clinics beginning the week of Nov. 8.

Parents who have health care coverage are encouraged to reach out to their pediatrician or local pharmacy to find a vaccination appointment for their children as soon as possible.

The first three Sonoma Valley clinics:

• Dunbar Elementary School in Sonoma, Nov. 12, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Sassarini Elementary School on Monday, November 15th, from  4:00 – 6:00 PM
• El Verano Elementary School on Monday, December 13th, from 4:00 – 6:00 PM.

“Parents have been waiting for nearly a year to be able to get their younger children vaccinated,” said Dr. Sundari Mase, the county’s public health officer. “The pediatric vaccine has shown to be safe and effective in preventing the worst outcomes from COVID.”

“This is yet another critical tool that we have to protect more of our population from the virus,” she said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cleared that age group to get vaccinated and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup followed suit on Wednesday.

Sonoma County is expected to receive roughly 7,500 doses of the pediatric vaccine, which is 10 micrograms or one-third of the dosage used for people 12 and older.

The county Department of Health Services is working with local education leaders, federally qualified health centers and other health-care partners to provide free vaccinations to children.

Vaccination clinics are being set up at designated schools to serve people who do not have convenient or affordable access to health-care providers.

School vaccination clinics beginning the week of Nov. 8 will be at the following locations. These clinics are intended for students who attend these schools and their families:

The Office of Education’s goal is to vaccinate 25 percent of the 37,000 children in Sonoma County aged 5 to 11 by Dec. 1. The campaign will seek to vaccinate half of these children by Jan. 31, 2022, and 70 percent by Feb. 28, 2022.

Priority is given to schools in areas that have been historically impacted with high rates of COVID-19 and low vaccination rates. Priority is also being given to areas with large numbers of English-language learners and free- or reduced-lunch recipients.

Doses for teens and adults who live in these neighborhoods and/or attend these schools will be available at the clinics, as will pediatric doses formulated specifically for children aged 5 to 11.

Although all residents ages 5 and older are now eligible to be vaccinated, parents are being encouraged to be patient as supplies and appointments may be in short supply in the next few weeks. More information is available through the county’s vaccine clinic page or through the myturn.ca.gov website.

Information on school-based clinics as well as consent forms in English and Spanish is available on the Sonoma County Office of Education website. Residents who need help making an appointment are encouraged to call the County COVID-19 hotline at 707-565-4667.

For more information, including the latest vaccine numbers, who’s eligible for a vaccine and how to receive a vaccine, visit SoCoEmergency.org/vaccine, or call 2-1-1.