COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state of Ohio hopes it is one step closer to achieving herd immunity against COVID-19 as children ages 5-11 can now receive a vaccine against the virus.
Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff led a news conference Wednesday morning on the subject and urged parents to get their children vaccinated.
"It remains very clear that COVID-19 vaccination is the best protection for all Ohioans, including youth," Vanderhoff said.
Vanderhoff said about 386,000 Ohioans ages 12-17 have started the vaccination process. He also announced the state's Vax 2 School lottery will now expand to include children 5-11.
COVID vaccines can take up to five weeks from the first dose to offer full protection against the virus. Vanderhoff said parents should make sure their child receives their first dose by Nov. 20 if they want to be fully protected by Christmas.
Vanderhoff was joined by Dr. Michael Forbes, a pediatric Intensive Care Unit specialist at the Akron Children's Hospital. He said the delta variant was a game-changer for COVID.
"If you think about the first COVID wave, we felt lucky in pediatrics because it skipped children to some degree," Forbes said. "The delta wave is different and really highlights the need for vaccination. Thousands of children have been affected.
"This is a terrific time to really turn the corner on this pandemic."
Vanderhoff said there should be ample supply of vaccine for the new age group, especially after the first one or two weeks.
Dr. Patty Manning-Courtney, chief of staff for the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, said vaccine trials in children 5-11 show the vaccine is safe for the age group.
"It's incredibly effective at preventing disease," she said. "In children, the side effects are less frequent and less severe (compared to adults). They have tolerated this vaccine very well. It's safe, it's effective and it's the right thing to do."
The vaccine’s approval for children ages 5-11 features a smaller 10 microgram dose of Pfizer’s shot. The Ohio Department of Health said the new vaccines are arriving in Ohio on a staggered schedule throughout the coming days.
“Providers across the state, including local health departments, pediatricians, family physicians, community health centers, adult and children’s hospitals and pharmacies, are receiving shipments and will be scheduling appointments or accepting walk-ins,” according to ODH. “As the shipments arrive and following the CDC’s recommendation, providers can begin to administer the vaccine.”
Locally, plans are already in the works for vaccine clinics to be made available for children in the Ottawa Hills and Sylvania school districts.
“Today is a day that many children and numerous adults — parents, guardians, grandparents, aunts, uncles, pediatricians, teachers, and coaches — have long awaited,” Vanderhoff said. “The authorization of this COVID-19 vaccine for younger Ohioans is yet another crucial turning point in this pandemic, allowing us to better protect young children from severe complications from COVID-19. This deadly virus has killed more than 24,000 Ohioans, and has caused nearly 206,000 pediatric infections among those ages 17 and younger.”
While children are less likely than adults to get severely ill from COVID-19, they most certainly can, and do, become ill. As of Nov. 1, more than 2,000 Ohio children under 18 had been hospitalized with COVID-19, and 15 had died.
“Just like adults, when children become sick from COVID-19, they can spread it to others and suffer severe health outcomes, or even death,” Vanderhoff said. “When more people are vaccinated, it lessens the opportunity for dangerous variants to take hold, helping us to get control of this pandemic.”